![]() ![]() ![]() "The historical facts disprove that but every nation wants to pinpoint its roots and will passionately grasp any opportunity to do so."įrom the 16th century, nationalists seized on Arminius, or Hermann as he became known, as a symbol of unity and freedom from such perceived enemies as the Pope, the French or the Jews. "This was the big bang that created Germany, according to the myth," Tillmann Bendikowski, a historian and author of a book on the battle, said. Arminius, the story goes, drove the Romans out of Germania and united the nation. ![]() Some 10,000 to 12,000 of Rome's finest legionnaires were slaughtered in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, which created a national myth that filled German hearts with patriotic fervour right up to the 20th century. KALKRIESE, GERMANY // Germany is marking the 2000th anniversary next month of a battle hailed as the birth of the nation - the bloody defeat of three Roman legions by Germanic warriors under Arminius, a young chieftain, in 9AD. ![]()
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