Teutons

The Teutons (Latin: Teutones, Teutoni; Ancient Greek: Τεύτονες) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with the Roman Republic in the late 2nd century BC. Some generations later, Julius Caesar compared them to the Germanic peoples of his own time, and used this term for all northern peoples living east of the Rhine. Later Roman authors followed his identification. However, there is no direct evidence as to whether they spoke a Germanic language. Evidence such as the tribal name, and the names of their rulers, as they were mentioned by Roman historians, indicates a strong Celtic influence. On the other hand, the indications that classical authors gave about the homeland of the Teutones is considered by many scholars to show that they lived in an area associated with early Germanic languages, and not in an area associated with Celtic languages.