This article tells two stories; one about the actual battle and it’s archaeology and one on its impact centuries later (”But the war cries and clang of swords also echoed through the ages in other ways: as a creation myth – glorious and catastrophic at once — that later forged the German nation. […] The cult around Hermann the German peaked in 1875, when a gigantic monument of him was completed near the town of Detmold. This copper hero holds aloft a sword seven meters long and faces France, Germany’s old foe, beaten four years earlier in a war that had finally ushered in German unification”)
The title, I think, only refers to the latter.
Re:The Battle That Created Germany
by vanderZwan on Thursday October 26, 2017 @08:05PM
(#15564414)
The battle matters a lot in terms of it being a useful myth for propaganda during the forming of the German nation state after its unification.
I had to learn about it in art school. Specifically, about a German artist who criticised how eagerly post-war Germany was to forget it altogether, pretending the monuments raised for it and the operas written about it didn't exist. As if pretending it never happened is somehow better than remembering that what happened was wrong.
Sure, but my point was that it did not matter so much for Rome and Roman cultural influence.
[dead]
similar to Afghanistan today. Tribal, violent culture, high breeding rates and no bounty to be conquered.
That doesn't sound like a very informed comparison at all.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/07/afghanistan-in-the...
the only thing worse than a comment disagreeing without saying why is a downvote without saying what it disagrees with
If you check where Roman culture really made a large impacts its mostly in Mediterranean climates and cultures.
The less excess-able inland areas in many places have much lesser cultural impact, think of Northern Britain for example.
Just in terms of impact these areas actually had lots of trade with the Romans and the people living on both sides of this 'line' were very similar.