Why do historians wax poetic about Greeks and Romans but not Germans and Celts?

[Richmondbread]

What is so special about them? Ancient Greeks were primarily degenerates who practiced sodomy and had no respect for morality and worshiped false idols. Why should we think they are the pinnacle of Western Civilization?

[sean]

Why do historians wax poetic about Greeks and Romans but not Germans and Celts? What is so special about them? Ancient Greeks were primarily degenerates who practiced sodomy and had no respect for morality and worshiped false idols. Why should we think they are the pinnacle of Western Civilization?

Well, history is written by the victors, and the victors are often large, arrogant empires not particularly inclined to look favourably on other cultures. From Rome to China, humanity has long tried to vilify and degrade people who were in some way different (Germanics/Celts/Huns).

Ancient Rome and Greece are often cited as the birthplace of Western culture and the cradle of amazing thinkers and artists to whom we all aspire. Because of this, the less admirable qualities of these ancient civilisations have been mostly forgotten in favour of the beautiful but romanticised view of those countries and governments, Hollywood for instance tends to focus more on the Parthenon and the Roman Senate, however, everyday life was less glamorous than the few shining moments that made their way into history.

[Daco Celtic]

It's pretty simple. Greeks and Romans were literate with a written history to pass down, so they dictated history for their time. Tacitus or Caesar for example.

[Creoda]

What is so special about them? Ancient Greeks were primarily degenerates who practiced sodomy and had no respect for morality and worshiped false idols. Why should we think they are the pinnacle of Western Civilization?

You've answered your own question. Many gays and liberals in academia have sought to portray the Ancient Greco-Roman world as some kind of homosexual and secular golden age, in contrast to Christian Medieval Dark Ages and all its' mores, that we supposedly live in the shadow of.

[Dard]

Because unlike Romans and Greeks, Germans were mostly barbarian tribes to the North, who barely contributed to civilisation in till recently.

[TheEntryGate]

Because unlike Romans and Greeks, Germans were mostly barbarian tribes to the North, who barely contributed to civilisation in till recently.

This is quite true. Germans made the same contributions to society the same time massive migration become a phenomena in Europe and slavery was more common not that slavery was a good thing. Whenever I try to actually search for ancient European societies usually nothing shows up. If I try to search for ancient Asian or African societies I usually get more results.

[Richmondbread]

[Dard]

I watched the video and he still has yet to explain how barbarian tribes to the North had a civilisation.

[Richmondbread]

I watched the video and he still has yet to explain how barbarian tribes to the North had a civilisation.

What you can call a civilization is the written language with customs and culture.

[InfamousAngel99]

It's easy to praise something when the information about it has been well-preserved. The culture and customs of the Greeks and Romans are well-recorded, and nobody was successful in wiping out their records. These two factors have resulted in a large amount of information about both cultures being readily available to people who wish to learn more about them.
I will say that one reason why information on the various Celtic tribes is limited is because the Roman Empire wiped out a large portion of their civilizations, resulting in a loss of cultural artifacts. It's hard to form an appropriate, educated opinion on something when there is not a lot of info available.

As to your other remarks:
1. Not everyone obsesses over what ancient people did in the bedroom with one another, so I don't think most historians would take that into consideration when they praise ancient civilizations.
2. I'm assuming you're referring to mythological gods when you say "false idols." You do know that the Celts and Germanics worshiped mythological gods too, right? So if you think it's bad that the Romans and Greeks worshipped mythological gods, you must think it's bad that other civilizations worshipped mythological gods as well?

You don't have to be a huge fan of Roman or Greek culture, but there is no denying that both civilizations DID play a major role in European history. It only makes sense that some historians would find it suitable to talk highly about them.