Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Around 15,000 to 20,000 Roman soldiers must have died. Varus and many of his officers are said to have taken their own lives by falling on their swords in the approved manner. Tacitus wrote that many officers were sacrificed by the Germans as part of their indigenous religious ceremonies. They were cooked in pots with their bones used for rituals. However, others were ransomed, and some of the common soldiers were enslaved.