Armies of the Germanic Peoples, 200 BC to AD 500: History, Organization and Equipment (Armies of the Past)

Gabriele Esposito presents an overview of the military history of the Germanic peoples of this period and describes in detail the weapons and tactics they employed on the battlefield. He starts by showing how, from very early on, the Germanic communities were heavily influenced by Celtic culture. He then moves on to describe the major military events, starting with the first major encounter between the Germanic tribes and the Romans: the invasion by the Cimbri and Teutones. Julius Caesar's campaigns against German groups seeking to enter Gaul are described in detail as is the pivotal Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, which effectively halted Roman expansion into Germany and for centuries fixed the Rhine as the border between the Roman and Germanic civilizations. Escalating pressure of Germanic raids and invasions was a major factor in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The author's analysis explains how Germanic warriors were able to crush the Roman military forces on several occasions, gradually transformed the Roman Army itself from the inside and, after the fall of the Empire, created new Romano-Germanic Kingdoms across Europe. The evolution of Germanic weapons, equipment and tactics is examined and brought to life through dozens of color photos of replica equipment in use. An overview of the Germanic peoples'military history from this period and an examination of the weapons and tactics they employed on the battlefield.Gabriele Esposito begins this study by showing how, from very early on, the Germanic communities were heavily influenced by Celtic culture. He then moves on to describe the major military events, starting with the first major encounter between the Germanic tribes and the Romans: the invasion by the Cimbri and Teutones. Julius Caesar's campaigns against German groups seeking to enter Gaul are described in detail as is the pivotal Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, which effectively halted Roman expansion into Germany and for centuries fixed the Rhine as the border between the Roman and Germanic civilizations. Escalating pressure of Germanic raids and invasions was a major factor in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.The author's analysis explains how Germanic warriors were able to crush the Roman military forces on several occasions, gradually transformed the Roman Army itself from the inside and, after the fall of the Empire, created new Romano-Germanic Kingdoms across Europe. The evolution of Germanic weapons, equipment and tactics is examined and brought to life through dozens of color photos of replica equipment in use. HISTORY / Military / Ancient Cover 1 Book Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 9 Chapter 1 The Early History of the Germani 10 Chapter 2 The Cimbrian War 23 Chapter 3 Julius Caesar and the Germani 46 Chapter 4 The Campaigns of Augustus in Germania 69 Chapter 5 Arminius and the Battle of Teutoburg 83 Chapter 6 The limes of the Rhine and the Marcomannic Wars 100 Chapter 7 The Migration Period and the Battle of Adrianople 117 Chapter 8 The Sacks of Rome and the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains 134 Chapter 9 Weapons and Tactics of the Germani 156 The Re-enactors who Contributed to this Book 176 Index 177 Describes the armies of the Germanic foes that raided, invaded and resisted the Roman Empire for centuries and eventually brought it down.