The Heruli (Herules) - from enemies to allies of the Roman Empire

The Heruli, originally perhaps a union of Germanic, Sarmatian and other warriors, entered history in 268 when they invaded Greece and twenty years later also Gaul. They disappeared after 565, when, as Roman allies living in Roman territory, they gave up their identity, stopped calling themselves Hera, and merged with the Romans. On the basis of statements by Jordanes and Procopius, the Heruli are thought to have come from Scandinavia, but we have no real written or archaeological proof of their Scandinavian origin. In older literature. the Heruli were divided into western and eastern, suggesting two ethnically and linguistically different groups with the same or similar name. However, the existence of the Western Heruli on the Lower Rhine is doubtful.