Each of the Germania's 46 passages deals with a particular area of German civilization among which Tacitus develops a two-tiered theme. The two points he tries to make generally clear are the following:

A) The Germans are barbaric, savage and stupid...but...

B) The Germans are quaint, noble and have some redeeming qualities that make them a formidable enemy worthy of fighting.

However, these two points don't manifest themselves during the Germania's first passage on physical location.

Tacitus lets us know right off the start where Germany is positioned in terms of its bordering territories and informs us among several other geographical details that the rivers Rhine and Danube separate Germany from the Galli, Rhaeti and Pannonii.

The name "Germany" according to Tacitus originates from the name of a tribe that drove the Gauls out of what would ultimately become German territory. Ever since those ti

Tacitus then switches gears by shifting into the subject of worshipping patterns and beliefs. He remarks that they chiefly worship Mercury and often provide him with human sacrifices. Occasionally, Hercules and Mars are provided with offerings as well and some Germans also sacrifice to Isis. The Germans don't believe in confining their gods within walls or likening them to any human form. Instead, they consecrate woods and groves and apply the names of deities to the abstraction, which they see only during worship.

After discussing a few other Western tribes, Tacitus works himself into a little bit of a huff and explains how Germany has been the toughest adversary the Romans have ever faced and that Rome has been trying to conquer them for nearly 210 years. Tacitus states, "we have celebrated triumphs rather than won conquests over them".

Tacitus claims that business was not tended to without being armed and for the younger men, a sword and shield would be bestowed upon them at a certain age which he describes as a seeming equivalent to the Roman toga of manhood. To be surrounded by a large group of picked young armed men was a prestigious and honorable thing, or as Tacitus would put it, "an ornament in peace and defense in war".

Tacitus further comments on the German culture, as being one that is less able to bear laborious work and endure heat and thirst. But without delving too much into a diatribe on the German's laziness, Tacitus moves into describing the forested and swampy German landscape. He mentions that precious metals are low in quantity and as a result they use the iron they have available to make spears as opposed to swords. Their battle formation resembles that of a wedge and (like Roman culture) it is of the utmost shame to throw down one's shield during battle in order to run away.

The Germans according to Tacitus found their nobility through war and felt that it was better to receive from blood and wounds than to receive from hard work and sweat tilling a field. Their post-battle feasts were "inelegant" by Tacitus's standards, but

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Approximate Word count = 1405
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)