back then "Aryans" were running in the woods committing human sacrifice to appease their impotent deities
It's amazing how the Romans' propaganda is still alive after 2-3000 years. No, the Celts and Germans were not bloodthirsty savages who ran around the woods killing people. They developed sophisticated cultures based on river trade dating at least as far back as the foundation of Rome.
Incidentally the Aryans (aka Persians) were Zoroastroans at that point in history, a religion which laid many of the building blocks for Judaism and Christianity.
[–] notallvegans ago (edited ago)
First off, I need to say that I know I’ve let a lot of you down (if not all). I know I’ve not met your expectations of an admin or a leader. I have no excuses as even I feel this way about myself. I won’t make attempts for empathy, I will only acknowledge the truth, and it is such.
[–] Broc_Lia ago
I'm pretty sure Caesar did invent the wicker man, just as Polybius invented the Hispanic celts raping their guests. Roman authors like them weren't just recording history, they were engaged in a desperate propaganda war. In the case of Caesar his neck was on the line.
I won't deny that human sacrifice occurred (or at the very least executions did), but your description of European culture prior to Christianity was suggesting that they were backwards savages. This isn't the case. Material finds associated with their sites would not be possible without a stable and prosperous civilisation.
The viking period is post-christian, almost modern history. If we're talking prechristian europe then I was referring more to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_TZ5ZwR08Q
It's in French but you can set the subtitles to autotranslate. It covers how Halstatt culture celts dominated trade throughout central europe by use of river routes.