Description
Book SynopsisA fresh new look at the Roman Empire, from the point of view of those regarded by the Romans as ''barbarians''. Kershaw builds a narrative around the lives, personalities, successes and failures both of the key opponents of Rome''s rise and dominance, and of the those who ultimately brought the empire down.
''And now what will become of us without barbarians?
Those people were a sort of solution.''
''Waiting for the Barbarians''
C. P. Cavafy
History is written by the victors, and Rome had some very eloquent historians. Those the Romans regarded as barbarians left few records of their own, but they had a tremendous impact on the Roman imagination. Resisting from outside Rome''s borders or rebelling from within, they emerge vividly in Rome''s historical tradition, and left a significant footprint in archaeology.
Rome''s history, as written by the Romans, follows a remarkable trajectory from its origins as a tiny village of refugees from a con
Trade Review
Praise for the author's A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths:
Eminently sane, highly informative, and reasonably priced.
-- Paul Cartledge * BBC History magazine *
Praise for the author's A Brief History of Atlantis:
As his exhaustive survey shows, Atlantis has been adapted to countless ideologies and agendas over time, serving the needs of every sort of reader - "harmless hippies or Heinrich Himmler", in Mr Kershaw's memorable phrase.
-- James Romm * Wall Street Journal *
Praise for the author:
The experts interviewed (a diverse bunch that includes academics, military leaders, civil-rights figures and more) [for TV documentary series Barbarians Rising] are both entertaining and illuminating, framing the barbarian cause, broadly, as a struggle for freedom against an iron-fisted opponent with unparalleled resources.
-- Brian P. Kelly * Wall Street Journal *
