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537 E. A. THOMPSON, The Early Germans. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1965. XII, 162 p. Pr. sh. 21/-. This account of Germanic society between 50 B.C. and 100 A.D. discusses some of the problems raised by the writings of Julius Caesar at the beginning, and those of Tacitus at the end, of that period. The author first describes the changes in material civilisation and social organisation of the Germans from Caesar to Tacitus, next the efforts of Roman diplomacy to distort barbarian society and so to preserve peace on the Imperial frontier, and concludes with a treatment of Germanic warfare throughout the Roman period down to the 6th century A.D. Mr. Thompson rightly emphasizes that a Germanic institution being attested by Ammianus Marcellinus as existing in the 4th century A.D. does not imply its existence among the Germans at the time of Tacitus. He deplores the calamitous effect of E. Norden's Germanische Urgeschichte on the subsequent study of primitive Germany, to the detriment of the authority of Caesar and Tacitus, whose explicit assertions Mr. Thompson deems, on the whole, credible. Germanic society is shown to be moving in Tacitus' day towards a crisis, the later stages and outcome of which are almost wholly unknown. Internal Germanic history be- tween about 100 and 353 A.D. (when Ammianus' narrative begins) being exceedingly obscure, we may only guess that in the meantime (the "Dark Age of the continental Germans") many peoples, like the Cherusci, were ruined by acute tensions between the tribal nobility and the common warriors. It is clear, however, that civil institutions and methods of warfare (rather foraging parties than wholesale invasions) of the new confederacies mentioned by Am- mianus have developed but little: "the peoples' names have changed since Tacitus' day, but not much else". The author proceeds warily all the time, using the scattered sources with sober judgment. One would have liked to hear more about Roman internal organisation: the administration of the frontier provinces, etc. A good index concludes this soundly written book. ARNHEM, Wijenburglaan 155 D. W. L. VAN SON DE NOVIS LIBRIS IUDICIA U. LAFFI, "Adtributio" e "Contributio". Problemi del sistema politico-amministrativo dello stato romano. Pisa, Nistri-Lischi editori, 1966. 224 S. 3 Abb. Pr. L. 2800. Der Verfasser hat sein Buch in zwei Teile eingeteilt. Der erste Teil ist der adtyibutio gewidmet, wobei der Verf. im allgemeinen?/ -.A
Mnemosyne – Brill
Published: Jan 1, 1967
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