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To establish whether Pytheas of Marseilles reached the Germani during his journey of 325 BCE would have only theoretical value. The Germani did not exist in any meaningful way at that time. But their ancestors had probably been living in the area for a thousand years. It can still be asked what the Germani might have had in common with those Bronze Age people. One or more of the ancient myths may have remained, but their language, their culture, and social relationships in general, had changed. The people of southern Sweden and those around the Elbe for example, despite similarities in their language and way of life, had no sense of community with one another. For them, the immediate tribe was the most important focal point. Nevertheless, and contrary to the view of Tacitus, they were not isolated. Many influences came to them by way of the ancient trade routes to the south and east. The growing attraction of the Celtic civilization increasingly inspired the tribes we later designate as Germani to set out in search of a better life. This was the beginning of the great Germanic migrations. They banded together into larger tribes in opposition to the might of Rome. Later, during the Middle Ages, these larger groups developed into the German, the Dutch, the English and the Scandinavian nations.

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