The first recognition that the inhabitants of Germany, Holland, etc., were a people distinct from their Celtic neighbours dates from about the middle of the 1st century B.C., when Caesar's conquest of Gaul renders a knowledge of northern Europe more generally accessible. Certain notices relating to individual Teu tonic tribes come down from still earlier times. Thus the Cimbri and their allies, who invaded Illyricum, Gaul and Italy in the last years of the preceding century, were for the most part of Teutonic nationality. The Bastarnae also, who in the 3rd century B.C. invaded and settled in the regions between the Carpathians and the Black Sea, are said by ancient writers to have been Teutonic, though they had largely intermarried with the native inhabitants. Again, individual travellers from the time of Pytheas onwards had visited Teutonic countries in the north. The early records, however, do not clearly distinguish the Teutonic peoples from the Celts. From the time of Caesar onwards the former were known to the Romans as "Germani," a name probably of Gaulish origin, first applied to certain Belgic tribes in the basin of the Meuse, who may have come from beyond the Rhine.
At the beginning of our era the Teutonic peoples stretched from the Rhine to the Vistula. Before Caesar's arrival in Gaul they had advanced beyond the Rhine, but in this direction were checked by his campaigns, and, though both banks of the river were occupied by Teutonic tribes throughout the greater part of its course, most of these remained in subjection to the Romans. The eastern-most Teutonic tribe was probably that of the Goths, in the basin of the Vistula, while the farthest south were the Marcomanni and Quadi, in Bohemia and Moravia, districts which had been conquered from the Boii, a Celtic people, shortly be fore the beginning of our era. Towards the south and west the Teutonic peoples had been pressing the Celts for some consider able time, since the Helvetii formerly extended as far as the Main, while another important Celtic tribe, the Volcae Tectosages, had occupied a still more remote position, which it is impossible now to identify. At this time the Teutonic peoples occupied at least a considerable part of the Scandinavian peninsula.
On what the grouping into Inguaeones, Hermiones and Istaeu ones was based, is not certain. Kossinna (see bibliography) dis tinguishes three cultural subdivisions in the civilization of the West Germans in the first century A.D. which more or less correspond to these three groups of peoples. It is probable, however, that these three names have also a religious significance. The name of the Hermiones, who are defined as "central" or "interior" peoples, is probably connected with that of the Irminsul, the sacred pillar of the Old Saxons. The Inguaeones are defined as
being "next to the ocean"; but the name can be traced only in Denmark and Sweden, where we find the eponymous hero Ing and the god Yngvi (Frey) respectively. It is likely that the name belonged only to the peoples of the southern Baltic. There were probably many tribes which did not regard themselves as belonging to any of these groups. Tacitus records a variant form of the genealogy (see above), according to which Mannus • had a larger number of sons, who were regarded as the ancestors of the Suebi, Vandilii, Marsi and others. (See SUEBI, VANDALS.) For a few years at the beginning of the Christian era the part of Germany which lies west of the Elbe was under Roman government; but after the defeat of Varus (A.D. 9) the Rhine and the Danube formed in general the frontiers of the empire. Roman influence was felt both by way of trade and by the employment of German soldiers in the auxiliary forces. In the age of national migrations—from the 4th to the 6th century— the territories of the Teutonic peoples were vastly extended, partly by conquest and partly by arrangement with the Romans. In the east, the Goths ravaged Dacia, Moesia and the coast regions as early as the 3rd century. In the following century the Vandals settled in Pannonia (western Hungary), while the Goths occupied Dacia, which had now been given up by the Romans, and subse quently seized territories to the south of the lower Danube.
The 5th century was the time of the greatest national move ments. In 406-7 the Vandals and other tribes invaded Gaul from the east and subsequently took possession of Spain and north western Africa. Immediately afterwards the Visigoths invaded Italy and captured Rome ; then turning westwards they occupied southern Gaul and Spain. The southern Suebic peoples, the Alamanni and Bavarians, extended their frontiers to the Alps probably about the same time. Not much later a large part of northern Gaul was taken by the Franks, and before the middle of the century the eastern part was occupied by the Burgundians. Several of these movements were due to pressure from the Huns, an eastern people who had' conquered many Teutonic tribes and established the centre of their power in Hungary. Their empire broke up after the death of their king Attila in 453. In the latter part of the century the eastern part of Britain was conquered by the Angli, Italy was invaded by the Ostrogoths and northern Gaul subjugated by the Franks. By this time most of southern and western Europe was under Teutonic government.