First Contact: The Germans

For obvious reasons—primarily the abundance of English-language sources—the bulk of our First Contact series has focused on European accounts of "New World" civilizations. Today's entry breaks that trend, however, by harkening back to a more intramural culture clash: that between the Romans and the Germans, during the waning years of the Roman Republic.

The eyewitness here is none other than Julius Caesar, who's accomplishments as a writer are usually overshadowed by his military and...