The Germanic Tribes in Antiquity: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Peoples Who Spread across Europe

Despite all the accomplishments and widespread victories and conquests that the ancient Romans accrued over the centuries, one of their most critical failures was the inability to subjugate Germany. Indeed, historians have singled out this one failure as central to the ultimate downfall of Rome, as the constant wars against the Germanic tribes and the need to defend the frontier on the Rhine helped bring the Roman Empire to its knees.

There are elements of truth in such a conclusion, but the...