Tacitus: The Similarities Between Rome And Germany

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Tacitus does a wonderful job of describing the culture and life of Germany and its people in Germania. His personal feelings about them seem to be two-sided. Tacitus describes the people of Germany as barbaric and dumb but he also wants us to know that they had many qualities of a great country. The Germans have a strong army of soldiers that find their nobility through war and that makes them a possible threat. Although Tacitus finds many similarities between his home country of Rome and Germany, we find out that the two places are very different.
Tacitus starts out on the debate about the purity of the German people. He personally believes that the country has been plagued by intermarriage, causing a mixed race within the country. Despite that, Tacitus accepts the views of those who believe the country is pure and refrains from intermarriage(4).You get a vibe that Rome prides itself in their race and does not want it to mix with others. The German people also dress much different than the people of Rome. The people of Rome wore baggy robes and prided in looking good and the Germans clothing consisted of cloaks and the skin of animals. …show more content…

It is by night that the Germans meet with each other to discuss plans. They believe that the night ushers in the day(11). Everyone sits down at these assemblies bearing arms and clash their spears together if they approve of what is being said. In Rome, only certain important people take part in the decision making process that affects the community. These people are considered to be part of the council and they ultimately make every decision. In Germany, there are leaders that come together to make small decisions but when a large outcome decision needs to be made, the entire community is involved in the

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