THE WESTERN GERMANS
(Heruskoz, Markamanniz, Sweboz, Himroz, Frisa)
The archaeological evidence of the Western German peoples has been identified with the Culture of Jastorf and its successive developments, the Culture of Ripdorf and the Culture of Seedorf.
Actually, these cultures had been deeply influenced by the last phase of the proto-Celtic culture of Hallstatt and the Celtic culture of La Tène.
Actually, a huge part of West Germanic artifacts are bad and poorer copies of Celtic ones, especially in the field of war equipment.
Offensive and defensive weapons of the commoners were often in wood and bone (G. Rosenberg, Hjortspringfundet) with little or no metal parts at all, and probably the most common Germanic weapon was the Framea (Tacitus, De origine et situ Germanorum, 6), a short spear used both as a throwing weapon and for melee, with a small tip, sometimes in metal, sometimes in bone or even simply a sharpened wood shaft.
A good description of a Germanic army is given by Tacitus in the where he states:
“The Germans had no armor or helmet or even shields reinforced with iron or leather, but wicker shields and painted wooden planks.
Only the first line of combat -if you even could call it that way-, was armed with proper spears, the others had short fire-hardened wooden darts"
(Annales, II, 14).
*thanks to Jutland's efforts, finally we have germanic troops with proper frameas, all in wood or with little iron tip, and not the enormous celtic spearheads of vanilla*
Germanic Skirmishers
Western Framea Warriors
Other melee weapon employed were the club, crude but effective, so even the Romans employed Auxiliary Germanic clubmen against heavy armored enemies, as we can see in the depictions on the Trajan Column, and the one handed axe, both a weapon and a tool, whose presence is attested in German warrior graves.
Kessel Lith Axes
Western Germanic Clubmen
Swords in earlier Germanic context were very rare, and the few founded were or copies or La Tène celtic swords, or stabbing shortswords of local production.
If armors were even rarer, in the site of Hjortspringm dated III B.C., have been found various fragment of chainmail, probably the panoply of some rich noble.
Hjortspring weapons
About headgears there is almost no evidence, except for wool caps like the one of the Tollund man, and copies of Negau helmets in wood founded in Uglemose, Denmark (T. Mathaissen, "Traehjelmene fra Uglemosen"), even if the use of metal-reinforced boiled leather caps has been hypothesized.
Wooden helmet from Uglemose
Western Germanic Warband
Western Germanic Nobles
Western Germani Riders
Western Germanic Noble Horsemen
In the field of ranged weapons, the hunting longbow had probably an important role, though being normally an hunting tool, experimental archaologist had found that as a weapon it would had been highly effective:
https://www.academia.edu/1479148/Nor...d_perspectives
Germanic Hunters
Tacitus refers about the Harii tribe, whose warriors went to battle with the bodies and the shields painted black, instilling fear in the enemies (Tacitus, De origine et situ Germanorum, Germany, 45).
Even if Tacitus states that the Harii were a sub-tribe of the celto-germanic federation of the Lugii, according to some historians and anthropologists, more than in one specific tribe, the real Harii should be identified as a military Mannerbunde (Rudolf Simek, Dictionary of Northern Mythology) whose name should be matched to that of the Ein-Herjar of Norse mythology, simply meaning "Warriors" (John Lindow, Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs).
The practice of black war paint, therefore, should not be attributed to a specific tribe or nation, but rather to a particular Germanic warrior brotherhood, linked to the sacral sphere, a sort of Germanic version of the Celtic Gaesatae.
Harjoz
In the areas were Celtic and Germanic culture merged phisically one another, like in the lands of the Belgae, often arose communities who actually were cletic-speaking, but with a deep germanic heritage of which they were particularly proud
Celtogermanic Warriors
II-I B.C. troops
During II-I B.C., in the areas were the contacts between Germans and Gauls were more deep, the military equipment of the Germanic peoples became actually even more similar to the Gallic one, virtually indistinguishable, and so their fighting ways.
The Suebi of Ariovistus fighting against Caesar formed a phalanx with long spears “as was their custom” (Caesar, De Bello Gallico, I, 52), and the Cimbrian army shows to employ a synergic infantry and heavy cavalry “anvil and hammer” tactic, common for II-I B.C. Gauls as we can assume from the evolution of military equipment, with heavy longswords for the cavalry and long “bajonet spears” for the infantry.
Actually Isidorus of Seville describes the Teutons to be “armed in the Gallic fashion” (XVIII, 72), and the description of Plutarch of the Cimbrian cavalry, even with unquestionable “Germanic flavor”, reminds a lot II-I B.C. Celtic heavy cavalry, with longswords and chainmails, while normally Germanic peoples lack weapons and armors in iron.
There are several reason for this, that included both the access to more resources (mainly by pillaging), and the recruitment of truly Gallic warriors within the Germanic armies.
For example, Cimbri and Teutons in their wandering thorough Europe had collected various Celtic warbands, especially from the Tigurines Helvetii, and in some cases some of their sub-tribes had likely mixed up (Festus for example called the Ambrones “Gens Gallica”).
Even the name of some Cimbrian warlords are Celtic, like “Gaesorix” (“King of the Iron Javelin”), “Lugos” (“Luminous One”) and “Boiorix” (“Terrible King”).
Moreover, Quintus Sertorius, Caius Marius lieutenant, is reported to went on espionage in the Cimbrian encampment impersonating a Gaul, as proof that Celtic presence within Cimbrian and Teutons was quite normal.
About the reutilization of Celtic weapons by the Germans, the best example is the so called “Helmet of Harigast”, a celtic Negau Helmet, probably pillaged by Cimbroteutons in Alpine-Pannonian context during their invasion of Noricum, that brings the inscription “Harigastitieiva[\\\]ip”, that has been translated as “Harigast of Teiwaz” (T.L. Markey, on Journal of Indo-European Studies, 2001), so bringing a Germanic name and the name of the well known Germanic god of war, Teiwaz (the future norse Tyr).
Celtogermanic Longspears
Writing about the cavalry of the Cimbrian army, Plutarch states:
"They wore helmets made in the guise of heads and jaws of wild beasts, with feathers attached, making them look even taller.
They had coats of mail and shields bright white.
As each weapon used javelins with tips on both sides, and in melee a heavy long swords"
(Plutarch, Parallel Lives, Life of Marius, 25, 9)
As stated by Ferrario ("Ancients and Modern Customs" p. 319), rather than helmets made in the shape of heads and jaws of wild beasts, probably Plutarch refers to real fur and animal heads wore upon helmets.
Celtogermanic Noble Cavalry
I B.C. / I A.D. troops
With the constant contacts with Roman culture, Western Germans start to employ roman military equipment, aside with the Gallic one.
Archaeological findings had brought several Roman helmets with sometimes metal parts considered unnecessary (like cheek-guards) removed, and probably used to craft blades and spearheads, due to the well known lack of iron in Germanic context.
Roman helmets in germanic graves
In a Batavian grave in Nijmegen has been even found a roman parade cavalry helmet with facial mask, that his last Germanic owner had modified with something like a wig in fur and straw (UGH!).
If in the case of helmets, more than craft local copies it seems actually that the Germans implement spoils of war and result of trades, in the field of weapons we had both authentic roman blades and some local production of gladius-like sword, and even the invention of the angon, a Germanic version of the Roman Pilum.
Late Western Germanic Warband
Late Western Germanic Nobles
Western Germanic Cavalry
P.S. as you can see, we tried to give to the units the most natural and historically realistic clothing colors: different shades of brown, black, gray, some green, to most troops and pale red, blue and yellow to the nobles.
http://www.tollundman.dk/toej.asp
Re: Conflictus Antiquarum Culturarum (CAC) a major overhaul mod of Rome 2 focused on History and Realism
I actually only just realised how wrong I was. Equites (sub. nom. masc. pl.) Sociorum (obj. gen. masc. pl.) = The Horsemen of the Allies
I think he said some Celts were even referred to as Clibanarii, but the real problem is that this term didn't appear till mid Empire...
Originally Posted by Türkenlouis
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