Society of the Germanic Tribes
Society of the Germanic Tribes
The tribes and kingdoms in Germany were formed through victories in war. Germania was a polytheistic civilization. “All (Germans) had fierce blue eyes, red hair, huge frames, fit only for sudden exertion”(Tacitus, 710). The weapons they used in warfare were not made of metal, but were wooden spears and shields, which they would bellow behind to make themselves sound more ominous.
The nations of Germany had no cities and they were very scattered. Their civilization chose their kings by birth and the kings and generals had all of the power. This authority was shown by example rather than by words or laws that were created. The chiefs of all the tribes assemble do discuss matters of the tribe every full or new moon, unless extraneous circumstances forced them to do otherwise. Their civilization had slaves and they also had a system of lending money. There were numerous tribes that Tacitus talked about
The Germans would never enter a transaction unarmed, all they did was eat and sleep, and the bravest men in battle generally did nothing otherwise. The men would let their beard and hair grow once they obtained manhood. If there was a cowardly man or a traitor, they were killed. Women did all of the housework, but were respected. A man would only have one wife and he would be highly committed to her. If she committed adultery, she would be stripped and beaten out of the house and all men in the civilization would turn their head to her no matter how beautiful or wealthy she was.