McLaughlin, Raoul The ancient Germans and Rome 120 BC to AD 68

Records of Contact and Conflict

The Germanic tribes settled in areas stretching from the Rhine in the east to the Vistula and from the Danube in the north to Scandinavia. Their homelands formed the northern borders of the Roman Empire, but despite large-scale military and political efforts, the Romans never succeeded in conquering or completely subjugating this area. Raoul McLaughlin presents new translations of all the major Roman sources relating to the contact and conflict between Rome and the peoples of the land they called Germania. The first major encounter between Rome and the Germanic peoples took place in the course of the mass migrations of 120 BC. The Cimbri and Teutons inflicted heavy defeats on the Roman Republic before advancing south and invading Italy. In the centuries that followed, the Germanic peoples beyond the Rhine threatened the empire with raids, invasions and further migrations. In response, the Romans launched retaliatory campaigns, pre-emptive strikes and large-scale operations to conquer and control Germanic territory. When these attempts at conquest failed, each successive Roman emperor was forced to devote a large part of his military and economic resources to defending the empire against the perceived Germanic threat. This volume covers events up to the year 68 AD, including Julius Caesar's campaigns across the Rhine, Augustus' conquest of Germania up to the Elbe, and the great Germanic retaliation in the Teutoburg Forest. This unique source is of interest to anyone interested in the Germanic peoples of ancient Europe or the military and economic development of the Roman frontiers.