The Celts or the Gauls as the Romans called them in a much earlier age, had inhabited the forest lands of the northern Europe as far east as the Elbe. But ultimately when the more war-like peoples-the Germans and the Huns, etc., fought and killed one another and pushed westward to despoil the Roman provinces, the Slavs quietly occupied the vacated lands of the eastern Europe and made it almost solidly Slavic. The prominent among the victims of the Huns were the Slavs who inhabited the lands north of the Pontic steppe, now called Central Russia. And behind their repulsive exterior, enhanced by filthiness of their habits, lay a stark stiff ferocity that daunted their more civilized antagonists.вЂќ The Huns, as described by the chroniclers of the empire вЂњresembled beasts rather than men-with their squat bodies, bow-legs, and ugly faces marked by prominent ears, flat noses, slanting eyes, swarthy skins, and bristling hair. The CasВpian steppe gave these nomads an easy highway into the heart of the European Continent, and in the fourth century the Huns entering into Europe through this route terrorized people dwelling across the Roman frontier. Persia, Syria and even Egypt bear testimony to death and destruction spread by these nomads. The raids were more often than not, merely for loot, and the history of India, China. With the ordinary occupation of a pastoral life, the nomads added those of the profesВsional marauders. They had no need of any political organisation beyond the customary discipline of the tribe enforced by its chief. They would move on horseback with the very minimum of tents, rugs and utensils driving their cattle before. They were nomads and would drive their flocks from place to place for pasturage and shelter. In the Ural-Altaic group belonged peoples like the Scythians, Magyars, Mongols, Turks, Tartars, Avars, Bulgars, Huns etc. Of the above peoples of different language groups the Ural-Altaics and the German Celts desВerve special notice, for, in the fifth century the western empire broke up as a result of the impact of their migrating push.

the lands beyond, the frontiers of the Roman Empire were inhabited by the Moors or Berbers in Africa, the Arabs and the Persians in western Asia, the Ural-Altaic nomads on the Central Asian plateau and the Caspian steppe, and on the north-west by the Germans and the Celts. The barbarians were, therefore, not an unknown people to the Romans or to the empire. Stilicho who was made the patricians and the master of the Roman troops, eventually became the father-in-law of Honorius and the de facto ruler of the west.ДЄlaric, the king or rather the elected Chief of the Visigoths was admitted by Theodosius as a federate, that is, an ally, and was stationed along the Danube. The only difference between the barbarians who lived within the empire as Romans and served in the Roman legions and the barbarians who lived across the borders of the Roman Empire was that the former were paid by the Emperor, were more disВciplined and cultured, while, the latter were more undisciplined, less cultured and ill-paid.ДЄ Vandal soldier named Stilicho rose to high favour under Emperor Theodosius and particularly under his incompetent son Emperor Honorius who succeeded as western emperor in 395 A.D. Acquiring wealth and power, they intermarried with the noblest families of the empire, for German blood was, in particular, no social disgrace. Nobody doubted their ability or their desire to be good Romans. Since military service was a sure way to political preferment, many of the barbarians who began as soldiers ended their careers as high officials of state. The Germans, that is, the barbarians served in huge numbers in the Roman legions and were admitted to all the legal rights of a true Roman. The difference between a Roman and a Latinized barbarian varied in degrees in direct proportion to the Latin cultural absorption by the barbarian. Within the empire a Goth or a Vandal was called so by the Romans for his Gothic or Vandal family origin, but insofar as the Roman law was concerned he was as good a Roman as anybody else. As a matter of fact, the empire in the fourth century was filled with the Latinized barbarians of Gothic and Vandal stock. The so called barbarians-the Goths, Vandals, Franks, etc., were known to the Romans long before their conquest of the West. Although it was customary to dub the Goths, Vandals, Franks, etc., as Barbarians, yet the term was used in no more derisive meaning than what was meant by the Greeks to describe the outlanders. Meaning of Barbarians:ДЄt the very outset it is necessary to understand the meaning of the word Barbarian in relation to the Roman Empire and the, Romans.

In this article we will discuss about the Barbarians and the Roman Empire.

Gaul roman empire visec