Tacitus, a historian living during time of the 5 Good Emperors possesses a balanced view on the Germanic people, however in the 4th Century, as a historian, Marcellinus views them as savage barbarians, finally in the 5th Century, Priscus, a diplomatic envoy, views the Germanic people as civilized. Although he was “delighted by gifts from neighboring tribes”, Tacitus also thought them to be barbarians after he experiences that “they wear skins of wild beasts.” Considering the peaceful and flourishing time period that Tacitus lives in, he lacks any natural reasons to fear the Germanic people, eventually he comes to the conclusion that these “barbarians” are quite civilized. Around the 4th century when the Huns actively attack the Western Roman Empire, the historian Marcellinus states that the Huns along with the Germanic tribes have “no home or law or settled manner” and he views them to be “quite abnormally savage.” The rather un-forgiving vibe Marcellinus puts off is due to the stressful, desperate, and instable time period that he writes in, ultimately viewing them as ruthless barbarians. …show more content…
Regarding accuracy of the authors, Priscus and Tacitus are the most accurate considering the state and time period that Marcellinus lives in, as they give mostly positive details about the Germanic