The list of Germanic people is extensive and includes the well-known: the Alemanni, Saxons, and Vandals, and the not so well-known: the Bavarii, Heruli, and Raetovari. The various Germanic tribes had a common ethno-linguistic bond and point of origin, Northern Europe. Early Roman accounts listed five distinct groups of Germanic people: the North Germans, the North Sea Germans, the Weser-Rhein Germans, the Elbe Germans, and the East Germans. Germanic settlements were small and leadership was delegated to a chieftain. Villages were linked together through kinship rather than loyalty to distant rulers. A village found success in practicing good agricultural and animal husbandry skills. Plows were used to work the soil and wheeled carts to transport the surplus. Large cattle herds were a badge of honor and provided the people with dairy products, draft animals, and meat.
