On the flank of the Chauci and the Chatti, the Cherusci have been left free from attack to enjoy a prolonged neace, too secure and enervating - a pleasant but perilous indulgence among powerful aggressors, where there can be no true peace. When force decides everything, forbearance and righteousness are qualities attributed only to the strong; and so the Cherusci, once known as 'good, honest people', now hear themselves called lazy fools, while the luck of the victorious Chatti passes for profound wisdom.
The fall of the Cherusci involved also the neighbouring tribe of the Fosi, who played second fiddle to them in prosperity but get an equal share of their adversity. Rome was in her six hundred and fortieth year when the alarm of the Cimbrian arms was first heard, in the consulship of Caecilius Metellus and Papirius Carbo.
Reckoning from that year to the second consulship of the emperor Trajan, we get a total of about two hundred and ten years. Such is the time it is taking to conquer Germany. In this long period much punishment has been given and taken. Neither by the Samnites nor by the Carthaginians, not by Spain or Gaul, or even by the Parthians, have we had more lessons taught us. The freedom of Germany is capable of more energetic action than the Arsacid despotism.
After all, what has the East to taunt us with, except the slaughter of Crassus? And it soon lost its own prince Pacorus and was humbled at the feet of Ventidius. Even from Augustus they took Varus and his three legions. And we had to pay a high price for the defeats inflicted upon them by Gaius Marius in Italy, by Julius Caesar in Gaul, and by Drusus, Tiberius, and Germanicus in their own country.
The boastful threats of Gaius Caesar ended in farce. After that came a lull, until the Germans took advantage of our dissensions and civil wars to storm the quarters of the legions and make a bid for possession of Gaul. This attempt ended in another defeat for them; but the more recent 'victories' claimed by our commanders have been little more than excuses for celebrating triumphs.
We must now speak of the Suebi, who do not, like the Chatti or the Tencteri, constitute a single nation. They occupy more than half Germany, and are divided into a number of separate tribes under different names, though all are called by the generic title of 'Suebi'. It is a special characteristic of this nation to comb the hair sideways and tie it in a knot. This distinguishes the Suebi from the rest of the Germans, and, among the Suebi, distinguishes the freeman from the slave.
Individual men of other tribes adopt the same fashion, either because they are related in some way to the Suebi, or merely because the imitative instinct is so strong in human beings; but even these few abandon it when they are no longer young. The Suebi keep it up till they are gray- headed; the hair is twisted back so that it stands erect, and is often knotted on the very crown of the head. The chiefs use an even more elaborate style.
But this concern about their personal appearance is altogether innocent. These are no lovelocks to entice women to accept their advances. Their elaborate coiffure is intended to give them greater height, so as to look more terrifying to their foes when they are about to go into battle. The oldest and most famous ofthe Suebi, it is said, are the Semnones, and their antiquity is confirmed by a religious observance. At a set time, deputations from all the tribes of the same stock gather in a grove hallowed by the auguries of their ancestors and by immemorial awe.
The sacrifice of a human victim in the name of all marks the grisly opening of their savage ritual. Another observance shows their reverence for this grove. No one may enter it unless he is bound with a cord, by which he acknowledges his own inferiority and the power of the deity. Should he chance to fall, he may not raise himself or get up again, but must roll out over the ground.
The grove is the centre of their whole religion. It is regarded as the cradle of the race and the dwelling-place of the supreme god to whom all things are subject and obedient. The Semnones gain prestige from their prosperity. The districts they inhabit number a hundred, and their multitude makes them believe that they are the principal people of the Suebi.
The Langobardi, by contrast, are famous because they are so few. Hemmed in as they are by many mighty peoples, they find safety, not in submission, but in facing the risks of battle. After them come the Reudigni, Aviones, Anglii, Varini, Eudoses, Suarines, and Nuitones, all of them safe behind ramparts of rivers and woods.
There is nothing noteworthy about these tribes individually, but they share a common worship of Nerthus, or Mother Earth.
They believe that she takes part in human affairs, riding in a chariot among her people. On an island of the sea stands an inviolate grove, in which, veiled with a cloth, is a chariot that none but the priest may touch. The priest can feel the presence of the goddess in this holy of holies, and attends her with deepest reverence as her chariot is drawn along by cows.
Then follow days of rejoicing and merrymaking in every place that she condescends to visit and sojourn in. No one goes to war, no one takes up arms; every iron object is locked away. Then, and then only, are peace and quiet known and welco ned, until the goddess, when she has had enough of the society of men, is restored to her sacred precinct by the priest.
After that, the chariot, the vestments, and believe it if you will the goddess herself, are cleansed in a secluded lake. This service is performed by slaves who are immediately afterwards drowned in the lake. Thus mystery begets terror and a pious reluctance to ask what that sight can be which is seen only by men doomed to die. The section of the Subian territory that I have described stretches out into the less-known part of Germany.
Nearer to us - to follow now the course ofthe Danube as we previously followed that of the Rhine - are our faithful allies the Hermunduri.
Because they are so loyal, they are the only Germans who trade with us not merely on the river bank but far within our borders, and indeed in the splendid colony that is the capital of Raetia.
They come over where they will, and without a guard set over them. The other Germans are only allowed to see our armed camps; to the Hermunduri we exhibie our mansions and country-houses without their coveting them. In their country are the sources of the Elbe, a river well known and much talked of in earlier days, but now a mere name.
Next to the Hermunduri dwell the Naristi, followed by the Marcomanni and the Quadi. The Marcomanni are conspicuous in reputation and power: even their homeland, from which they drove out the Boii, was won by their bravery.
Nor do the Naristi and Quadi fall below their high standard. These peoples form the front, so to speak, presented to us by that part of Germany which is girdled by the Danube. Down to our own times the Marcomanni and Quadi still had kings of their own race, the noble line of Maroboduus and Tudrus; but now they sometimes have foreign rulers set over them.
The power of the kings depends entirely on the authority of Rome. They occasionally receive armed assistance from us, more often financial aid, which proves equally effective. The Naharvali proudly point out a grove associated with an ancient worship. The presiding priest dresses like a woman; but the deities are said to be the counterpart of our Castor and Pollux. This indicates their character, but their name is the Alci. There are no images, and nothing to suggest that the cult is of foreign origin; but they are certainly worshipped as young men and as brothers.
As for the Harii, not only are they superior in strength to the other peoples I have just mentioned, but they minister to their savage instincts by trickery and clever timing. They black their shields and dye their bodies, and choose pitch dark nights for their battles. The shadowy, awe-inspiring appearance of such a ghoulish army inspires mortal panic; for no enemy can endure a sight so strange and hellish.
Defeat in battle starts always with the eyes. Beyond the Lugii are the Gothones, who are governed by kings. Their rule is somewhat more autocratic than in the other German states, but not to such a degree that freedom is destroyed. Then, immediately bordering on the sea, are I the Rugii and Lemovii. All these peoples are distinguished by the use of round shields and short swords, and by submission to regal authority. Next come the states of the Suiones, right out in the sea.
They are powerful not only in arms and men but also in fleets. The shape of their ships differs from the normal in having a prow at each end, so that they are always facing the right way to put in to shore. They do not propel them with sails, nor do they fasten a row of oars to the sides.
The rowlocks are movable, as one finds them on some river craft, and can be reversed, as circumstances require, for rowing in either direction. Wealth, too, is held in high honour; and so a single monarch rules, with no restrictions on his power and with an unquestioned claim to obedience.
Arms are not, as in the rest of Germany, allowed to all and sundry, but are kept in charge of a custodian - who in fact is a slave. There are two reasons for this control of weapons: the sea makes sudden invasion impossible, and idle crowds of armed men easily get into mischief. As for not putting any noble or freeman, or even a freedman, in charge of the arms - that is a part of royal policy.
Beyond the Suiones we find another sea, sluggish and almost stagnant. This sea is believed to be the boundary that girdles the earth because the last radiance of the setting sun lingers on here till dawn, with a brilliance that dims the stars. Popular belfef adds that you can hear the sound he makes as he rises from the waves and can see the shape of his horses and the rays on his head.
So far and no farther in this, report speaks trulyj does the world extend. Turning, therefore, to the right hand shore of the Suebian sea, we find it washing the country of the Aestii, who have the same customs and fashions as the Suebi, but a language more like the British.
They worship the Mother of the gods, and wear, as an emblem of this cult, the device of a wild boar, which stands them in stead of armour or human protection and gives the worshipper a sense of security even among his enemies.
They seldom use weapons of iron, but clubs very often. They cultivate grain and other crops with a perseverance unusual among the indolent Germans. They also ransack the sea. They are the only people who collect amber glaesum is their own word for it - in the shallows or even on the beach.
Like true barbarians, they have never asked or discovered what it is or how it is produced. For a long time, indeed, it lay unheeded like any other refuse of the sea, until Roman luxury made its reputation. They have no use for it themselves. They gather it crude, pass it on to unworked lumps, and are astounded at the price it fetches.
Amber, however, is certainly a gum of trees, as you may see from the fact that creeping and even winged creatures are often seen shining through it. Caught in the sticky liquid, they were then imprisoned as it hardened.
Rives work on the Germania is easily one of th Comes with a good introduction, setting the Germania in the context of Roman ethnological writings of the same period and traces the history of the text from its rediscovery in the renaissance period down to modern times.
Rives work on the Germania is easily one of the best in English. Very interesting The language in the book is very date,but easily translated to the modern tongue. The book described very civilized people, which surprised me.
Excellent read. Aug 21, Sotiris Makrygiannis rated it really liked it Shelves: audio-book. A short description of Germany during the times of the Roman empire. He praises them for being monogamous but also describes how to win them Their laws and customs very nicely described bit still consider them barbaric, probably because of human sacrifices.
However considers them autochthonous that even met Hercules and admired him. Apr 16, gloriabluestocking rated it really liked it Shelves: to-read-again , ancient-world-to-old. For such a short book, there was so much information in here. Fascinating to hear about early "barbarian" German tribes and their dress, warfare, spirituality, domestic life, and other customs. It ended on a rather intriguing note, Tacitus stating there were rumoured to be part-human, part-beast creatures living in the vicinity.
He leaves us to make what we will about that. A splendid text. Interesting details coupled with impressive common sense and rationality. Almost unbelievable it is years old. Oct 24, Esioan rated it really liked it Shelves: nationalism. Me reading this coincided with playing rome total war pretty well.
Tacitus description of Germania is as close as you'd get to a peek into the Swabian tribes customs and world-soul. The description of their common use of land, meritocratic castes and egalitarian collectivism is fascinating. You can Tacitus has a respect for it, especially in comparison to decadent Rome. Definitely a bit of Rousseau's noble savage can be seen here tho with extra violence.
Pretty damn interesting. This is like a very early ethnographical account of the Germanic peoples from the Roman perspective. It gives a theorized origin and then delves into their manners, customs, religion, politics etc. I have no idea how accurate it is, but it reads weirdly similar to the "noble savage" literature of later centuries. So I am suspicious that the Tacitus idealized the warrior nobility aspect of Germanic culture here.
Combined with that idealization are semi-patronizing comment Pretty damn interesting. Combined with that idealization are semi-patronizing comments about the naive simplicity of the Germans in their primitive condition. But it is interesting that Tacitus not also paints the Germans somewhat in a similar manner as we tend to perceive them in the modern period.
As a reserved, cold, and orderly nation yet one oddly prone to aggression. He also regards them as a primordial race on the basis that nobody from Asia, Mediterranean Europe, or Africa would go to a place of cold and starvation like Germany.
Plus, they say they got to Germany from the ocean, and any place where you could take a boat to Germany from in the distant past is even more inhospitable. He also regards them as unusually monogamous, except for the elites which collected wives as a part of diplomatic exchange. Tacitus is one of those writers whose name crops up in other books or reviews I've read so I downloaded a free edition of Germania onto my Kindle.
It was after careful consideration that I bought this edition after reading several reviews about other translations which received mixed reviews. Frankly how do I know how accurately Church and Brodribb translated Tacitus' wor Tacitus is one of those writers whose name crops up in other books or reviews I've read so I downloaded a free edition of Germania onto my Kindle.
Frankly how do I know how accurately Church and Brodribb translated Tacitus' works? But I do like how carefully they annotated each fragment of writing that has been preserved through the ages. I also have the Penguin Editions but they received negative reviews.
Still, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to read them and compare. Germania is the middle work in this trio of writings. As a lover of all types of culture both past and present, I enjoyed Tacitus' thorough description of every aspect of ancient German culture. Of course, this area encompasses broad swaths of Europe that includes many tribes which include the Celts as well as several others whose names are not remembered today. This Oxford edition of the Germania is one of the best I've ever seen.
Rives provides a good introduction, setting the Germania in the context of Roman ethnological writings of the same period and traces the history of the text from its rediscovery in the renaissance period down to modern times. The best parts of this edition are the extensive notes and commentary, stretching to nearly two hundred pages. The commentary supplies useful notes on This Oxford edition of the Germania is one of the best I've ever seen.
May 12, Kitty Red-Eye rated it liked it Shelves: war , nonfiction , europe , history , classics , aa-ferdig. Sure, there were many good names of old Germanic tribes in this short text, and the "wow factor" of reading something so old that it could basically be from a different planet always gets me, but for some reason, I found it a bit unsatisfactory.
Very vague, not much material to learn anything from, at least not without commentary, which I'm sure exists. The version I read was a free ebook with a translation from , maybe a newer one with commentary would have been better. I do admit that my c Sure, there were many good names of old Germanic tribes in this short text, and the "wow factor" of reading something so old that it could basically be from a different planet always gets me, but for some reason, I found it a bit unsatisfactory.
I do admit that my classical education leaves a lot to be desired. On the whole, an interesting read, but the "wow factor" is my main fascination. Sep 22, Crispy rated it really liked it Shelves: tacitus-my-man. I enjoyed Tacitus' Germania very much when I first read it many years ago, although my venerable Penguin paperback has long since disintegrated, not unlike the Roman Empire, gone to dust.
The Duckworth edition is an erudite representation of Germania, it's historical context and literary genesis. I'm not sure, however, if "the Silent One's" pithy style of expression is always well served by this translation. Still it was fun to catch up with an old friend, as it were.
I would recommend The Annal I enjoyed Tacitus' Germania very much when I first read it many years ago, although my venerable Penguin paperback has long since disintegrated, not unlike the Roman Empire, gone to dust. I would recommend The Annals, for those serious about getting to know Tacitus at his finest.
Jan 24, Ron rated it really liked it Shelves: history , non-fiction. A first century Roman's report on the Germana with whom Roma shared an long and occasionally contested border. Interesting for both what he got wrong as well as got right.
Historians seem sympathetic. I read this a dozen years ago while preparing a historical fiction series set in sixth century Britain, where the sub-Roman Britons are under pressure from the immigrating and sometimes attacking Angles, Saxons and Jutes.
The translations I read--not necessarily this one--was clear and easy to read A first century Roman's report on the Germana with whom Roma shared an long and occasionally contested border. The translations I read--not necessarily this one--was clear and easy to read. Tacitus respected the Germans. A good read. The prose is simple and straightforward. It's literary merit is in its subtlety. Since it is a bilingual edition, you can easily follow the Latin text with the Portuguese despite some memory problems with the vocabulary.
The text, first published in 98 C. What, exactly, were they so keen to read? When Tacitus wrote the ethnography, the Romans had been fighting with Germanic tribes for more than two centuries. Though the Germania was an ethnographic study, it is unlikely, according to Krebs, that Tacitus saw the region firsthand. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied. The E-mail Address es field is required. Please enter recipient e-mail address es.
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