What you know of Germans.

You can read more details in Caesar’s Gallic Wars; look in the Links section and folder. Gaius Caecilius probably has them, so it is appropriate.

The Germans are the tribes living west and north of the Rhine. They are a savage, barbaric and disorganised people resenting any authority from Kings and government. According to the Gauls the Germans (Gallic “Neighbour”) values freedom over everything else and will rather plunder than till the land. They rely on livestock (mostly cattle) as their prime, and only grow the barest necessity of crops to supplement their husbandry.

Germany is a wild, forested and road-less wilderness, the weather is horribly rainy and cool in summer and cold during winter, hardening the people to such an extent as no others.

Every German tribe is ruled by a council of old men who are possibly also priests. These will sometimes be lead by a First-amongst-equals, a chief, and in case of war the best suited ise chosen as warlord.

Germans are men of huge stature, of incredible valour and practice in arms, and ofttimes the Italian traders in Germania, on encountering them, cannot bear even their countenance, and the fierceness of their eyes. Caesar’s Batavi bodyguard has been known to make senators quaver from fear by even looking at them. Not least of Caesar’s achievements is to defeat Ariovistus, cross the Rhine, and to make allies of the Batavi and Ubii.

Chimbri Chersonesos and the Cimbri;

All that is said of the Germans in general holds even truer for the Cimbri Chersonesos and its peoples. The largest defeat of Res Publica Romana, almost twice as bad as Cannae, was inflicted by these at Arausio and in total Rome lost more men in these wars than in the Punic wars.

Battle of the Vosges;

Caesar led his forces forward in the standard three line formation. Seeing that the German left was the weaker part of their line he concentrated his forces there. The Germans attacked in several columns, moving so swiftly that there was not time for the Romans to hurl their pila and battle was joined with swords. A fierce struggle occurred in which the German left was broken after a stiff fight.

On the other flank, the Roman left nearly cracked under severe pressure until reinforced by Publius Licinius Crassus. In command of the reserve cavalry, Crassus had the opportunity to move around the battlefield. Seeing the left wing in peril, Crassus led forward reserves from the third line, which first blunted and then broke the German attack.

Overwhelmed on both flanks, the Germans then fled for the Rhine closely pursued by the Romans. Slaughter in the 15 mile pursuit was heavy. Ariovistus was driven back over the Rhine and no Roman knows what happened to him. He was dead by late 54 BC, when his death caused indignation among the Germans. How he died is unknown.