Germanic Tribes

[Jona Lendering]

Yes. I sometimes wonder why Caesar made the mistake of sending out his cavalry too far.

[Chance1234]

Sorry to dig up a old post, but reading the opening post.

Do not underestimate how lethal a club can be!!! the one pictured here is basically a tree trunk with a bit of branch coming out of it. The below is a prop but no doubt the germanians would of had something similar.

Picture a barbarian running out of the woods with that at lighting speed into a legion, and its one giant game of ancient wack-a-rat with legionares helmets.

[Andreas Gobinius]

Salvete,
I would like to add some pictures to your discussion. The fact is, that Tacitus relation about weaponry of Germanic warriors is slightly erroneous. Spear - "framea" was the main weapon, but they used swords too. For example imported from Celts. I mean the end of old era and the beginning of anno domini as times of Tacitus relation, because he often used older sources to describe Germanic rules and habits.

Ritually damaged Celtic sword from the grave of the warrior of the Przeworsk culture. Korytnica near Jedrzejow, Poland. 2nd century B.C.

Ritually damaged Celtic sword from the grave of the warrior of the Przeworsk culture. Korytnica near Jedrzejow, Poland. 1st century B.C.

Celtic swords, a shield-boss and a spearhead from the necropolis in Korytnica. 2nd-1st century B.C.

[Andreas Gobinius]

Another question is, how strong were Roman influences on weaponry of Germanic tribes within Roman Period. Below I present some comparisons using pictures from our reenancement event "Iron Roots". Reconstructions of the Barbarian weaponry were based on relics from Polish land and from Danish bog-finds.

[Tarbicus]

Some nobles may have obtained Celtic or later Roman helmets but they would be very very rare. Tacitus i think mentions animal skins/faces worn on the head. Check out this German site

http://www.chasuari.de/

The third gallery page has a warrior in a simple form of helmet possibly worn by nobles or upper class warriors.

Now there's one for the Batavians amongst us!
[url:2k8ywmne]http://www.chasuari.de/galerie/2005/img/oebild04.jpg[/url]

[Andreas Gobinius]

I would like to share Kuura opinion about using helmets by Germanic warriors. In archaeological evidence from the Polish land there is one Celtic helmet used as urn in Przeworsk culture grave.

[jbd_29349]

I am doing a late second century/early third century chieftain impression. I have found very little information about weapons, clothing, and armor.

I have read and agree that the Germanics used imported Celtic weapons and armor as well as stolen gear from the Romans. Was this still true in the late 2nd to eary 3rd century AD or by this time could they make there own?

In early centuries I know that most of the Germanic warriors, except for the warrior elite and nobles, could not afford a sword or even armor. Was this true in my time period, or even later on?

I know from the Roman military equipment studies book that pattern welding blade were becoming dominant in the army in this time period. (Please for give the lack of technical term) Did this include a dip in the middle of the sword blade like the swords of the Dark Ages or the Medevial eras? If not when did they become popular?

[Andreas Gobinius]

Salve Joshua,
There are no new special and complete studies about proportions of imported and made by Barbarian craftsmen swords in Central and Eastern Europe. I know, that M. Biborski have studied this problem recently (phdr thesis) but one doesn`t know when it would be published. I know that the number of imported swords is even shocking. Pattern welding swords were used very willingly. I`ve given one example of such a sword in another topic . link from old RAT
Some useful information you can find in topic link from old RAT
Very good impression of chieftain was created on the exhibition "The spoils of victory. The North in the shadow of the Roman Empire" in Copenhagen, in 2003. Some of noblemen used even lorica hamata and helmets. Apart from sources in Dennmark, there is an evidence on the Polish land, where in the end of 19th century, lorica hamata was found in the "prince-grave" of the Przeworsk culture in Stryczowice, in my region.

[Treveri Gaul]

Salve Gobinius.

The Roman era, all Infantry was make WoodShield. In Slovakei found 1,7 m long celtic shield.


Polak vengry dwe bratanki,
I do szably, I do szklanky.

Treveri Gaul

[Andreas Gobinius]

I agree Treveri Gaul,
i do szabli i do szklanki
By the way, of course they used wooden shields but not only wooden sticks as an substitution of swords

very warm greetings from Poland

[Treveri Gaul]

Andreas.

Prosem pane. So so sorry. :lol: Very warm greeting bratanki from Hungary.

[Treveri Gaul]

Hello, everybody.

Help me please. I want to know everything the Vangiones germanic tribe.All information interested me.

Thank you.

Salve