During the first 400 years after the birth of Christ, a people called Germans migrated from northern Europe toward the Roman Empire. Many Germans moved into the Danube River valley and adopted some Roman ways while keeping much of their own culture. Chapter 17 focuses on the Germans.

Section 1 describes what life was like in German villages where people lived in clans, or groups based on family ties.

Section 2 explores the role the Goths and the Vandals played in the decline of the Roman Empire and what replaced the Roman Empire in the West.