The Ancient Tribes Of Europe That Rebelled Against Rome | Storm Over Europe | Odyssey

[Music] from the mists of the north germanic tribes headed south reaching as far as the borders of the roman empire barbarians the romans called them but in 375 a.d the most feared of all warriors descended upon europe murdering and pillaging the huns triggered a great migration hundreds of thousands of goths vandals and franks went in search of a new homeland they sacked rome some tribes disappeared almost without trace others left behind valuable treasures the germanic barbarians were to become the founders of europe [Music] [Applause] it's the year 120 bc while germanic tribes from the far north moved slowly southwards for two decades they filled the romans with dread [Music] tens of thousands of skulls are stored here in the natural history museum in budapest a tomb for many tribes busy goths and ostrogoths makamani gapidai and vandals the skull of a kimbrian what did he look like after 2 000 years of rest his face is about to be restored building from the skull anthropologists can reconstruct a face from the past [Music] [Music] friend and foe alike would recognize him would call him by his name the gauls cursed him as a robber the romans called him barbarian both were afraid of the kimbrians he is one of tens of thousands who made their mark in history where did he come from who was he were the kimbrians merely dull-witted warriors [Music] were they heroic wagnerian figures or even members of an aryan master race so [Music] let's go back into the past with him we know something of the kimbrian kings and wars but nothing of their lives of their sufferings hopes and fate and we know little of their 20-year trek through europe he was with them to the end his home was high in the cold north [Music] it's the year 121 bc to the romans the kimbrians were two legged animals about whom there was nothing human apart from a voice and limbs creatures who lacked culture and civilization naked wild unhoused the roman historian tacitus wrote who would leave italy for germania unless indeed it were his home the land has no attractions and a raw climate it offers a bleak prospect to native and visitor alike [Music] [Applause] [Music] the germans are the native inhabitants and are entirely untouched by immigration and the hospitable reception of foreign races to romanize the tribe they called the kimbri the kimbrians lived at the edge of the inhabited world in jutland it's estimated that between sixty thousand and eighty thousand germans cambrians tutans and ambronis were scattered across denmark in hundreds of villages what we know of the kimbrians comes from what has been found in bogs the burial grounds of ancient times the bogs preserved the corpses until they were found by peat cutters one of the bog bodies is world famous the winder she was just 14. [Music] she's holding a birch stick sticks pinned down her body in the bog were they afraid that she was one of the living dead that she would return was she executed for adultery maybe did she die a natural death and was laid to rest in the bog by her family the causes of death of the bog people pose many riddles but the bodies can tell scientists what clothes the kimbrians wore a cloak made from animal skin has been preserved as has a finely woven headband which slipped over her eyes when she was buried for over two millennia the bog preserved the clothes which must now be kept in air-conditioned storage the museum at schleswig has an entire collection of garments found in bogs textiles expert inga haigh can deduce a great deal about the kimbrian's clothes from the smallest fragments of fabric this is despite their primitive looms the kimbrians knew how to weave fine fabrics with rich patterns the kimbrians did not go around in rags or sacks says ingerheig they had a variety of clothes even followed fashions when these pieces of fabric were found they had taken on the dark color of the peat but they were not always like that we hadn't agreed the yarns were dyed with everything nature had to offer apples blueberries bark roots lichen and ferns in every color of the rainbows are tiny a final rinse in urine set the dyes a method still in use velan the blacksmith archaeological finds have shown that every kimbrian settlement had its own smithy the smith was a highly respected figure a leader in technology he smelted the iron himself every village had a furnace in which the smith heated raw iron ore that had collected in streams and bogs his most important task was to forge weapons although the kimbrians were buried without their weapons they have been found in what are known as dead ice holes small lakes that were the gateway to the world of the gods to odin to bolton to win the gods favor the kimbrians offered sacrifices of grain in clay pots and also valuable weapons fortunately for archaeologists the lakes turned into bogs which preserved the kimbrian's offerings for thousands of years ceramics simple and unadorned the kimbrians possessed only the bare essentials [Music] a deer's bone fashioned into a flute shepherds probably roamed the poor heaths of jutland with them [Music] in one bog a leather bag and its contents were preserved did a shaman use these pieces of wood and horn to foretell the future or was it just a craftsman's bag the oldest weapons found in denmark the romans could not have made better this is what the kimbrian settlement borremosa looked like each farmstead was fortified with a ditch earth rampart and palisade archaeologists suspect that boromosa was the seat of a king around 180 kimbrians shepherds farmers and warriors were housed in more than 20 buildings archaeologists have reconstructed the germanic longhouses based on structures in the ground that have been preserved over millennia some took this ancient measuring stick back to where it was excavated in 1949 it's one meter twenty long about four feet or two paces from boromoza the kimbrians walked over seven thousand kilometers on their great trek south but what made them decide to leave the history book suggest a catastrophic flood or did cold and hunger drive them from their homeland [Music] the never-ending winters and dismal weather oppress them the soil feeds them meagerly reported seneca the elder the kimbrian's lives were hard their soil was poor they had no tradition of stockpiling food they lived from hand to mouth even in good years they barely survived the winter how did they ever manage in lean years once their small supply of grain was exhausted [Music] can the bog bodies tell us something about the fate of the kimbrians and explain what led to the great exodus from denmark why did the winderbee girl live only 14 years if she died a natural death as scientists believe pieces of her skeleton have been retrieved from under the leathery shell of her body we now know what she looked like a forensic scientist has reconstructed her face but how two thousand years later can her bones reveal something of her life and death using special x-ray equipment the physicist roland anjol is scanning a shin bone he is looking for so-called harris lines signs of [ __ ] growth malnutrition and starvation his conclusion was so she starved for 12 of her 14 winters in the north everyone would have suffered like the wind to be girl hunger and deprivation winter after winter how did they survive at all in the stomach of one bog body biologists found in addition to oats and hazelnuts the seeds of various weeds empty stomachs were filled with bird food like not grass even english researchers found the kimbrian gruel inedible when they recreated it it was the last meal of the mysterious holland man this plaited leather rope is one meter 25 long it ends in a noose around the neck of the tolland man mike and hanson knows this black leathery bog man from top to toe every scar every bit of stubble on his fine face was he executed did he take his own life or was he even a human sacrifice and how is it that he's still so well preserved after two thousand years emotion strikes after in 1950 the tall and man was found by pete cutters in jutland since then dozens of scientists have examined this the most impressive of all the bog people he died aged not even 40 shortly before the kimbrian started their push southwards tacitus's account of the germanic people's gruesome sacrificial customs seems to be accurate today hello [Music] first he was hanged then buried in the bog forensic scientists observed that someone tenderly shut his eyes and mouth for his eternal sleep in the bog the tolerant man was a human sacrifice probably tunatus the goddess of fertility to whom the kimbrians prayed for good harvests bog bodies have led scientists to conclude that it wasn't a catastrophic flood but hunger that drove the kimbrians from denmark but the moon was not one of pure despair from roman traders who had traveled north to by amber and animal hides they heard heard about the lure of the south and their own scouts had traveled far even as far as the danube they would have told their people about lands where furs weren't needed in winter about lush meadows and fertile fields under the eternal sun about sweet fruits and intoxicating drinks made from strange berries about unimaginable wealth and luxury in the north there was little to hope for too many people were trying to scrape a living from the meager soil if they migrated the constant starvation might end if they turned their backs on the kimbrian peninsula they might have a future again did they vote on it did they draw lots who had to stay who could go we have no way of knowing [Music] no one knows the exact date no one knows the exact circumstances nonetheless it is a historical fact around 120 bc the kimbrians left their homeland forever and found their place in history german scholars call this mass migration the falco van der round the wandering of the tribes it was a journey into the unknown a great adventure full of danger but no matter what lies in store they would probably have said it has to be better than death the future belongs to the brave and the bold they must have planned their exodus discussed it with other tribes and arranged to meet the roman historian theodorus reported an enormous mass surged forwards hundreds of thousands of armed kimbrians and teutons were on the march they had hordes of women and children with them they were searching for a land that could feed such vast numbers [Applause] [Music] today historians assume that about 100 000 people joined the great trek the news of the approaching barbarians filled the romans with dread the kimbrians teutons and ambrones left jutland and passed through regions settled by other germanic tribes angles saxons and schwabiens following the elba their journey took them through bohemia always heading south a migrating tribe moves forward laboriously on foot day after day month after month in all weathers wow [Music] when they could they followed rivers the ancient trade routes these gave them a direction and a goal [Music] but rivers could also be insurmountable obstacles unless they could find a ford for the hazardous crossing [Music] it could take days for the whole trek to cross a river [Music] only the leaders had horses the few carts that transported the barbarian's belongings were drawn by an early species of oxen slow but strong the huge column of kimberians and teutons stretched for 20 to 30 kilometers [Music] they had fled from hunger deprivation and misery but how did these people who are farmers and shepherds not nomads feed themselves while they were on the move to survive these economic refugees often resorted to looting and pillaging particularly when they chanced upon weaker opponents [Music] on account of their unbridled savagery they were feared by all because they knew only one law might is right they took by force that which was not given to them voluntarily [Music] the kimbrians acquired the reputation of being a tribe of wandering robbers soon the word kimbrian came to mean robber [Music] they slaughtered each other and took what they could get one germanic tribe fought another though some scholars regard the kimbri as celts or of celtic origin origin and lineage blood and race meant nothing to them opponents quickly became allies friend became foe [Music] when hunger overwhelmed them they stole from others in antiquity there was no notion of war crimes plundering robbery enslavement and pillaging were not looked down upon everybody did it [Music] and like the romans the kimbrians stopped at nothing the roman historian tacitus they regard it as stupid and spiritless to acquire with their sweat what they can gain by blood [Music] during the winter months the trek rested it was hard to find suitable shelter even a cave seemed like a palace [Music] with the superiority of their civilization the romans regarded the kimbrians as aggressive drunk unkempt savages they called them barbarians the words supposedly imitating the stuttering sound of their speech which the romans didn't understand they thought that the kimbrians were uncivilized stinking and dirty a dismissive view for which they later paid naturally life on the road made it difficult to attend to personal hygiene but the simple stereotype was wrong archaeological finds from the bog show that the kimbrians carried personal sponge bags this is the toiletry bag every man hung from his belt there were wooden toothpicks scissors for cutting hair and a knife for a smooth shave [Music] on a ring there was a pair of tweezers for nose hair and even a tiny spatula for cleaning the ears as well as the obligatory comb for sophisticated hairstyles the swabian knot of the ostery man they comb their unruly hair and not it artistically but they don't want to be admired this grooming is for the eye of the enemy they want to appear huge and terrible to the romans the germans were uncouth and terrifying but what did they really look like like heroes from wagnerian operas prototypes from an aryan racial handbook the hungarian anthropologist agnes kushta is reconstructing the face of a skull which was found in saxony here we will be able to see how a germanic tribesman's face is restored 1500 years after his death this biometric procedure was developed by forensic scientists to identify dead bodies now agnes kushta applies her knowledge of anatomy to the skull she sculpts the muscles and then works out what the nose and the ears looked like i made them how strong were his muscles where were the eyes set in his skull how thick were the fleshy parts thousands of autopsies have provided averages for these measurements agnes kushtar painstakingly applies this knowledge to the task of reconstructing the head as a after weeks of work the head is given a face this is what this particular german would have looked like when he was alive the archetypal german is what would have been said at one time when the population was divided into races with criminal intent but this space is just one of many different faces this man has the fine aristocratic features one might expect to see on the face of a roman senator in the distant future even these germanic barbarians would belong to the roman establishment but the kimbrian still had a long way to go just as in their homeland starvation often threatened the kimbrians on their journey if necessary they ate roots and beechnut gruel but they were at home in the dark primeval forests so feared by the romans tacitus said they were skilled hunters when they aren't fighting they spend their time hunting they satisfy their hunger without elaborate preparations or any delicacy they even eat meat raw either fresh or frozen with the hide still on they work the meat with their hands and feet to make it edible [Music] and tacitus reported on another aspect of the early germans they respect and listen to their women they are their comrades ready to bear and brave the same as them in times of trouble and danger peace and war [Music] the life of the nomadic warrior became second nature to the kimbrians and teutons other tribes and clans joined them on the way and became kimbrians too that was the practice during the time of the great tribal migrations despite what nationalists and racists may now claim the old germans had absolutely no interest in the issues of blood and race lineage and [Music] origin the germanic word folk means a group of warriors that followed the further they traveled the greater their numbers became the kimbrians had now been on the move for four years sixteen hundred kilometers from home they came to the danube to present a hungary and romania there they came upon thracians and the celtic tribe of the scott diskey the kimbrians took a treasure back to denmark from the danube the world famous gundestruk cauldron this priceless silver bowl was found in a danish bog by a farmer and weighs 10 kilograms it's one of the most beautiful artifacts from the era of the barbaric invasions was it a sacrificial vessel a holy grail this phantasmagonical world with its depiction of exotic animals unknown in the north has puzzled archaeologists celtic wally is going into battle did the kimbrians drink mead from the cauldron to celebrate their victories or did they even fill it with the blood of slain enemies the cauldron is a danish national monument for a long time it was proudly thought to have been made in northern europe this is unfortunately not true says archaeologist fleming cowell the cauldron must have been taken back to denmark by the kimbrians as loot or as a gift but how can he prove it over the years he has examined every detail with the sharp eye of a detective it is true that it depicts warriors whose shields are like the ones found in northern europe they are blowing the carnicks terrifying trumpets of war and bear the symbols of germanic gods on their helmets and yet fleming carl believes that this elaborate artifact is not part of kimbrian culture one important clue is a goddess with a thracian torque which is like one found near the cauldron carl believes the cauldron was a symbol of friendship between two tribes the kimbrians came across the a man riding a dolphin exotic cheetahs bare breasted amazons [Music] hunting gods with antlers [Music] after comparing the cauldron with other artifacts fleming cowl has established that only thracian silversmiths were capable of making such a peace the cambrians must have encountered them on their travels but so the kimbrians took the cauldron and the talk back to denmark from this region it's proof that they ventured as far as the danube the treasure was sunk in the bog near boramosa as a sacrifice to the gods perhaps as thanks for good fortune in battle or maybe with a prayer that the wandering tribe far away would find a better homeland [Music] from the danube the kimbrians continued their trek but where do how did they find their way they had neither maps nor compass and they didn't know how to take their buildings from the stars the kimbrians talked to scouts and traders where were there spoils to be had where would it be easy where might they run into enemies maybe even roman legions if they were unable to agree on their route or the destination they consulted the oracle in the germanic tradition [Music] a stone and the fresh blood of a prisoner served as a signpost or so tradition relates [Music] follow the setting sun [Music] from romania and hungary the kimbrians and teutons headed west in the direction of the promised land italy they had now been wandering through europe for seven long years and had covered over three thousand kilometers [Music] in 113 bc they appeared in the lower alps near norea in corinthia dangerously close to the roman empire here was a good place to stay the land was fertile rich in iron and even gold but the romans felt threatened could the terrifying kimbrians and teutons even be planning a march on rome they promised the roman consul carbo they'd move on peacefully pretending to be helpful he offered them guides who lured the kimbrians into an ambush cabo's legions thought that the naive barbarians would be easy prey but it turned out quite differently [Music] with the speed and ferocity of a firestorm they attacked recklessly and fearlessly with brutish voices and dreadful screams the first clash with the germans at the battle of norea was a shock to the romans they were terrified of the savages from the north who were unsurpassable in strength and giant like in appearance the viennese anthropologist dr maria tesla nicola compares the skeleton of a german with that of a roman was deodoris report of gigantic germanic warriors a figment of roman fantasies and fears anthropologists need only a bone from the thigh or upper arm to ascertain person's height with the help of statistical tables they can establish the body height of different races to within two or three centimeters hundreds of examinations of skeletons have shown that many germans were tall on average the kimbrians were one meter 74 or about five foot eight and some considerably taller so they frequently towered over the romans by as much as a head in an antique fest the romans never forgot their first battle against the kimbrians and the teutons in 113 bc for a long time they continued to fear the furore teutonicus in battle they rejoiced hoping to be able to depart this life in a glorious and joyful manner but then consul cabo paid for his duplicity with heavy losses in gloriously his legions were crushed the romans scattered and fled into the woods [Music] [Music] ah [Music] [Applause] but the romans were saved by of all things a barbarian god the germans were said to be fearless only thunder and lightning filled them with panic they were terrified that their god thor was about to bring the sky crashing down believing it was a sign from the gods they ran from the defeated legionaries rome narrowly escaped a military catastrophe for the time being [Music] archaeologists have located this battle a magdalensberg in carinthia is this find also connected with the kimvians 18 bronze helmets were found in a hiding place on the comedian's route to the alps each one was worth a fortune even in ancient times were they kimbrian spoils of war helmet b now kept in the museum of art history in vienna is known all over the world for its mysterious inscription a fascinating case for the germanist hermann reichert from right to left he has deciphered hari the language is clearly germanic hari is germanic for army gusty is guest tava could mean to the that was the germanic custom hari gusty tava to the divine guest of the army it is the oldest example of germanic writing and the only trace of the kimbrian migration outside denmark yet found through impassable unknown terrain they were driven on by human restlessness during their long wanderings they left many behind exhausted and sick many died or fell in battle for over eight years now they had been on the move in 112 bc an immeasurable number of them tried to find their way over the alps it was an extremely open multicultural society anyone who joined them and risked his life bravely in battle simply belonged anyone who was poor could become rich anyone who distinguished himself could even become a commander [Music] after the historic victory at narea the kimbrians and tutans descended upon gaul like an unstoppable storm cloud in battle after battle roman legions tried to halt their campaign without success for 10 years the kimbrians and the teutons spread fear and dread throughout the roman empire only when the tribes went two different ways was the consul marius able to crush the teutons near eson provence the kimbrians however crossed the alps again their goal the fertile plains of the po valley [Music] they had traveled for over 7000 kilometers across europe without finding a homeland they had been on the move for 19 long years [Music] but even warriors eventually grow weary and want to settle down to have a roof over their heads plant crops and graze cattle at last to bring an end to their wandering [Music] ever since leaving jutland they had been searching for the promised land finally they came to the north of italy the kimbrians were ready to serve the empire as soldiers in payment they asked the senate for a homeland but the romans had not forgotten their defeated maria marius the commander who had defeated the teutons had reformed the army the fear of the barbarians had been overcome marius and his soldiers took well-planned revenge [Music] when the ravens flew to the place where the kimbrians lay slaughtered never had they feasted so well the kimbrians had faced the romans in open battle but they were vanquished by superior force [Music] those who did not fall in battle fell on their own swords or so the historian flores tells us with bare bosoms the women spurred on their men in battle when they were defeated first they strangled their children [Music] then in despair they plunged a knife into their own hearts or hanged themselves from their carts with belts or ropes or their long plats [Music] the cambrians refused to be led in chains through rome in shame and dishonor they refuse to be mocked and spat upon ending their days as slaves [Music] freedom or death they were free and wanted to remain so [Music] marius was celebrated as the savior of rome but the tribe of the kimbrians who had left the north in search of a better life were wiped out in 101 bc [Music] [Music] after the fall of the kimbrians and the tutans the romans felt safe they wanted to extend their empire in the north right to the edge of the inhabited world but other germans arminius and his caruscans were to confine the empire to within its borders [Music] you

Channel: Odyssey - Ancient History Documentaries

Views: 117,117

Keywords: ancient history, classical history, ancient civilisations, classical antiquity, history documentary, classical documentary, roman empire, ancient rome, roman history, fall of the roman empire, barbarians rising, roman europe, teutoberg forest, ninth legion, Augustus

Id: KFMStaU4s6U

Length: 51min 18sec (3078 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 14 2021