DBQ Writing Analysis Romans Barbarians
Romans and Barbarians DBQ
1. Analyze the following documents and complete the Individual Document Analysis form for EACH document.
2. Write a ONE sentence thesis statement about the following prompt:
Can the nomadic tribes who conquered the Roman Empire be called barbarians?
As you write your thesis statement think about the following:
Is there any evidence of conflicting views held about the nomadic tribes? What kind of additional documents (or point of views) would help assess how these tribes were viewed?
Document 1
Source: Salvian, a Christian priest writing in his book: Romans and Barbarians, c. 440
In what respects can our customs be preferred to those of the Goths and Vandals, or even compared with them? And first, to speak of affection and mutual charity (which, our Lord teaches, is the chief virtue, saying, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another "), almost all barbarians, at least those who are of one race and kin, love each other, while the Romans persecute each other. For what citizen does not envy his fellow citizen? What citizen shows to his neighbor full charity?
Document 2
Source: unknown Roman historian, circa 300 CE
Barbarians are driven by evil spirits; "possessed by demons", who force them to commit the most terrible acts...incapable of living according to written laws and only reluctantly tolerating kings...Their lust for gold is immense, their love of drink boundless. Barbarians are without restraint...Although generally they are considered good-looking, they are given to gross personal hygiene...They run dirty and barefoot, even in the winter...They grease their blond hair with butter and care not that it smells rancid...Their reproductive energy is inexhaustible; the Northern climate of their native land, with its long winter nights favors their fantastic urge to procreate...If a barbarian people is driven back or destroyed, another already emerges from the marshes and forests of
1. Analyze the following documents and complete the Individual Document Analysis form for EACH document.
2. Write a ONE sentence thesis statement about the following prompt:
Can the nomadic tribes who conquered the Roman Empire be called barbarians?
As you write your thesis statement think about the following:
Is there any evidence of conflicting views held about the nomadic tribes? What kind of additional documents (or point of views) would help assess how these tribes were viewed?
Document 1
Source: Salvian, a Christian priest writing in his book: Romans and Barbarians, c. 440
In what respects can our customs be preferred to those of the Goths and Vandals, or even compared with them? And first, to speak of affection and mutual charity (which, our Lord teaches, is the chief virtue, saying, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another "), almost all barbarians, at least those who are of one race and kin, love each other, while the Romans persecute each other. For what citizen does not envy his fellow citizen? What citizen shows to his neighbor full charity?
Document 2
Source: unknown Roman historian, circa 300 CE
Barbarians are driven by evil spirits; "possessed by demons", who force them to commit the most terrible acts...incapable of living according to written laws and only reluctantly tolerating kings...Their lust for gold is immense, their love of drink boundless. Barbarians are without restraint...Although generally they are considered good-looking, they are given to gross personal hygiene...They run dirty and barefoot, even in the winter...They grease their blond hair with butter and care not that it smells rancid...Their reproductive energy is inexhaustible; the Northern climate of their native land, with its long winter nights favors their fantastic urge to procreate...If a barbarian people is driven back or destroyed, another already emerges from the marshes and forests of