Decapitation of the Union

[John Fazio]

Thanks, John - I still think I'm talking plenty of Latin every day, I don't feel it "not much". Of course not much compared to the Romance languages, but not really that much less than English compared to other languages again. I hope you understand that I found it very confusing to be told I don't know (of) what I'm talking every day!

Kudos to your German skills! And thank you for all your kind words - I'm glad you were treated likewise (kindly) and liked it here!

The Varus battle was a muddy carnage in the Teutoburg Forest:

In 1875, William I dedicated this monument, the Hermannsdenkmal, to the victor:

Eva:

I have seen photos of that monument before. It is impressive. Arminius, of course, like so many others, accomplished his triumph by duplicity, i.e. by feigning friendship with Rome, and, more specifically, Varus. To his discredit, Varus fell for it. My understanding is that when Varus realized that all was lost, he ordered his slave to kill him, which he did.

As for the battle site, two or three years ago I read an article in a historical journal about a historian of the period who believed he had located the site. He explored it carefully and found artifacts which convinced him that in fact he had located the actual site.

John