Tacitus. (56 - 117 AD)

Tacitus is a Roman historian, born in northern Italy.

He first studied rhetoric, and later law in Rome. After graduating, he became a skilled lawyer and an influential part of political life in Rome, known for his eloquence.

The main work "Germania" is a description of people in the Nordic countries, their society, way of life, religion and geography. The present Denmark was at that time in the Roman Iron Age.

"Germania" from 98 AD Excerpt.

1. Germany is in its entirety separated from the Gallic regions by the rivers Rhine and Danube, the other parts are surrounded by the Ocean, which embraces vast headlands and vast island lands, as not long ago we have become acquainted with individual peoples and kings to whom war has opened access. The Rhine originates from an inaccessible and steep peak in the Rhaetian Alps, turns with the necessary curvature to the west and mixes its waters with the northern part of the Ocean.

2. The population itself is, as far as I mean, home-born from the country itself and not in any way mixed by immigrants from or reciprocal guest relations with other peoples; for in the old days it was not on land that migrations took place; but if anyone wanted to change residence, they came sailing on rafts; on the one hand, the boundless ocean beyond, which, so to speak, lies on the opposite edge of the earth's disk, is seldom used by ships from our part of it.

And besides, even if one does not take into account the dangers of a troubled and unknown sea, who should have set his mind to depart from Asia or Africa or Italy and seek Germany, which is devoid of all the beauty of its lands, raw of climate and miserable in cultivation and appearance to anyone other than the one who has it to fatherland.

4. Let me say what I think, I agree with those who hold that the tribes of Germany have not been infected by any marital connection with foreign peoples, but have remained as a peculiar, perfectly pure tribe. , who has no resemblance to others.

Therefore, despite the large number of people all have the same external, harsh eyes of blue color, light, reddish hair and a large body that is only capable of rushing, but by no means possess the same ability to endure wear or strenuous work, and they are not at all accustomed to endure thirst or heat, but the skies and soil have accustomed them to endure cold and hunger.

5. As for the country, then it is probably quite different in details; but on the whole, however, it is partly overgrown with gruesome forests, partly disfigured by hideous carrion, most watery, where it adjoins the Gallic parts of the country, but most stormy, where it has nearby Norikum or Pannonia; grain seed it can bear but not fruit trees, on the contrary it is rich in cattle, however, this is mostly inconsistent, the horned cattle also does not have its peculiar pride or the ornament of the forehead; the quantity of which is their delight, and it constitutes their only and highly esteemed wealth.

Whether it is in grace or wrath that the gods have denied them silver and gold, I will leave it undecided. And I will not claim that in Germany there should be no oar that breeds silver or gold; for who has sought then? But when they have it for their own use or for use, they do not make much of it. You can see with them silver vessels that their envoys or chiefs have received as a gift; but the value they attach to them is none other than that which the vessels have for those formed of clay.

6. Nor is there iron present in abundance, what one may infer from the nature of the weapons they use in attack; only a few among them use swords or heavier lances; they use spears, or, as they call them, framjer, with a narrow and short iron root, but this is so pointed, and the whole weapon so easy to handle that they use it equally well both at close range and at a longer distance, everything as conditions require.

The rider is also careful with the shield and front; the infantry also slings with smaller throwing guns, each of which has several pieces; and they can sling exceedingly far with them while they are uncovered or lightly clothed, only in a short cloak. They do not flaunt and boast of the war suit, they merely give their shields a motley appearance by exquisite bright colors; there are only a few who have an armor shirt, hardly one or at most two who have a helmet or storm hat of metal or leather.

Horses are not distinguished by beauty, nor by speed; but they are also not directed to change turns, as we have for custom; they only ride straight out with them, or and they just turn to the right, joining together so that no one is going to lag behind

12. For the court, one can also bring an accusation and make a claim for the death penalty. The penalties used are different from the bread. Traitors and defectors they hang up in trees; sweep people, those who evade service in the war, and those who pray

15. As soon as they have no wars to go to, they do not spend much time in hunting, but more in idleness, filling up the time by sleeping and eating. While they are the less active, the more brave and warlike they are, and leave it to the women, the old men, and the weakest of the household to look after the house and the home and the fields, they themselves order nothing—a wonderful contradiction in their nature, as these people at once to such a great degree love desolation and hate peace and quiet.

It is the custom in their various communities that they voluntarily and each on his own behalf respond to princes and chiefs with contributions of cattle or semen; and this is received as honors but also gives funds for the daily necessities. They have also learned to accept money from us.

16. That the Germanic tribes do not have cities to live in is a well-known fact, as also that they cannot even bring themselves to have their dwellings next to each other. They live separated and scattered, all as they have felt attracted by a spring, a field or a grove. They do not build cities according to our custom, with buildings contiguous or adjacent to each other; everyone leaves an empty space around his house, whether it is to serve as a means of protection against fire, or the reason lies in a lack of experience in building.

They also do not use cut stones or bricks, they use timber everywhere, and it is not hewn but without beauty or taste. In some places of the house they more carefully smear with a soil so clean and shiny that it comes across as paint and drawing with colored lines.

They also tend to dig holes underground, which they cover on top with a thick layer of skarn, so that they have a place of refuge against the winter and a place of storage for the crop, because such places have a mitigating effect on the severe cold; and once an enemy comes, he plunders what lies plainly before his eyes; but what is hidden and buried, he either remains ignorant of, or it eludes him, precisely because he must search for it.