There are three main sources of blood of European nations today. One is the Latins represented by the ancient Romans. Most of them have black hair and black eyes. A small number of individuals have light blond hair and blue eyes. The second is the Celts represented by ancient Gauls and Britons. Three are blonde, blue-eyed, tall, Germanic who were turned into barbarians by the Romans.
Before the 3rd century AD, the Germans had been far away from the center of Europe. They lived in the vast forests and frozen soil north of the Rhine and Danube. After the third century AD, with the further cooling of the climate and the invasion of nomads from the East, many Germans began to invade the territory of the Roman Empire and continue to erode the Roman territory.
The proportion of Germanic genes in today’s European genes
Beginning in the 5th century, the Rhine defense line of the Western Roman Empire completely collapsed, the Franks, Goths, Lombards, The Almanni and other Germanic barbarians began to flood into Gaul in large numbers, while the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain and defeated the native Celtic tribe.
It can be said that most Europeans today have Germanic ancestry, especially in Northwestern European countries such as Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. They tend to have blond hair and blue eyes, fair skin, and tall stature. Typical Caucasian image. Although almost all Europeans today have Germanic ancestry, countries dominated by Germanic people are even more advanced and powerful.
But in the 2nd century AD, the Germans were synonymous with barbarism. For the Romans, the Germans were unreasonable savages living in the forest. The stench on their bodies often disgusted the Romans. At that time, the Roman historian Tacitus described in detail the customs and power distribution of the Germanic people in his book "Germania". For the Germans who had no words in fashion and whose history was only passed on by ballads, Tacitus Tuo's information is precious.
Germans and the Roman Empire
From Tacitus’s records and Edward Gibbon’s "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", we can get a glimpse of the huge differences between the Germans and the Romans, It was these differences that allowed the Germans not to continue the Roman Empire’s system and civilization, but to create a new civilization. In the end, this civilization created by the barbarians of the classical era took root and opened up modern civilization and human modernization.
1. Poor and backward but strong Germans
First of all, it should be clear that the so-called Germans are not a scientific method, but the Romans at that time despised the barbarians and took the Rhine A large group of peoples north of the Danube are called Germanic people. In fact, they belong to different tribes and have different cultures. But on the whole, the Germans are mostly blonde, tall and strong. Most of them live in swamps and forests. They live on fishing, hunting and animal husbandry. The main army is infantry, and they all believe in simple polytheism. (Nordic Gods)
The 2nd century AD was the golden age of the Roman Empire. Rome’s material civilization was approaching its peak. Compared with the prosperity of the Roman Empire, the Germans were uncompromising barbarians.
Blonde and blue eyes are a typical Germanic characteristic
First of all, the city. Urban civilization is the economic pillar of the Roman Empire. The city symbolizes civilization and prosperity, but according to Tacitus The point of view is that the Germans do not have a place that can be called a city, and the ancient geographer Ptolemy, by investigating the Germanic region, thinks that there are only more than 90 places where the Germanic can be called a town. These so-called towns are just shoddy fortresses built in the middle of the forest. Their sole function is to protect the women and children of the tribe’s warriors during their expeditions.
Tacitus also records that the Germanic costumes and crafts are very simple. The Germans do not live next to each other, but live scattered. They build houses with wood and thatch near the water source, and wear thin clothes made of animal skins. Women wear linens. They mainly raise cattle and pigs and grow a small amount of grains, but they don’t know anything about growing vegetables and fruits. Cows and pigs are often their most precious possessions.
Germans have no currency. They all barter and don't understand the use of gold. Their iron smelting technology is also very low. Tacitus records:
"They have very little iron, and their weapon is mainly a short spear called a Fraser. It has a narrow and pointed spear. The head of the gun is very light and suitable for short or long distances. Cavalry is equipped with spears and shields; infantry wears a lot of javelins, most of them are naked or light clothes. Germanic armor is very few , Swords and spears and very rare.”
The Germans who attacked the Romans
Although living in poverty and poorly equipped, the Germans are very brave, Tacitus believes The Germans are very strong and brave.
"They all have fierce blue eyes, golden hair, and tall bodies. They have only impulsive bravery and impatient hard work and hard work, and they can't stand thirst and heat; due to the climate And because of the soil, they are quite comfortable with hunger and cold.”
Tacitus’ observations of the Germans are likely to be correct. In the confrontation between the Romans and the Germans, the Germans are used to mobilizing. A swift charge, and the Romans always wait for work with ease, and when the Germans are exhausted, they can launch a counterattack, which can often easily defeat the Germans.
Whether it is Tacitus or Gibbon, they think that the Germans are very impatient. They only have the courage of blood and no strategy of war. They are not as disciplined and resilient as the Romans.
The Germans were repeatedly defeated by the prosperous Roman Empire
2. Germanic women fought side by side with men and possessed chastity
Although the Germans are far behind the Romans However, Tacitus still found some advantages of the Germans. One is that the status of German women is much higher than that of the Romans, and women play a greater role in the tribe.
Germanic family
Tacitus records:
"They never despise women, discuss matters with them, and respect their opinions."
Except for a few chiefs, most Germans are monogamous, and the chiefs' polygamy is because of political marriage, not for lust. Germanic women can fight with men. When the army goes out, they are responsible for the management of logistics, and when necessary, they even participate in the battle. Numerous battles have been turned around by the bravery of Germanic women.
Tacitus records:
"They brought their wounds to their mother and wives, and they also asked without fear to look at and count those wounds. They managed the soldiers’ Eat and drink and give them encouragement. In the legend, there are many battles that have been defeated or about to be defeated are saved by women."
Tacitus records the Germans Most of them are monogamous, and they are not as fornic as the Romans. The Germanic punishment for adultery is extremely serious. Tacitus records:
"If the wife commits adultery, the husband will shave his hair. Stripped off her clothes and drove out in front of her relatives. The whole village flogged her. Not keeping chastity is an unforgivable crime. For a woman like this, even if she is young, beautiful and rich, it is difficult to find a husband... When a woman gets married, she no longer has delusions....They can only have one husband....Birth control and infanticide will be regarded as shameful acts.”
Tacituo believes that in terms of ethics The Germans were much better than the Romans. Tacitus believed that the Romans at that time were depraved, full of licentiousness and luxury, and had no morality and tenacity. Germanic women possessed excellent qualities even though they were not covered in fat.
3. The original democratic system of the Germans
In addition,Tacitus also described the Germanic political system. Compared with the Roman Empire, which had entered the absolute monarchy at that time, the Germanic system was rough, but it had a simple concept of mutual allegiance and a democratic color. This laid the foundation for the later feudal system.
He recorded: "Among Germanic people, small matters are decided by the commander, while major matters are decided by all. The people have the final decision-making power, and affairs must first be decided by the chief. We discuss,...so among the kings or chiefs, either by age, by birth, or by reputation in war, or by eloquence, a person is selected to speak, and people listen to him, not because he has orders It’s his power to persuade. If people are not satisfied with his opinion, they will wave their spear.”
Germanic chiefs are more loyal to the king, a partnership, not an absolute The king is not as supreme as the Roman emperor. The loose rule of the king and the allegiance of the nobility is the embryonic form of the later feudal system.
Compared with the Romans, the Germans depicted by Tacitus are poor and backward, but strong, unintelligible, simple and morally superior. In contrast, the Roman Empire has become increasingly corrupt, promiscuous and Extravagance floods the empire, and the ruler of the empire is often faint.
The Romans relied on the barbarians to fight, and were eventually rebelled by the barbarians.
Both Tacitus and later Gibbon believed that the Roman Empire at this time was degenerating and the people were losing them. The good character of the ancestors. Once the Romans could easily defeat the Germans by virtue of discipline and perseverance, but after the 4th century AD, the Romans became more and more degenerate, so that the barbarians became the main part of the army. At that time, it was also the time when the Germans turned against the guest.
The reason why barbarians defeated civilized people often comes from the degeneration of civilized people.
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