"The year 98 AD marks the terminus post quern for this work, which in its forty-six chapters deals with the way of life and customs of the Germans, a people whose tribes live north of the Rhine and Danube rivers. Tacitus likely decides to focus on this people because he believes they possess all the elements that can shape a people who can rival Rome, during a period when Rome is far from its former greatness.
This ethnographic monograph is based on comparisons and contrasts between the customs and habits of the Romans and the Germans, but not in the usual and obvious way of ethnographies. The -otherwise expected- comparisons and contrasts of Tacitus do not have a final winner or loser. They are not created to emphasize the superiority of Rome or Germany. On the contrary, they open a dialogue within Rome about the characteristics and quality of the Germanic tribes and allow the audience to draw their own conclusions.
However, Tacitus manages to open a dialogue with contemporary audiences through Germany, who have every reason to wonder about the historical development of Germany, the path it has taken over time, and the role it played in shaping modern Europe. The question that troubles Tacitus is a contemporary question: what is it that makes the Germans so successful?"