Marcomanni Discussion

Dedicated for all DNA, Analysis Results, History, Research topics related to: Marcomanni

The Marcomanni were a powerful and warlike Germanic tribe who had settled in the upper Danube region near modern day Czech and Austria. They first appear in Roman records as fighting against Julius Caesar in Gaul. In 166 AD, Emperor Marcus Aurelius prepared for the arrival of the Marcomanni who had been expelled from their homelands by the Goths. The Marcomanni and their allies crossed the Danube and utterly destroyed the Roman army - 20,000 legionaries were killed in the attack. The emperor in desperation even sacrificed two lions to the Danube to no avail. It took five years before the Marcomanni could be driven back. A victory column stands today in Piazza Colonna in Rome reminding us of these events.A group of Marcomanni is believed to have migrated with the Vandals and Alans to northern Iberia.