Main house The Roman main house served the local governor as a residence and also housed the large bureaucratic administrative apparatus. The barbarians logically had no use for either of these and turned these often pompous buildings after possession had changed hands quickly into the classical main houses of their own respective cultureum. Many important documents, contracts, goods lists, taxation notes and meeting protocols therefore fell victim to the flames - an irreplaceable loss for civilization at that time. On the other hand ... Residential house The Romans valued their families highly. Not surprisingly, Roman residential houses had all conceivable conveniences their owners could afford. It seems therefore reasonable to assume that the barbarians had their eye above all on their adversaries' dwellings. However, having no particular desire for interior furnishing or cultivated living, they preferred to dedicate their attention to the Romans' main and storage houses instead. Farm Roman agriculture is characterized by a high level of specialized knowledge and intensive farming on fertilized soil. The less cultured barbarian nations unfortunately did not appreciate these benefits: after Roman farms were plundered the carefully tendered lands were either not cultivated at all or only to a limited .   Slaughter house The Roman cuisine was characterized by variety and refinementgeprägt. The quality and amount of dishes were beyond compare and were celebrated in the exquisitely equipped eating houses of the time. The common barbarian however had little use for candied pheasant tongues and truffles rolled in mint sauce. The eating houses still however could be used as slaughter houses.   Carpenter's workshop Woodworking was carried out as a professional trade by the Romans in excellently equipped workshops. At last here was an area where the barbarians showed themselves willing to take over the more efficient woodworking methods and better tools of their imperial counterparts - Roman carpenter's workshops were seldom burnt to the ground despite their increased fire risk and were usually continued by their new owners as they had been run previously. Mine Working in Roman mines was difficult and dangerous. This work was therefore left to slaves. When the barbarians were able to take such a mine into their possession, they saw little reason to change this tried-and-tested and profitable strategy. The slaves were however then allowed to call themselves “Free”. Stables As the Roman cavalry became more and more important at the time of mass migration, horse breeding also became more important in the Roman empire. The barbarians also recognized the importance of these efforts - taking over a Roman stud farm was considered a great success, as the tribe could thus be supplied with quality horses in the long term. Armory Weapons manufacture was carried out by the Romans at an almost industrial scale according to predetermined standards and with high quality requirements. This was a completely new world for the barbarians: the village ironmonger was responsible for the quality of the weapons here - and no-one dared to contradict him. And with regard to “predetermined standards”, this was received with complete incomprehension by the new masters. The uniform sameness of the Roman legionnaires had always been a source of much amusement to them. Goldsmiths The coinage system of the Roman empire was proof of its high level of development and formed the basis for the economic strength of the empire. The barbarian nations weren't too enamored with money, although many a chieftain would have been happy at the idea of seeing his portrait minted on a gold coin. Despite this, most Roman minting houses were converted back to simple goldsmiths after they had been conquered. Warehouse The Roman storehouses and warehouses were the centers of international trade. Goods were from all provinces of the empire were stored here: corn from Africa, wine from Italy, cheese from Greece, pheasants tongues from Spain - the list could be continued forever. The barbarians loved the Roman warehouses and never missed a chance of paying them a visit when they were in the area. Wall with gate As the Romans began to recognize that they were being increasingly threatened everywhere in Europe, they began to surround their most important settlements with thick walls. The mighty bulwarks served their purpose and were a constant source of frustration for many a barbarian tribe, as the Roman enemy often hid behind these walls and just would not be coaxed out.   The Roman encampment The might of the Roman Empire was maintained by the best army of that time. The legionnaires of Rome were superior to wild warring hordes of the barbarian nations technically and militarily even if not so in numbers. The Roman encampment is a good example of this superiority: It could be built or dismantled with the space of a single day and was easily transportable. Thus the Roman legionnaires repeatedly succeeded in setting up an armored base slap in the middle of enemy territory, which served both as an operational base for military actions and also an armored defense system in case of a counterattack.   Main tent The main tent of the Roman encampment served the commanding officer as his dwelling. The rations for the troops and the payment funds were also stored there. The main tent of this type of encampment was thus one the favorite targets for enemy raids. For some barbarian tribes there was furthermore fierce competition who could first get hold of the scorned symbol on the roof of the main tent or at least could knock it down with a careful aim of an arrow. In some parts of Europe, this custom has been retained until the present day. Residential tent The dwelling of the simple soldiers were really no more than just a simple rainproof tarpaulin stretched over a simple wooden frame. These tents were however much favored by the barbarians and were used as genuine living quarters, inasmuch as one had access to one. Field smithy The little smithy that belongs in every encampment was just used for maintenance of and repairs to military equipment. New weapons were only produced here in exceptional cases as the raw materials necessary for this would previously have to be produced with great difficulty. Storage tent If a Roman military unit will be spending a longer amount of time in enemy territory, further storage tents are set up in the encampment that can be used for the additional material that would be needed for a longer stay. As the storage tent is also decorated with a Roman eagle, raids on such an extended Roman encampment were known as the term “Shooting festival”. Palisade with gate A stable wooden palisade surrounded each Roman camp. The sight of this wooden barrier was often enough to convince the less courageous people amongst the barbarian pillaging hordes that an attack on such a well-armored place would have very little chance of success.