Clarification of Quote by Tacitus [Archive]

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Wargamer

02-19-2003, 04:38

They make a wilderness and call it peace.
---Tacitus c.56 - c.177 AD

Who is They in the above quote? Anybody know? Roman legions maybe? Just curious.... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

Gregoshi

02-19-2003, 04:46

He's referring to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif Tacitus was a man with vision. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Wellington

02-19-2003, 06:32

Gaius Julius

02-19-2003, 06:37

I believe the whole quote goes something like this:
To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace.

Longshanks

02-19-2003, 08:24

Quote[/b] (Wargamer @ Feb. 18 2003,21:38)]They make a wilderness and call it peace.
---Tacitus c.56 - c.177 AD

Who is They in the above quote? Anybody know? Roman legions maybe? Just curious.... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif
He was referring to the Germanic tribes. Apparently according to their custom, the various Germanic nations would have stretches of wasteland between them and the next tribe.

It acted as sort of a buffer, to avoid territorial disputes I suppose.(They fought each other more frequently than they fought the Romans.)

I believe it was also considered a mark of greatness, so the stronger tribes would have vast stretches of wasteland between them and bordering tribes.