McLaughlin, Raoul The Ancient Germans & Rome

AD 68 to 500

The Germanic peoples of northern Europe resisted the Romans and forced them to confine their empire within the heavily militarised borders of the Rhine and Danube rivers. Despite fierce wars and repeated invasions, the Germanic tribes retained their independence until they advanced in late antiquity to overrun and destroy the Roman Empire itself. This collection of Greek and Latin sources contains accounts of the ancient Germanic peoples beyond the northern borders of the Roman Empire, written by contemporary witnesses. These records cover the service of Germanic peoples in the Roman army, the effects of civil war, and the emergence and development of later tribal groups. The chapters cover the Batavian Revolt (69-70 AD), the Marcomannic Wars of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (166-180 AD), and later Rhine campaigns against the Alemanni. The final chapters deal with the Migration Period, covering the Germanic conquest of the Roman Empire, from the invasions of the Goths to the conquest of North Africa by the Vandals. This book is a valuable resource for classical scholars, archaeologists and other interested readers, covering events from the establishment of the Rhine-Danube borders in the first century to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century AD.