Unspoken Comparison in Tacitus's GermaniaTacitus's Germania is a carefully detailed ethnographic text detailing the geography, climate, and social structure of Germany and its people. Unlike his Histories and Annales, Tacitus does not offer a plot to follow, but, instead, suggests an unspoken comparison to be made between two cultures. Each of the 46 passages of Germania deals with a particular area of ​​German civilization between which Tacitus develops a two-level theme. The two points he tries to make in general are as follows: A) Germans are barbaric, savage, and stupid... but... B) Germans are quaint, noble, and have some redeeming qualities that make them a formidable enemy worthy to fight. However, these two points do not manifest themselves during Germany's first pass on the physical position. Tacitus lets us know right from the start where Germany is positioned in terms of bordering territories and informs us, among many other geographical details, that the Rhine and Danube rivers separate Germany from the Gauls, Rhaetians and Pannonians. The name "Germania" according to Tacitus originates from the name of a tribe that expelled the Gauls from what would later become German territory. Since those times, the name "Germany" was believed to inspire terror when heard. Tacitus mentions that within sections of their mythological and religious structure, Hercules and Odysseus exert significant influence and this contributes to his theory (along with their distinctive aspects) that the Germans developed their own particular..... . medium of paper ......object of divination. For the Germans the horse is the most trusted kind of augury and at public expense they keep white horses in the sacred groves for the taking of auspices which is conducted by noting the various snorts and whinnies of the horse. Tacitus states that business was not conducted without being armed and for younger men, at a certain age they would be awarded a sword and shield which he describes as an apparent equivalent to the Roman toga of manhood. To be surrounded by a large group of elite armed youth was a prestigious and honorable thing, or as Tacitus would say, "an ornament in peace and a defense in war." The Germans according to Tacitus found their nobility through war and felt it was better to receive from blood and wounds than to receive from hard work and sweat cultivating a field.