Historical records and, particularly, the accounts of the key events provided by the experts that were present to witness historically significant occurrences, hold particularly strong weight and value for the future generations as the window of opportunity to glance at the past critically. However, the presence of personal biases and the preconceptions that chronicler might have toward the people described in their works affect the current perception of the specified groups by contemporary audiences. The characterization that Tacitus provided for Barbarians is one of the most accurate examples of the specified phenomenon. Namely, by viewing the specified demographic as uncivilized and uncultured, Tacitus created a preconception that would stretch across millennia to imprint upon the present-day understanding of the specified population, its values, significance, and role in the further development of the humankind. Although Tacitus’ work provides rather accurate descriptions of the events that took place at the time, his evident contempt and disdain for Barbarians shaped his writing significantly, allowing of the characterizations that depicted Barbarians as intellectually and culturally inferior.
The manner in which Tacitus reflected on the culture and nature of barbarians in his work has had a tremendous effect on the perception of Barbarians not only by other Romans, who were already rather apprehensive about the idea of the cross-cultural dialogue. Namely, the description that the historian provided has affected people across ages, shaping the perspective of Barbarians as uncivilized and uncultured people.
In fact, the very word “barbarous,” from which the name given to the specified ethnic group derives, was used to denote something that was not merely foreign, but alien. The specified choice of wording indicates that the stance taken by Tacitus toward Barbarians was far from being objective. Moreover, it is quite remarkable that the term “Barbarian” is still being used in a range of contemporary languages to denote something that is uncivilized and unreasonable. The cultural imprint that Tacitus’ work has left, particularly, the present-day evidence of it, proves that cultural stereotypes and prejudices can survive eons to shape people’s understanding of specific indigenous groups and create barriers for mutual understanding and successful communication, not to mention further collaboration.
At the same time, it would be wrong to claim that Tacitus emphasized solely the negative aspects of Barbarians’ culture. For example, the historian paid specific attention to the orderliness and agility that Barbarians showed on the battlefield. For instance, Tacitus mentions multiple times that Barbarians never lost a shield during a fight since the loss of a shield would mean dishonor for them: “The greatest disgrace that can befall them is to have abandoned their shields” (Tacitus). The specified type of dedication and bravery is worth admiration and should be considered an example that others should follow, according to Tacitus. Therefore, the description that Tacitus provided was not entirely biased, yet the information that survived the test of time concerned primarily the supposedly barbaric nature of the specified people.
However, when considering the manner in which Tacitus described Barbarians, one will notice that the main argument, which the author actively put forward, was essentially that Barbarians were distinctively different in their cultural perceptions and values from the Romans. For instance, Tacitus (2013) often mentions the “horrid origin of their barbarous rites” when describing some of the aspects of the Barbarian culture and traditions, specifically, in regard to the rituals that Barbarians followed.
On the one hand, the specified attitude toward the traditions and rites that were entirely alien to the Roman culture were understandably shocking to those observing them, which was why the described attitude toward the culture of Barbarians was quite expected (Tacitus, 2013). On the other hand, the historical account that Tacitus provided was, in its nature, expected to represent a balanced and elaborate perspective that was well though-out and developed by applying an objective lens. However, Tacitus chose to insist on the perceived distance between the culture of Roman and that one of Barbarians, thus, increasing the gap between the two nations and contributing to the development of a prejudiced attitude toward them.
For instance, Tacitus provides the following description of Barbarians: “Their temperament of body is various, whence deductions are formed of their different origin” (Tacitus, 2013). Remarkably, Tacitus’ authority has defined the idea of Barbarians and largely uncivilized, uncultured, and overall inferior people to ta massive extent, causing even modern audiences to view Barbarians as such. Therefore, even though Tacitus’ work should be credited for the effort and the detailed descriptions of the events that transpired during the specified era, the presence of a biased attitude toward Barbarians shows how strongly the perspective of an authoritative source shapes the attitudes of people even thousands of years after the work was produced.
Despite the admittedly accurate account of the events that took place on the specified time slot, the chronicles written by Tacitus contain a significant amount of biases toward Barbarians, which led to their characterization as mostly inferior to Romans. As a result, the described portrayal of Barbarians has affected how they would be perceived afterward, especially when the evidence of their culture and traditions became very scarce. Purporting the message that the culture of Barbarians was mostly alien to that one of Romans due to the lack of the values which Roman held as important, Tacitus effectively shaped the perception of Barbarians as savages, mentioning the “incursions of the barbarous inhabitants” (Tacitus, 2013). The specified attitude is still evident in numerous languages, where the term “barbarian” is paralleled with “savage” and “uncivilized.” Thus, the chronicles crated by Tacitus had a tremendous effect and sent multiple ripples not only in the perception of Roman culture, but also in affecting people’s understanding of Barbarians.
Reference
Tacitus. (2013). The Germany and the Agricola of Tacitus (E. Brooks, Trans.). Project Gutenberg. Web.