Three Central Characteristics Of The Germania By Tacitus

The Germania by Tacitus thoroughly examined Germany as a whole as well as individual Germanic tribes. In doing so, Tacitus emphasized three central characteristics: politics, religion, and the role of warfare. Politically, Germany The Germanic government was described as a rough democracy, with filtered input from the people and a subjective administration of justice. Kings were chosen at birth and continued the dynastic line of nobility, but even their power was not absolute or arbitrary. Leaders were especially admired because they lead by example (7). The way they dealt with matters, both major and minor, was through a council. On minor matters, the debate only took place between the cheifs. On major matters, the whole community was permitted to debate but the cheifs
Some exceptions included the Nariscans, Marcomanians and Quadians whose strength and sway of their kings was derived from the authority of the Romans (42). The Gothinians were under the rule of a king, which led to a stricter tribe but not to the degree where their liberties were supressed (44). In the Subian Sea, the women were the ruling sex. `Tacitus saw this as their ultamite downfall (45). Tacitus described the Germans as polytheistic, with Mercury as the main diety along with Hercules, Mars, and Isis. Occasionaly, they made human sacrifices to Mercury and more lawful sacrifices to Hercules and Mars. The people did not limit their gods to walls or human forms but instead they declared woods and groves as sacred, only using the dieties names during times of worship (9). Germans periodically practiced augury and divination. They predict the future by interpreting markings on pieces of bough and deeming them as favorable or unfavorable. Another practice included consultation of the notes and the flights of birds. The people saw horses as the most reliable form of prediction that carried out the will of the