For people who are interested in our Germanic ancestors there is one source that can not be ignored; the "Germania", written by the famous Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus.
Tacitus based his "Germania" on older works that have now been lost, this accounts were written by other historians who personally observed the western Germanic peoples, the age and sources of the "Germania" make it a very reliable work but one must not forget that this text is written from the Roman point of view; the Romans had a totally different culture and society and did not always understood the other peoples they encountered because they judged them from their perspective.
The Romans in general thought very denigrating about the Germans and saw them as barbarians and uncivilized wildmen, Tacitus also mixed his personal opinions through his texts; he believed that Roman society had become too decadent, corrupt, and greedy, and tried to romanticize the "primitive simplicity of the noble wildmen", this must be heeded when reading his work.
Despite this little disadvantages the "Germania" is a very interesting piece of work that is extremely valuable to modern historians and a vital source of study for people who are interested in our Germanic ancestors.
The "Germania" is such an important source that I have decided to host it on this site:
