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Contrary to the picture painted by several Roman writers - who described them as almost superhuman warriors, if only to make their victories over them look more heroic - most Germanic peoples lived as farmers and cattle breeders. Since Germany at the time was mostly covered by dense forests, many of them lived in small communities in places where they had cleared the forest to make room for huts and fields for crops and cattle. Some Germanic tribes who lived close to sources of copper and iron would live from mining and selling it.

Germanic tribes living closer to the border with the Roman Empire quickly discovered that a good living might be made - including chances of promotion and who knows, even Roman citizenship - by joining the Roman Army. Rome was especially keen to enlist them as cavalry soldiers. Over time, tens of thousands of Germanic tribesmen became Roman soldiers and in the final period of the Roman Empire even made up the majority of the Roman border regiments in the area.

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9y ago

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