German woman

myminifactory

Thusnelda, a Cherusci noblewoman born around 10 BC, was the daughter of Segestes, a powerful chieftain. Her father had planned for her to marry another, but Arminius had taken her by force and gotten her pregnant. Arminius led a coalition of Germanic tribes that nearly destroyed Rome's Legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, ending any hopes Rome had to conquer Germany. The war between Rome and the northern German tribes continued, and on May 15 AD, Thusnelda was captured by Germanicus, Emperor Tiberius' nephew, who led the invasion of Germany. She was pregnant at the time and being held with her father, a Roman client who hated Arminius. Her father handed her over to Germanicus after he saved him from Arminius' forces that had surrounded him. Her husband grieved deeply over her capture and never remarried. Thumelicus, Thusnelda's only child by Arminius, was born in captivity on May 26 AD 17. In AD 18, Arminius' brother Flavus reported that Thusnelda was being treated well by the Romans. Nothing is known about her after this date. Her son was trained as a gladiator in Ravenna and likely died in the arena around 30 or 31 AD at the age of 14. This sculpture is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit project launched by MyMiniFactory to create a digital archive of fully printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from across the globe for free. Scan The World is an open-source community effort where anyone can contribute interesting items around them by emailing stw@myminifactory.com.