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The Enemies of Rome: The Barbarian Rebellion Against the Roman Empire
Bottom of the pile
20
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
23/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Stephen P. Kershaw
Publisher:
Pegasus Books
Date:
January 7, 2020
A new, narrative history of the Roman Empire from the point of view of the "barbarian" enemies of Rome.
What The Reviewers Say
Kershaw draws liberally on the original sources, including Plutarch, Livy, Tacitus, and other historians, with occasional references to modern research. Given the enormous swath of history the book covers, it almost inevitably lacks a certain cohesiveness as the narrative moves from one threatened frontier to another, often skipping several generations. Readers will find themselves referring frequently to the maps. Though this isn’t the first Roman history one should read, it adds a fascinating dimension for anyone with a broad knowledge of the subject.
Kershaw’s big, generous history is much more a Vercingetorix book than a Germanicus one. In a series of densely researched chapters, Kershaw acquaints readers with a gallery of the enemies of Rome, and it’s a testament to the charismatic nature of the underdog that most readers will recognize far more of those alien names than they would the names of the Roman generals who faced them in battle ...Kershaw’s easy command of the classical sources makes the battles and stalemates gripping reading, but most of the Romans come across as mere avatars of a greedily expanding empire.
.a fascinating project that offers some interesting insights into the accepted descriptions and interpretations of Rome’s reign as the pre-eminent ancient power of the Mediterranean basin.
