We have previously discussed the Crisis of the 3rd Century, that period of antiquity also known as the Anarchy of the 3rd Century because, for fifty years—from the assassination of Alexander Severus in 235 AD until the rise of Diocletian in 284—the Roman Empire was plunged into a destructive process that brought it to the […]
Germanic peoples
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Roman gladiator with Scandinavian ancestry found in York reveals unknown migrations before the Viking Age
A discovery in York, England, has shed light on a previously unknown chapter of human migration. Researchers identified a Roman-era gladiator or soldier with partial Scandinavian ancestry, offering evidence of significant migrations long before the Viking Age. Using an innovative DNA analysis method called Twigstats, scientists have revealed intricate migration patterns that shaped early medieval […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
New Geoarchaeological Evidence Challenges the Identification of Kalkriese Hill as the place of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Kalkriese Hill, located in northwestern Germany, has been identified for decades as a potential site of the historic Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, a decisive confrontation between Roman legions and a coalition of Germanic tribes led by Arminius. However, a new geoarchaeological study casts doubt on traditional interpretations of the linear structures […]
Posted inArchaeology
Small Spoon-Shaped Objects for Measuring Doses Reveal Northern European Barbarian Warriors Used Stimulants in Battle During the Roman Era
In ancient conflicts, courage and resilience were essential qualities for warriors venturing onto the battlefield. However, a recent study has uncovered evidence suggesting that these attributes did not always rely solely on physical strength or emotional fortitude. Recent research published in the journal Praehistorische Zeitschrift suggests that Northern European barbarian warriors during the Roman period […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Vercellae, the battle that led to the demise of Teutons and Cimbri peoples
In the year 105 BC, while Gaius Marius was awaiting a triumph for crushing the rebellion of the Numidian Jugurtha and hoping his contested candidacy for another consulship would be accepted, another threat arose on the frontier, this time in the north: a coalition of Germanic tribes was preparing to invade the territory of the […]
Posted inArchaeology
An Amazing Intact Comb Discovered in a 4th-Century Alemannic Tomb
Archaeologists found an inhumation tomb from the early Alemannic phase in the center of the village of Gerstetten, in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, during a rescue excavation in the spring. The excavation was carried out by the archaeological company ArchaeoBW, on behalf of the State Office for Monument Protection (LAD) of the […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Julius Civilis, the Batavian Prefect who Rebelled Against Rome to Create an Independent Kingdom Uniting Gaul and Germania
During the Roman Empire era, what is now known as the Netherlands was referred to as Batavia. The name referred to its inhabitants, the Batavians, who lived on an island at the mouth of the Rhine, hence its etymology (batawjō = good island). They were a Germanic people separated from the Chatti who were allies […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Quintus Servilius Caepio, the proconsul who stole the “Aurum Tolosanum”, the fabulous treasure the Gauls took from Delphi
Gaius Marius earned the nickname Third Founder of Rome by preventing the de facto invasion represented by the migration of a coalition of Germanic peoples to the Italian peninsula. That episode left a series of subsidiary stories, two of which were protagonized by the same character: Quintus Servilius Caepio. In the first – the juiciest, […]
Posted inAntiquity
Arminius, the Germanic Warlord who Crushed the Romans in the Teutoburg Forest
I just finished reading the latest issue of Les Aigles de Rome (The Eagles of Rome) a comic by the splendid Swiss artist Enrico Marini that tells the story of Arminius. Ring a bell? He was the German chieftain who defeated the Roman forces led by Quintilius Varus in the Teutoburg Forest. “Defeated” is an […]
