Who were the earliest Goths

Trying to answer a question like who were the first Goths is almost impossible.

The first Goths were likely counted as barbarians or a subculture to the classic cultures.

Jordanes was a Roman bureaucrat turned historian who lived in about 550 AD. He wrote a book called Getica : Origin and Deeds of the Goths, in which an attempt is made at identifying the Goth and the geneology of the Gothic bloodlines. To scholars, Jordanes work provides a base for argument. To curious people who just want to know a bit about the foundation of this peculiar subculture it provides a starting point.

The story goes that Berig was the King of an East Germanic tribe who occupied the land of Gothiscandza. This was in about 1500 BC. The East Germanic tribe was led by the King on three ships away from the island of Scandza and found a land which they quickly called Gothiscandza. This is all happening somewhere around Scandinavia and the Nordic countries and probably involves the island of Gotland which is in the Baltic sea. On one side of Gotland is Sweden and on the other the nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Goteborg is another place found in Sweden. Other nations that are touched by the Baltic sea include Poland, Germany, Finland, and Denmark.

Somehow the early Goths invade the land of the Rugians and from there become scattered all over Europe. The Goths are believed to have played a big role in the history of Ukraine which is a country which is bordered on one side by the Black Sea.