Critical Analysis on Tacitus: Germania
Critical Analysis on Tacitus: Germania Looking into t1he past is not an easy task, especially when looking back two thousand years. Without writing, it is impossible to speculate the kind of culture our ancestors lived. About 54 A.D. a roman citizen named Tacitus wrote his account about the early German nation. His writing had survived the sands of time and gives insight about the ancestors of the modern Teutonic nations. Tacitus was a man that held many important public offices and considered to be a “front rank of the historians of antiquity for the accuracy of his learning, the fairness of his judgments, the richness, concentration, and precision of his style.”1 Due to this, his perspective for the state of culture in early Germany is held at high importance. His views on society and social classes, along with the religion and marriage, is just and extremely detailed. Tacitus accounts on early Germany gives us by far the most detailed description of the tribal society of Germania.
Tacitus himself was in awe of the importance of family, gender relations and society was to the people of Germania. The early Germanic people were a pure nation. “I concur in opinion with such as suppose the people of Germany never to have mingled by inter-marriages with other nations, but have remained a people of pure, and independent, and resembling none but themselves.”2 This account by Tacitus shows that the Germanic people kept to themselves and were not influenced by the nations around them. This does not mean that they never experienced any other culture, “They have a tradition that Hercules also had been in their country, and other heroes in their songs when they advance to battle.”3 Greek mythology influenced their culture, but the society of Germania was vastly unchanged by outside influence.
Although the society seems pure, their religion was similar to the romans and even other distant regions. “Of all the gods, Mercury is he whom they worship most…Some of the Suevians
Tacitus himself was in awe of the importance of family, gender relations and society was to the people of Germania. The early Germanic people were a pure nation. “I concur in opinion with such as suppose the people of Germany never to have mingled by inter-marriages with other nations, but have remained a people of pure, and independent, and resembling none but themselves.”2 This account by Tacitus shows that the Germanic people kept to themselves and were not influenced by the nations around them. This does not mean that they never experienced any other culture, “They have a tradition that Hercules also had been in their country, and other heroes in their songs when they advance to battle.”3 Greek mythology influenced their culture, but the society of Germania was vastly unchanged by outside influence.
Although the society seems pure, their religion was similar to the romans and even other distant regions. “Of all the gods, Mercury is he whom they worship most…Some of the Suevians
Bibliography: 1. Tacitus, Germania. Trans. by Thomas Gordon. Internet Medieval Sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/tacitus-germanygord.asp, page number 1-18