Early Germanic warfare

Depiction of a Gothic warrior battling Roman cavalry, from the 3rd century Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus

Warfare seems to have been a constant in Germanic society, and archaeology indicates this was the case prior to the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century BC.[1] Wars were frequent between and within the individual Germanic peoples.[2] The early Germanic languages preserve various words for "war", and they did not necessarily clearly differentiate between warfare and other forms of violent interaction.[3] The Romans note that for the Germans, robbery in warfare was not shameful. Consequently the motivations for Germanic warfare both against Rome and against other Germanic peoples was the potential to acquire booty.[4][5]

  1. ^ Steuer 2021, p. 673.
  2. ^ Steuer 2021, p. 794.
  3. ^ Bulitta & Springer 2010, pp. 665–667.
  4. ^ Bulitta & Springer 2010, p. 674.
  5. ^ Steuer 2021, p. 674.