Map of Germany During Roman Era

The Romans referred to the regions eas of the Rhine as far as modern Poland, Ukraine and Russia as "Germania". Germania was inhabited by different tribes, the vast majority Germanic but also including some Celtic, Baltic, Scythian and proto-Slavic. The tribal and ethnic makeup changed over the centuries as a result of assimilation and, most importantly, migrations. The Germanic people spoke several different dialects. The Romans were never able to ssubdue Germania and as a result the Roman frontier was settled and fortified along the west bank of the Rhine. The Romans were able to hold the Rhine frontier for centuries, until waves of Germanic and other barbarian tribes overwhelmed the Romans in the late 4th and 5th centuries. The Germanic invaders then moved through Gaul, Spain and Italy.