On the Use of Ancient Literature about Barbarians
Image from art by Angus McBride.
āWhen a Scythian overthrows his first enemy, he drinks his bloodā¦ He skins [the head] in the following manner. Having made a circular incision round the ears and taking hold of the skin, he shakes it from the skullā¦ [Each] man hangs it on the bridle of the horse which he rides,ā - Herodotus, from āHistoryā
The apparent savagery of barbarians is nothing unknown. Aside from being mysterious, itās the most pervasive theme among all Greco-Roman works regarding them. It makes one wonder how truly inhumane and grotesque the customs of the barbarians really were. And this question brings to mind another, more general inquiry: how useful are the Greco-Roman authors when it comes to understanding theĀ āuncivilizedā peoples beyond their borders?Ā
To paint barbarians as the savage ones legitimizes the success of Greco-Roman culture in producing an enlightened society. This is nothing new, nor are Greco-Roman authors the only ones guilty of this. The Greco-Romans had no equivalent custom for the headhunting of Celts, or the mutilation of infants by the Huns, and thus by painting a bloody picture of outside societies, they give the impression that Greco-Romans werenāt barbaric (i.e. violent) at all. This is (if we are to judge based off of our current standards of barbarism) patently untrue. Greeks and Romans both had their fair share of barbaric customs. For example, Romans made a public ceremony of murdering slaves and animals (the more theatrical and brutal, the better), and the death toll of the games likely outweighed pretty much any other barbaric institution in the ancient world. The less-centralized barbarians beyond the border couldnāt possibly hope to even come to close to concocting such an effective killing machine.Ā
Other common themes in Roman writing of the barbarians include constant drunkenness and irrationality. Roman society was supposed to be a Stoic one, which aimed to have a constant grasp on oneās emotions and excess, and thus to frame Germanics or the Huns as hotheaded, brawling drunks is to give themselves a pat on the back for not being the same way. Accounts of barbarians often had an agenda behind it. Even descriptions of the Celts or Germanics as tall or gigantic hulks can be construed as a way for the Romans to feel more impressive for defeating them.Ā
So, then, what point is there in quoting them? Why should we read the accounts and opinions of people with obvious biases and outlandish exaggerations? For starters, just because there are common motifs in the ways Greco-Romans treated descriptions of outside people doesnāt mean every one of their claims should be discarded. Ammianus Marcellinus writes, after supposing that the Huns are barely human,Ā āNone of them plow, or even touch a plow handle, for they have no settled abode, but are homeless and lawless, perpetually wandering with their wagons, which they make their homes; in fact, they seem to be people always in flightā¦.ā This observation is impossible to dismiss. The Huns were indeed a nomadic steppe people, and a part of being a nomadic society means that settled agriculture is impossible. The Huns, like other nomad cultures, followed their herds and relied on trade with neighboring agriculturalists to sustain them. The āhomelessnessā of the Huns began to change in the 5th century, but in the time of Ammianusā authoring, this was the case. And even in a claim as dastardly as Herodotusā (of the Scythiansā scalping enemies), the possibility cannot be ignored given the frequency of headhunting and scalping across world cultures.
The most important use of accounts from theĀ ācivilizedā about theĀ āuncivilizedā is this: they are a means through which to understand Greco-Roman values, opinions, and perspective. Marcus Borealis, and other Roman authors, make note of the ferocity and apparent masculinity of Celtic women because, by comparison, Greco-Roman women were devoted to primarily domestic tasks. They were at-awe with the notion of women taking up arms to defend their villages, much less even having a physical role at all. Had the Sarmatians somehow been the ones writing about everyone else, they might not have remarked so often about theseĀ āteeth-gnashingā Celtic women, for Sarmatian women had a similar role.Ā
All this being considered, there are a few rules of thumb to follow whenever you see Greco-Roman accounts on the barbarians:Ā
Know the author. This is huge. Like authors today, some are more valid and even-handed than others. Tacitus and Priscus come to mind, and personally I would consider their opinions more readily than someone like Ammianus Marcellinus. Some authors gathered information firsthand (like Priscus or Herodotus) while others had it given to them (like Julius Caesar).Ā
Understand the trends. Be aware of popular motifs across Greco-Roman writing (e.g. alcohol abuse as a symbol of an inferior culture) and take those with a grain of salt.Ā
Know the time period. Firstly, something written by a contemporary is possibly more authentic than something written 100 years after the fact. Itās also important to know the context for the piece when it comes to understanding why they may have said what they said, and how the events of the era might have skewed what observers saw in barbarian societies.Ā
Compare with research. If you really want to know about barbarians, Greco-Roman authors are a good jumping-off point, but then use their claims to inspire you to research them yourself. Proof makes accurate quotes even more awesome.Ā
I reblog and post quite a few quotations from Greco-Roman authors on barbarians. Every time I do, I keep these things in mind, but donāt fear: you can still enjoy them! Even if I know thereās no way to prove it, imagining the Scythians throwing the severed arms of their sacrifice victims up in the air like a graduation party before galloping away (quote Herodotus) is still awesome. When I read someone like Priscus, coming from a wildly different society than the subjects of their writings, I connect with the awe and bewilderment they had towards the barbarians.Ā
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