![]() ![]() This is an inventive analysis of, and warning against, an irresistible human yearning to find written proof of one's ideology. Enthusiastic German readers, culminating in the Nazis, ignored Tacitus's disparaging comments, misread passages to confirm their prejudices, and proclaimed that the ancient historian confirmed their national superiority. Rather, using books and travelers' reports, he wrote for a Roman audience who shared his romantic view of northern barbarians. Krebs, a professor of classics at Harvard University, traces the wide-ranging influence of the Germania, revealing how an ancient text rose to take its place among the most dangerous books in the. In this elegant and captivating history, Christopher B. In fact, Tacitus probably never visited Germany, Krebs notes. But the Germania inspiredand polarizedreaders long before the rise of the Third Reich. The rediscovered book launched a primitivist myth that captivated admirers over the next 500 years, from Martin Luther to Heinrich Himmler, who loved its portrayal of ancient Germans as freedom-loving warriors, uncultured but honorable, in contrast to decadent Romans. ![]() by the Roman official Tacitus, About the Origin and Mores of the Germanic Peoples was lost for centuries but resurfaced around 1500 as Germans were growing resentful of foreign domination-in this case from the Catholic Church in Rome. Krebs, a professor of classics at Harvard University, traces the wide-ranging influence of the Germania over a five-hundred-year span. Harvard classics professor Krebs writes a scholarly but lucid account of the abuse of history. In this elegant and captivating history, Christopher B. ![]()
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