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Barbarians: Secrets of the Dark Ages
'It is rare that a historical documentary can genuinely shake your view of the world, but by pointing out Western stifling reverence for Roman culture, Rudgley succeeds'
Sunday Times
Rome is falling... It is the time of the barbarians.
Conventional history portrays the Dark Ages as an ominous period precipitated by the fall of Rome. We are led to believe that the torch of civilisation flickered only in isolated monasteries that dotted the landscape of a Europe otherwise engulfed in darkness.
Barbarians challenges the accepted view of events passed down to us by the Roman accounts of the barbarian world. The Romans, like every imperial power, had a vested interest in propagating their own view of history but if we read between the lines and delve deep into the archaeological record multiple cultural vistas emerge from the shadows of Rome.
Our own ancestors were much more than barbarians — their languages, arts and other cultural treasures have shaped and moulded the destiny of Europe more than the Roman Empire that once held them in its vice-like grip. It is the ethnic mosaic of the Huns, Goths, Vandals, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and others that the author reveals in this retelling of an often misunderstood time in our collective history.
Richard Rudgley
Richard Rudgley is a critically acclaimed author and TV presenter whose books have been translated into twelve languages. He was born in Hampshire, England in 1901. The author of several books, he has also written and presented several documentaries that have aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and on various channels internationally.
Sunday Times
Rome is falling... It is the time of the barbarians.
Conventional history portrays the Dark Ages as an ominous period precipitated by the fall of Rome. We are led to believe that the torch of civilisation flickered only in isolated monasteries that dotted the landscape of a Europe otherwise engulfed in darkness.
Barbarians challenges the accepted view of events passed down to us by the Roman accounts of the barbarian world. The Romans, like every imperial power, had a vested interest in propagating their own view of history but if we read between the lines and delve deep into the archaeological record multiple cultural vistas emerge from the shadows of Rome.
Our own ancestors were much more than barbarians — their languages, arts and other cultural treasures have shaped and moulded the destiny of Europe more than the Roman Empire that once held them in its vice-like grip. It is the ethnic mosaic of the Huns, Goths, Vandals, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and others that the author reveals in this retelling of an often misunderstood time in our collective history.
Richard Rudgley
Richard Rudgley is a critically acclaimed author and TV presenter whose books have been translated into twelve languages. He was born in Hampshire, England in 1901. The author of several books, he has also written and presented several documentaries that have aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and on various channels internationally.
- GenresHistory
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 4, 2024
An interesting read that is mostly about England’s barbarians. The Celtics (in England) dealing with Romans. Then off to a brief Romans dealing with Huns and Germanic Tribes section. Finally, back to England for the rest of the book to talk about the Anglos, Saxons, and a brief section on Vikings to close.
April 20, 2015
This was a good and readable book, but it didn't give me what I was hoping when I bought it.
'Barbarians: Secrets of the Dark Ages' is so racy and commercial a title, I perhaps shouldn't have been surprised when the content failed to live up to the promise. I was happy to read informative stuff across the span of history from the year dot -- or about the year 0 AD, at any rate -- through to the end of Paganism in Europe, as represented by the Christianisation of the Norse. It was all interesting enough. There was quite a concentration on the British Isles, where one would hardly use the term 'barbarian' after the Roman Invasion. And if you're interested in the Anglo-Saxons, this would make a good if not comprehensive introduction.
I mustn't be too harsh if I knew most of what Rudgely's researches uncovered, and therefore didn't consider them Secrets. But as I was looking for more, this wasn't the book to supply it. It covered the evidence, historical and archaeological, but wasn't the book to breathe life into the facts and offer any new insight into what the life of the 'uncivilised' peoples some might call Barbarians was really like.
'Barbarians: Secrets of the Dark Ages' is so racy and commercial a title, I perhaps shouldn't have been surprised when the content failed to live up to the promise. I was happy to read informative stuff across the span of history from the year dot -- or about the year 0 AD, at any rate -- through to the end of Paganism in Europe, as represented by the Christianisation of the Norse. It was all interesting enough. There was quite a concentration on the British Isles, where one would hardly use the term 'barbarian' after the Roman Invasion. And if you're interested in the Anglo-Saxons, this would make a good if not comprehensive introduction.
I mustn't be too harsh if I knew most of what Rudgely's researches uncovered, and therefore didn't consider them Secrets. But as I was looking for more, this wasn't the book to supply it. It covered the evidence, historical and archaeological, but wasn't the book to breathe life into the facts and offer any new insight into what the life of the 'uncivilised' peoples some might call Barbarians was really like.
June 22, 2011
An enjoyable tie-in to a British TV documentary, if at times too fast paced. This survey of the Age of Wandering (as the Dark Ages are called in Germany) provides tantalizing glimpses into a historical period about which most of know little. The book sometimes goes on tangents that weren't entirely tied to the main thread, yet I forgave Rudgley because I did enjoy learning about the Venerable Bede.
Though the book has a short bibliography, it would have been better if it also had endnotes. I would have liked to do some further reading on some of the more obscure points the author made.
Though the book has a short bibliography, it would have been better if it also had endnotes. I would have liked to do some further reading on some of the more obscure points the author made.
May 1, 2014
A poor TV tie in book. Too simplistic and the majority is just taken from the show. I was disappointed because it should be a very interesting subject.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews