Quote Originally Posted by Recoil View Post
I don't get why Romans didn't use soap themselves though, surely they wanted to live the high life, and that normally comes along with smelling good. Also, why is it that all Roman descriptions of barbarians seem to include the idea that they all had an awful stench and never washed, even though it was in reverse?
1.) "Civilized" people who didn't had any contact with Barbarians (others than slaves) expected them to stink like cattle. That's why people who actualy had contact with them reported that they do so to impress their audience.

2.) For most of the times Romans encountered Germans as soldiers only; and soldiers on campaign usually do have an awful stench in all armies and all times. Everyone who as at the army can confirm it that even after a two or three days field excerise where you can't change clothes or wash properly (leave alone a shower) the smell of your clothes becomes so awfull that trying to keep your body clean with a handfull of water becomes somewhat pointless. Pre-industrial armies on campaign often couldn't change clothes for months; one can easly guess how these must have smelled.