TheSprevane orSprevani (German:Sprewanen;Slavonic:Sprevjane) were aSlavic tribe who lived around the riverSpree, whereBerlin is now, in theBrandenburg area of easternGermany.[1] They were first recorded in 948 and again in 965 as living in the territory of theHoly Roman Empire underOtto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Archaeological finds point to them coming to the area in the 8th century, and by 825 they started to build a settlement in today'sKöpenick, a district of Berlin.[2]
Their name is fromSprevja (the local Slavonic form of the river nameSpree, meaning "to the right side") plus the Slavonic ethnic suffix-an (= the one living in that area) and "-e" meaning plural. The Germanized form,Sprewanen, may have been influenced by the German verbwohnen (inOld High German,wonen), meaning "to dwell", but is also correct German plural of singular Sprevan.[2]
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