1) In the early centuries BC and AD, there were many migrations of Germanic tribes such as the Cherusci, Marcomanni, and Goths from northern Europe into Roman territory. 2) These migrations were often due to overpopulation, conflicts between tribes, or the desire for better land or Roman goods and protection from powerful tribes. 3) Notable events included the defeat of the Cimbri and Teutoni tribes by Marius in 102-101 BC, and the destruction of three Roman legions under Varus by Arminius and the Cherusci in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD.

1. Pre-modern European Migrations: Germanic Migrations
Map of German tribes, from Peter Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of
Rome and the Barbarians.
• Early Germanic culture
• Jastorf culture
• Przeworsk culture
• Many tribes—the Quadi,
Marcomanni, Cherusci,
Burgundiones, Goths, Franks,
Alamans/Alans, Sueves/Suebi
• Rome’s Germani

2. Left—Przeworsk cultural dress; center—reconstructed outfits from the Iron Age;
male and female Vandal dress; right—a burial urn. In the Archaeological Museum,
Krakow, Poland.

3. Map of early Germanic migrations, from Penguin Atlas of World History,
volume 1. Red-settlements before 750 BC; dark tan-settlements by 500
BC; light tan-settlements by 250 BC; green-settlements by 1 AD.
• Early migrations due to
overpopulation, desire for
better land, tribal
conflict, desire to
explore???
• Later migrations due to
contact with Rome
(desire for luxury goods)
and fear of other
powerful tribes (desire
for Roman protection)

4. Pre-modern European Migrations: Germanic Migrations
• Germans and Romans
• The migration of the Cimbri and Teutoni, c. 115-105 BC
• Fought and defeated by Marius in 102-101
• Julius Caesar’s Gallic wars, 58-51 BC
• Ambiorix and the Eburones
• Destruction of legion led by Sabinus and Cotta by the Eburones, 54 BC
• Caesar’s campaign against the Eburones, 53-51 BC
• The battle of Teutoburg Forest, 9 AD
• Arminius and the Cherusci
• Loss of three legions under leader Varus
• ~20,000 men including auxiliary troops
• Campaign of Germanicus from 14-16/17 AD

5. Left—map of Roman activity in Germany (Kalikriese was the site of the battle of
Teutoburg Forest, 9 AD; right—reconstruction of battle site (1 kilometer of land
between the hill and a bog).

6. Left—Kalkriese mask, Kalkriese Museum; right—cenotaph of Marcus Caelius and his
two freedmen, now in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn.

7. Left—the Minerva bowl, from the Hildesheim Treasure, Altes Museum, Berlin;
right—gold coin of Augustus, minted 2 BC.

8. Pre-modern European Migrations: Germanic Migrations
Map from Lynn Hunt, The Making of the West, Volume 1, 3rd edition.
• Establishment of the Rhine
and Danube Rivers as
Rome’s northern borders
• Tacitus’ Germania, c. 100 AD
• Marcus Aurelius and the
First and Second
Marcomannic Wars, 166-
173, 176-180
• Foederati and auxilia
• Caracalla’s German
campaign, 213-214