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Romans and Barbarians: Four Views from the Empire's Edge
A chronicle of the first century AD Roman Empire focuses on the border disputes between Rome and the barbarians, two cultures at odds with each other as the Empire began to crumble and the barbarian tribes began to be civilized
237 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 19, 2022
A 1998 book that examines the relationship between the Roman Empire and the barbarian peoples beyond its European frontiers, choosing 4 examples to illustrate the wider issue.
The first chapter focuses on the poet Ovid, who in 8 A.D. was exiled to the frontier town of Tomis, the present-day Romanian city of Constanţa. The lands beyond the nearby Danube were inhabited by the nomadic Sarmatians, who raided across the river in wintertime. Woe betide any local peasant who by that time had not got themselves within the protective walls of Tomis. Ovid himself, who openly described himself as the most unmilitary of men, had to take up sword and shield and take his turn patrolling the walls. This chapter includes translated excerpts of a number of Ovid’s poems written in Tomis, giving us a fascinating portrait of frontier life.
At about the same time as Ovid was exiled, the Romans suffered a catastrophic military defeat in western Germany. It seems to have led Augustus and his successors to largely give up on ideas of further conquest within Europe (with two exceptions described in subsequent chapters), and to settle on the Rhine/Danube frontier. The author discusses what this decision meant for the Empire in the long run, as well as why the Romans were able to conquer Gaul but not Germania. He argues that, at this point in history, Celtic society was far more economically developed than Germanic society. Celtic aristocrats ruled from large, fortified towns the Romans called oppida (oppidum in the singular). Mostly these were of earthen and timber construction but in southern Gaul they already had paved streets and stone walls. As the author says, “There is no knowing how far this swiftly advancing civilisation might have gone had not Rome’s shadow fallen across its formative years.” By contrast, archaeology suggests the Germanic peoples lived in tiny forest villages, the largest of which contained perhaps 30 families. Their societies were egalitarian, and leadership was flexible. It was precisely the fact that the Celtic rulers lived in towns that made them easier to control, and their leaders’ sense of honour led them to engage the Romans in pitched battles, which they almost always lost. The Germans could simply melt away into the forest, waiting for opportunities to strike when the terrain left the Romans vulnerable.
Chapter 3 looks at the Roman conquest of (most of) Britain. The author argues this was a vanity project for the Romans, and that the Channel would have been a far more logical frontier. Britain’s elongated north-south orientation meant the Romans had to decide whether to stop the conquest at a certain point or to commit ever more resources to subdue the whole island. During the period of the Roman occupation, a large part of the Roman Army was deployed to the island, far more than was merited by its value to the Roman Empire.
In the end the conquest of Britain was not completed because resources were diverted to the Empire’s last great conquest, that of Dacia in the early 2nd century A.D. We’re back in modern-day Romania, where the Dacians were an offshoot of the Sarmatians. The author describes them as the most developed European kingdom outside of the Empire, a society with a literate aristocracy and priesthood and an economy based on the mining of precious metals from the Carpathians. The conquest led to such an influx of settlers than even today the country has a language descended from Latin (not to mention of course, the very name of the country). Much of this chapter discusses the depiction of the conquest on Trajan’s Column in Rome, and the author makes the intriguing suggestion that the carvings may have been based on the sketches of war artists who accompanied the Roman Army.
I really enjoyed reading this one. The author writes in a very clear style and the book gave me lots of new insights into Iron Age societies in Europe.
The first chapter focuses on the poet Ovid, who in 8 A.D. was exiled to the frontier town of Tomis, the present-day Romanian city of Constanţa. The lands beyond the nearby Danube were inhabited by the nomadic Sarmatians, who raided across the river in wintertime. Woe betide any local peasant who by that time had not got themselves within the protective walls of Tomis. Ovid himself, who openly described himself as the most unmilitary of men, had to take up sword and shield and take his turn patrolling the walls. This chapter includes translated excerpts of a number of Ovid’s poems written in Tomis, giving us a fascinating portrait of frontier life.
At about the same time as Ovid was exiled, the Romans suffered a catastrophic military defeat in western Germany. It seems to have led Augustus and his successors to largely give up on ideas of further conquest within Europe (with two exceptions described in subsequent chapters), and to settle on the Rhine/Danube frontier. The author discusses what this decision meant for the Empire in the long run, as well as why the Romans were able to conquer Gaul but not Germania. He argues that, at this point in history, Celtic society was far more economically developed than Germanic society. Celtic aristocrats ruled from large, fortified towns the Romans called oppida (oppidum in the singular). Mostly these were of earthen and timber construction but in southern Gaul they already had paved streets and stone walls. As the author says, “There is no knowing how far this swiftly advancing civilisation might have gone had not Rome’s shadow fallen across its formative years.” By contrast, archaeology suggests the Germanic peoples lived in tiny forest villages, the largest of which contained perhaps 30 families. Their societies were egalitarian, and leadership was flexible. It was precisely the fact that the Celtic rulers lived in towns that made them easier to control, and their leaders’ sense of honour led them to engage the Romans in pitched battles, which they almost always lost. The Germans could simply melt away into the forest, waiting for opportunities to strike when the terrain left the Romans vulnerable.
Chapter 3 looks at the Roman conquest of (most of) Britain. The author argues this was a vanity project for the Romans, and that the Channel would have been a far more logical frontier. Britain’s elongated north-south orientation meant the Romans had to decide whether to stop the conquest at a certain point or to commit ever more resources to subdue the whole island. During the period of the Roman occupation, a large part of the Roman Army was deployed to the island, far more than was merited by its value to the Roman Empire.
In the end the conquest of Britain was not completed because resources were diverted to the Empire’s last great conquest, that of Dacia in the early 2nd century A.D. We’re back in modern-day Romania, where the Dacians were an offshoot of the Sarmatians. The author describes them as the most developed European kingdom outside of the Empire, a society with a literate aristocracy and priesthood and an economy based on the mining of precious metals from the Carpathians. The conquest led to such an influx of settlers than even today the country has a language descended from Latin (not to mention of course, the very name of the country). Much of this chapter discusses the depiction of the conquest on Trajan’s Column in Rome, and the author makes the intriguing suggestion that the carvings may have been based on the sketches of war artists who accompanied the Roman Army.
I really enjoyed reading this one. The author writes in a very clear style and the book gave me lots of new insights into Iron Age societies in Europe.
July 12, 2020
I found this book to be surprisingly good, very easy to read and very enjoyable. The author offers four different views of life on the outer edges of the Roman Empire, from a Poet, a Lawyer, a Soldier and an Artist. The story flows along nicely with interesting views on the 'barbarians' encountered by Rome.
I'm not an expert on this subject but I found the book held my interest and the author did not lose me in any of his explanations or descriptions of this period. This book has provoked a desire to read more about this period of history which to me indicates that the author has done a good job with this book. Well worth the time to sit down and read.
I'm not an expert on this subject but I found the book held my interest and the author did not lose me in any of his explanations or descriptions of this period. This book has provoked a desire to read more about this period of history which to me indicates that the author has done a good job with this book. Well worth the time to sit down and read.
September 13, 2013
"How did Roman and barbarian see each other? Archaeology tells us little and so we are obliged to look elsewhere: to written sources and monumental art." So says the author in his Prologue. In each section of the book a different figure leads us. We are guided by a poet, a lawyer, a writer who married a general's daughter, and an artist who crossed the Carpathians and created an eternal monument. I really enjoyed this book, telling of four 'barbarian' civilizations and lifestyles. It was very readable, fluid, and witty. In each section, there is much history, background and culture of the peoples. I was pleased at any discussion of language or etymology given in each section.
The poet is Ovid, exiled to Tomis [today's Constantsa], on the Black Sea, and his last-written poetry, 'Tristia' and 'Ex Ponto'. Besides unhospitable winter landscape and more pleasant spring, he mentions the steppe people in that area--Sarmatians and Getans. Excerpts of his poetry are given in the book. The Ovid section was my favorite part.
The lawyer is P. Quinctilius Varus, a distant relative of Augustus. Through nepotism, he is appointed the commander of the three legions wiped out in the 'Varian Disaster' [Teutoberg Forest]. He is completely inept and out of his depth. From a description of the 'Hermannsdenkmal', the present-day monument to Arminius, the German victor, different German tribes are discussed. Background is given about that influential battle, its aftermath and most probable location--marshy land near Kalkriese. All is easy to understand.
The next section is entitled 'Soldiers' and concerns the invasion and occupation of Britain. The author discusses the different Celtic tribes and the Roman soldiers who facilitate and maintain the conquest: Vespasian, whom the author calls 'the greatest gunnery officer in the ancient world'--well, ballistae, onagri, and scorpione, not guns; Suetonius Paulinus, who put down Boudicca's rebellion and conquered Angelsey; and Julius Agricola, who was a military aide, then governor, finally a general. His daughter married Tacitus, the writer. Tacitus wrote his biography. Agricola penetrated far into Caledonia and won a great victory at Mons Graupius, but because of politics he was not able to follow up his victory. The north never fell under Roman control. I thought the comparison of Agricola with Rommel was most intriguing; there were many parallel events in each of their lives, which I never would have realized. In the author's opinion, he considered the Celts the most advanced of the barbarian peoples. Celts were geographically scattered all over the Empire.
The last section concerns the anonymous artist who designed and supervised the sculptors who decorated the Trajan Column in the Trajan Forum. The column celebrated Emperor Trajan's victory over the Dacians in the Dacian Wars. Dacians were descendents of Sarmatians who settled in the Caucasus area around 500 BC. The author describes very well and clearly each part of the monument, which shows spiralling up the column, the Roman army marching through the foothills, preparation for the battles, the Dacians, the battles per se and ends with the surrender. It's like unrolling a scroll. The famous architect, Apollodorus of Damascus designed the Trajan Forum. He provided buildings there from the balconies of which one could easily view the whole Column. A different monument at Adamclisi, gives a better visual idea of the Dacians. I only wish there had been some pictures of the Columnar bas reliefs, in the book. There are copies in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The author described well in words, but visual aids would have been helpful.
Illustrations were few and there were none of the Trajan Column. The book did have clearly-delineated maps. This book was engrossing, and simply enough written I'll be able to remember much of what I read.
Highly recommended!
The poet is Ovid, exiled to Tomis [today's Constantsa], on the Black Sea, and his last-written poetry, 'Tristia' and 'Ex Ponto'. Besides unhospitable winter landscape and more pleasant spring, he mentions the steppe people in that area--Sarmatians and Getans. Excerpts of his poetry are given in the book. The Ovid section was my favorite part.
The lawyer is P. Quinctilius Varus, a distant relative of Augustus. Through nepotism, he is appointed the commander of the three legions wiped out in the 'Varian Disaster' [Teutoberg Forest]. He is completely inept and out of his depth. From a description of the 'Hermannsdenkmal', the present-day monument to Arminius, the German victor, different German tribes are discussed. Background is given about that influential battle, its aftermath and most probable location--marshy land near Kalkriese. All is easy to understand.
The next section is entitled 'Soldiers' and concerns the invasion and occupation of Britain. The author discusses the different Celtic tribes and the Roman soldiers who facilitate and maintain the conquest: Vespasian, whom the author calls 'the greatest gunnery officer in the ancient world'--well, ballistae, onagri, and scorpione, not guns; Suetonius Paulinus, who put down Boudicca's rebellion and conquered Angelsey; and Julius Agricola, who was a military aide, then governor, finally a general. His daughter married Tacitus, the writer. Tacitus wrote his biography. Agricola penetrated far into Caledonia and won a great victory at Mons Graupius, but because of politics he was not able to follow up his victory. The north never fell under Roman control. I thought the comparison of Agricola with Rommel was most intriguing; there were many parallel events in each of their lives, which I never would have realized. In the author's opinion, he considered the Celts the most advanced of the barbarian peoples. Celts were geographically scattered all over the Empire.
The last section concerns the anonymous artist who designed and supervised the sculptors who decorated the Trajan Column in the Trajan Forum. The column celebrated Emperor Trajan's victory over the Dacians in the Dacian Wars. Dacians were descendents of Sarmatians who settled in the Caucasus area around 500 BC. The author describes very well and clearly each part of the monument, which shows spiralling up the column, the Roman army marching through the foothills, preparation for the battles, the Dacians, the battles per se and ends with the surrender. It's like unrolling a scroll. The famous architect, Apollodorus of Damascus designed the Trajan Forum. He provided buildings there from the balconies of which one could easily view the whole Column. A different monument at Adamclisi, gives a better visual idea of the Dacians. I only wish there had been some pictures of the Columnar bas reliefs, in the book. There are copies in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The author described well in words, but visual aids would have been helpful.
Illustrations were few and there were none of the Trajan Column. The book did have clearly-delineated maps. This book was engrossing, and simply enough written I'll be able to remember much of what I read.
Highly recommended!
April 29, 2012
This book has an easy, sometimes poetic style, while packing in lots of fascinating little facts about the Roman interaction with four cultures on its frontiers. A good choice for the popular reader. There is a balance of empathy both for the Romans and for the "barbarians." I enjoyed the book immensely and my interest never flagged. I was especially intrigued by the chapters on Sarmatia and Dacia as these were less familiar to me. I'm now determined to visit Romania asap. It was especially on those chapters that I wished Williams' book was more detailed, or at least that he had included a bibliography. But these are small criticisms.
After an introduction, each chapter takes the point of view of a Roman observer of one part of the empire's frontier: The Poet gives Ovid's view of the Sarmatian steppe from his exile; The Lawyer accompanies Varus Quintilius to his famous military disaster in Germania; The Soldiers portrays Britain's conquest by Vespasian and Agricola and the beginning of its loss under Domitian; and The Artists depicts the Dacian Wars, using the chiselers of Trajan's Column as a lens. The final chapter is a brief essay on how Rome the colonizer became the colonized in the 5th century, giving shape to the medieval world. The thesis of the book is that the overly negative views of Rome's clash with the "barbarians" that were taken over from Roman chroniclers into modern historians' way of thinking do not tell the whole story. Rome's interaction with the peoples on its frontiers was more fruitful and varied.
After an introduction, each chapter takes the point of view of a Roman observer of one part of the empire's frontier: The Poet gives Ovid's view of the Sarmatian steppe from his exile; The Lawyer accompanies Varus Quintilius to his famous military disaster in Germania; The Soldiers portrays Britain's conquest by Vespasian and Agricola and the beginning of its loss under Domitian; and The Artists depicts the Dacian Wars, using the chiselers of Trajan's Column as a lens. The final chapter is a brief essay on how Rome the colonizer became the colonized in the 5th century, giving shape to the medieval world. The thesis of the book is that the overly negative views of Rome's clash with the "barbarians" that were taken over from Roman chroniclers into modern historians' way of thinking do not tell the whole story. Rome's interaction with the peoples on its frontiers was more fruitful and varied.
January 23, 2018
Relatively light, this book contains some detail I’ve not seen elsewhere as well as some different interpretations to what I’ve read. The additional detail is useful but the interpretations do not seem to have weight behind them, at least on their own as presented.
July 22, 2017
It was ok, but nothing new.
September 18, 2024
I enjoyed this book, in spite of feeling like I had to keep a second bookmark in order to be able to read the relavant notes. A view of history with a human story.
October 15, 2014
I could never figure out just what the author is trying to do in this book. The general and very vague theme is the interaction between the Romans and the various "barbarian" peoples beyond the empire's frontiers during the first century AD, illuminated through four different case studies. But there's nothing to really tie it all together. Instead, we get a disjointed series of facts with no strong narrative or analytical structure. We get long digressions (at least I think they're digressions, since I can't really tell what the author's arguments actually are) on the personal history of the likes of Ovid and Tacitus which seem to have little relevance to their experiences with and writings on foreign peoples.
One redeeming aspect of the book is that although it breaks down into a meandering series of facts, some of these facts are somewhat interesting and allow for the author to make stimulating, though not always relevant, insights. I found his comparison of ancient Germany to 19th and 20th century Japan, in its ability to resist foreign encroachment while adopting foreign ideas for their own use, interesting.
Nevertheless, I found the book frustrating to read.
One redeeming aspect of the book is that although it breaks down into a meandering series of facts, some of these facts are somewhat interesting and allow for the author to make stimulating, though not always relevant, insights. I found his comparison of ancient Germany to 19th and 20th century Japan, in its ability to resist foreign encroachment while adopting foreign ideas for their own use, interesting.
Nevertheless, I found the book frustrating to read.
February 20, 2015
Derek Williams combines eye witness accounts from notable Romans with archeological evidence to create four portraits of the barbarians on the other side of the frontier of the Roman empire. The detailed description of background and circumstances is valuable to any student of the early empire. Williams' narrative is as gripping as any novel. I thoroughly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews