Barbarians by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira

Pros

• Easily accessible.
• Important intentions.
• Not a cheap TV tie in.

Cons

• Over-argument leading to distorted view.
• Too many modern politics.

Description

• Published by BBC Books.
• 288 pages and 24 gloss pages of pictures. Limited bibliography.
• ISBN: 0563493186

Guide Review - Barbarians by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira

Produced to accompany a tv series of the same name, Barbarians has a clear aim: centuries of pro-roman and anti-'pagan' bias have presented a wholly misleading view of the so-called Barbarians which Rome fought, and a corrective is needed, and as the Romans considered everyone who wasn't Roman a barbarian, there are a lot of misrepresented people for the book to cover. Dacians, Greeks, Persians, Celts, Goths, Germans, Sassanians, Vandals and Huns, all are mentioned, albeit often in summary or in part.

Much of the book follows the same pattern: the barbarian group in question are named, the high points of their culture and politics summarised, their destruction by Rome chronicled and the Romans criticised for it. Unfortunately, the authors often push their arguments beyond both what's plausible and what's effective.

If you've read any scholarship from the last decade you'll find the book misleading, but if all you've ever been taught about the 'barbarians' is how they destroyed Rome then this book won't provide you with an accurate view, but it will provide the barbarian's side of the argument in a fun and easily readable way. For all its faults, this book is the best chance we have of interesting people who’d previously steered well clear of the 'barbarians'.

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