In September, Germans will celebrate one of their history’s more positive figures, Arminius, or Hermann the German as some tourists know him. He is famous for having united five German tribes against a legion of Roman soldiers. In what became known as the Battle of Teutoberg, Hermann and his clan beat upwards of 12,000 Roman soldiers in battle.
According to Der Spiegel
Three Roman legions were wiped out in four days of fighting on the narrow forest paths a few miles from what is now the city of Osnabrück. The entire Roman Empire stretching from northern England to Egypt only had 28 legions at the time.
The Beginning of Nation?
But modern Germans are cautious about celebrating this battle and the man. Adolf Hitler used his legend to forward the propaganda of the Third Reich. Because of this baggage, many Germans don’t even know about him; this part of German history is not taught in many schools. And during a recent modern re-enactment of the battle with Chancellor Merkel in attendance, the organizers were hard pressed to find any Germans who wanted to play the ancient Germans.
But his legend isn’t all bad. It was Martin Luther himself who gave Hermann his name and deemed him a worthy heir apparent for the job of nation builder. During Luther’s time, Germany was not a united country, but a region with many tribes. Arminius’ win at the Battle of Teutoberg, whose location is believed to be located in Kalkriese, was just what the then splintered nation needed to unite into one nation—at least in Luther’s estimation.
An Important Ancient Battle Site
While its significance is being downplayed today in terms of Germany’s development as a nation, it certainly was an important battle. According to Der Spiegel
However, there's little doubt that the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest sent shockwaves through the Roman Empire. It was one reason why Rome abandoned plans to turn Germania east of the Rhine into a province.
Despite the minimalizing of Hermann’s legend, the battle site today is deemed as important. The Spiegel reports that, according to the site’s chief archaeologist, Susanne Wilbers-Rost,
This is a highly interesting excavation because it's very unusual to find an ancient battlefield. The locations of these sites usually aren't known because they were always plundered. Here we have found out that inconspicuous items can be indications of battle, or of related actions like plundering.
To read more about the battle site, go to: Der Spiegel, Visit the Kalkriese Museum website, Read about Hermann in Wikipedia
To read related articles: Roman artifacts dating back to Augustus found near Giessen, Germany 101: Who was Johannes Gutenberg?
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Comments
Hallo Buffy, this is Anna mailing from Kalkriese: 2000 years Varus battle are mirrored by a great archeological exhibition at three sites, two of them are shown at the museum Kalkriese since may to at least october 2009. But the special event in September (why? There is still no date of the Varus Battle known ...)celebrating Varus Battle, takes place in the U.S., at New Ulm, MN, where the second Hermann's Monument is situated.
To complete the article: Today the Varus Battle, the situation between Romans and German tribesmen and the scientific research at Kalkriese are of course important themes at the schools. And for adults. More than 100 000 people visited the museum sindthe German Chancellor Dr. Merkel opened the exhibition on May 15th, 2009.
Kind regards from Kalkriese
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