The Germanic Chronicles (full name: On the Origin, Distribution and Customs of the Germanic People) was an ancient Roman historianTacitusHis historical works were written in AD 98.
There are 46 sections in the book.The book has made a comprehensive and detailed record of the physical geographical environment, origin, political organization, regional distribution, economic life, customs and religious beliefs of the Germanic people at the end of the first century AD.[1]The book reflects Tacitus' moral and national views.
This book is the first one that has been handed down so far to describe the ancient Germanic people, and it is a valuable historical material for studying the ancient Germanic people.Engels took Germanic Chronicles as one of the main historical materials in the Origin of Family, Private Ownership and State and On the History of Ancient Germanic People.[2]
Title
Germanic Records
Foreign name
Deorigine et situ Germanorum
Alias of works
On the origin of germans、Distribution area and customs (full name)
Germanic Chronicles is a ethnography of Germania, which introduces in detail the origin and customs of Germanic people in Roman times, as well as the situation of various Germanic tribes.[2]
The Germanic Chronicles is divided into 46 sections, which can be generally divided into two parts: the first section to the twenty seventh section are general descriptions;Starting from Section 28, we will record the situation of different tribes.[3]
Creation background
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The sources of historical data in the Germanic Chronicles are very complicated. Tacitus served in the Germanic residence in the northern province of the empire for four years from 89 to 93 AD, during which he made a detailed investigation of all aspects of the social life of the Germanic people, carefully studied Caesar's Gallic War, Pliny's Germanic War History, and from the Rhine RiverSome materials were obtained from the officers who served in the remote area near the Danube.Tacitus also made textual research on the historical materials and made choices. For some things that he could not determine, he chose to doubt or defend various statements.For example, on the issue of the Germanic ancestors, he listed three different statements, but did not determine which statement was true, reflecting the preciseness of a historian.[2]
Idea of works
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The Records of Germania reflects Tacitus' view of moral history.Tacitus described the free, democratic and honest people in Germania.Politically, they still retain the original military democracy. Among the Germans, small matters should be discussed by the chiefs;If the people are not satisfied with his opinion, they will respond with a sigh.In marriage, they are monogamous. "The customs of some tribes are particularly commendable, where only virgins can get married.".On the issue of slavery, the Germanic region is not as strict as the Roman slavery. "Each of them has his own house and family. As we treat tenants, slave owners only ask slaves for a certain amount of grain, cattle and clothes; slave subordination is nothing more".In terms of military affairs, the Germanic tribes are very militaristic.On the surface, Tacitus only introduced the customs of Germania, but in fact, Tacitus wanted to use this to satirize the corruption of the Roman social atmosphere.Tacitus' moral examination of the world situation of the Roman state profoundly affected his social and historical outlook and his historical values with punishing evil and promoting good as the primary goal: on the one hand, he relentlessly denounced the ugliness and degeneration of the times, that is, to promote good through punishing evil;On the other hand, actively excavate and vigorously eulogize the virtue and loftiness of the times, that is, punish evil by promoting good.In short, Tacitus has a strong view of moral history.
In the Germanic Chronicles, Tacitus regarded the residents of Germania as an independent nation. "I personally agree to regard the residents of Germania as a race in the world that has never intermarried with other nationalities and thus maintains its own pure blood".Tacitus also praised the Germanic people, "they are simple in nature, but not infected with cunning".He also praised the martial spirit of the Germanic people and saw their threat to the Roman Empire.Of course, Tacitus, as a politician and historian in ancient Rome, still loved his motherland and thought about Rome. "I pray silently: if these tribes can't keep friendly with us, I hope they will hate each other; because the prosperity of our empire has declined, the grace that luck can give us will not be more than the internal evidence of the enemy.".Although Tacitus still stood in the position of the Roman Empire, it was commendable that he could objectively and fairly describe the history and customs of other nations.[2]
In the Germanic Chronicles, Tacitus highly praised the German people's democratic and liberal spirit, as well as their excellent qualities of constancy and simplicity.The Germanic people "are neither seduced by sounds and looks nor seduced by feasts". They are "simple in nature", "not infected with cunning", and "kind to others". Their society "has good customs, which are far more effective than the good laws in other places." The Germanic society in the stage of military democracy,The legacy of democracy in the primitive era can still be preserved in many aspects of social life. "The king... cannot go his own way". All the public should join in the discussion of major events that affect the whole society, such as war.The Germanic people, with their simple and unsophisticated habits, voluntarily gave some herds or grains as gifts to the chieftain, who had no right to ask for these gifts.Because the center of Germanic society is established by automatic unity and obedience to military leaders and monarchs, the social ties and slogans are "freedom" and "loyalty", "everyone automatically obeys a certain person by free choice, not to mention external coercion... This can not be found among Greeks or Romans."
Tacitus wanted to criticize the decline of national power in the early Roman Empire, the greed of officials, the despotism of rulers, and the resulting indifference of citizens to politics and the laxity of national consciousness through the description of democracy, freedom and the simplicity of Germanic society in the book Germania Annals;He wanted to arouse the national consciousness of Roman citizens and the desire to give equal power to all classes through the description of the social life of the Germanic nation, so that the Roman nation could have a spirit of striving like the Germanic nation.The book Germanic Chronicles provides people with a historical picture of a new nation and a nation that is gradually declining.[4]
Later influence
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Germanic Chronicles is the earliest document that comprehensively records the ancient Germanic people.Because Caesar's《Gallic War》Only sporadically talked about the situation of some Germans.However, the Germanic Chronicles recorded in detail the distribution, economic life, political organization, social life, customs and religious beliefs of the various tribes where the Germanic people lived and received.Its length is not large, but it is rich in materials (many materials are unique), and the description is simple, concise, vivid and vivid.Later scholars, especially European scholars, paid great attention to this work and made in-depth and detailed research on it.[3]
Tacitus (about 55-120), an ancient Roman historian, was born in a noble family, received good education from childhood, and was famous for his erudition and versatility when he was young. Later, he successively served as treasurer, chief executive, consul and other posts under three emperors.As a historian, he has written a lot of books, including Dialogue on Speakers, Germanic Chronicles, Biography of Agulikola, History, Chronicles, etc.[6]
