WRMA -- Blogmeister

I was asked to compare the cultures of the ancient Romans and Germans in the format of a five paragraph essay.

Germans vs. Romans

5 paragraph essay

September 4, 476 A.D. That is the day the prodigious Rome fell. While the great European empire slowly killed itself as emperors fought to rule, citizens turned against each other, and the brilliant infrastructure crumbled, invaders attacked the unsuspecting realm. Through tragic sufferings and great losses, Rome was invaded at its borders and captured… This was what happened to Rome due to Germans, and Franks, and Barbarians, and Goths, and Visigoths. This is a comparison of the huge differences between Rome and one of its main destroyers; the Germans. The Germans are a kind of people who don’t generally view themselves as a whole. They are broken up into to many tribal groups, and within those, clans are formed consisting of people that are blood related in some way; third cousin, fifth uncle. When the Roman Empire was still going strong, its borders were unbreachable by the Germans, but, after the Western Roman Empire began to collapse, Germanic tribes started drifting into the outer borders of Rome were both Roman culture and German culture blended. The Germans lived in small villages surrounded by farmlands and pastures. Their homes were long huts, and half of the hut was designated for animals to sleep in. Jobs were limited because the only necessary things to do were herding cattle for food and clothing and farming different types of grain, beans and peas. They were simple people and enjoyed pleasures such as feasting and playing sports and all had very high levels of hospitality (it was a law). Germans and Romans were very different people. There are three main differences; their two very different ways of life, the varying types of law these civilizations have, and the diverse ways of battle between Rome and the Germans.

The first reason the Romans and Germans are completely different is because of their nearly opposite ways of life. The Germans are agricultural civilizations that live in in tribal groups, whereas the Romans are an urban trade empire that is very civilized and has many luxuries. The Germanic people lived in small villages that are surrounded by farmlands, and their houses are huts that also serve as animal stalls. Although some Roman farmers do live in smaller houses surrounded by pastures, many live in cities with many citizens, such as the city of Rome that held as much as 1 million residents. Romans didn’t live in groups. They viewed themselves as a whole society and were all connected. Conversely, Germans lived in many small collections called clans. These clans were led by a Chieftain who was a military leader that the clan paid loyalty to. Adding to that, Germans lived very simply. Most likely, the only things a regular German had in his home were a wooden bench and table. If you were a wealthier German you might be able to afford a carpet or a wall hanging. In stark contrast, a wealthier Roman lived in a mansion with pools, heated floors, and had slaves to do everything. As you can see, there are many differences in the way the average Roman lives compared to a German. A Roman lives an urban lifestyle, and a German has a country standard of living.

The next reason Romans and Germans are different is the exceedingly dissimilar type of law between these two societies. Rome’s political system was originally a republic with different branches that shared power, but later it turned into an empire with one emperor that held most of the power. The Germans had a completely different type of governmental system and ways of law. First of all, the Germans had a quite simple way of governing their small clans. There was a ruler, but his rule was decided by the people and laws could not change unless the people approved. The Germans also never wrote the laws down. Instead, they memorized them and passed them down in words through generations. As you could imagine, an empire the size of Rome could never just remember the laws. They engraved them in giant stones called the Twelve Tables so nothing was left unclear. The law concerning punishment was completely different between the Roman and German political systems. The laws written on Rome’s Twelve Tables was mostly about taxes, trade, and usual punishment, but the memorized German laws focused mostly only on punishment and trial. Blood feuds, which were fights between people that were passed down by generations, were a problem in in German clans, so, as a result, they set up courts. The court’s judges would listen to each side and try to bring peace, and the accused people would declare their innocence by oath taking. This is where the accused person takes an oath that he/she is innocent. There were also harsher ways of deciding that a person is guilty or innocent; the ordeal. An ordeal is a severe physical trial that includes brutally burning your arm. If your arm is healing in the next three days, you’re innocent, but if not, you’re guilty. Also, you are put in a lake to see if you sink or float. If you float, you’re guilty. This is nothing like a Roman court. In Rome, courts were more formal and many people were put in prison or just straight up killed. German and Roman law were completely different as previously shown. Rome’s laws are more ridged and widespread, while German clan laws are memorized and differ between groups.

The third and final reason the Romans and Germans are utterly contradictory is their two diverse types of scuffle strategies and war tactics, including individual soldier preface and the statistical match ups between the prevailing influence of both the Roman legion and the German military. The Roman military was very powerful and its soldiers were very loyal to their legion. Although German soldiers were loyal too, they were dedicated to their clans and chieftain and fought more for individual praise. In fewer words, German soldiers fought for their clans and themselves and Roman soldiers fought for their legions title. Another difference between the two militaries is fighting style. As you know, Romans fought in groups that attacked and for most of the time stayed together, but, a German soldier usually fights all by himself in solo battle. Germans also didn’t have battle plans; they just attacked and depended on each other’s own fighting ability, whereas Romans had thought out battle plans to bring into war. The Romans and Germans have very different fighting styles because the Romans battle united with a plan, and Germans battle by themselves without any plan.

These specific examples show the differences between the ancient Roman civilization and the Germans back in the beginning of the Common Era. The following are the three groups that accurately classify the differences between the Romans and Germans, but without all of the detail. The three main reasons they are different is. One, they have two completely different types of everyday lifestyles. The Germans are agricultural and country style and the Romans are infrastructure and urban style. Number two is the different types of laws and political systems they have as Rome laws are written on the Twelve Tables and the Germans just memorize their laws. The third and not last reason is the completely different military and battle styles between them. Germans have an every man for himself style and Rome have a planned out, fight united style. As this essay states, the Germans and Romans were nearly opposite civilizations that existed at overlapping times. This has happened many times in history, but the difference among the Ancient Romans and ancient Germans is so large, it will always be remembered.