Germania Tacitus's Germania is a thoroughly itemized ethnographic text detailing the geography, climate and social structure of Germany and its people. Unlike his Histories and Annales Tacitus doesn't offer a story line to be followed, but instead, he nudges forth an unspoken comparison to be made between two cultures. Each of the Germania's 46 passages deals with a particular area of German civilization among which Tacitus develops a two-tiered theme. The two points he tries to make generally clear are the following: A) The Germans are barbaric, savage and stupid…but… B) The Germans are quaint, noble and have some redeeming qualities that make them a formidable