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"'The Battle of Adrianople...is well laid out in this clever little book... The battle proved that a raggle-taggle bunch of refugees in animal skins could outfight the best-organized army the world had ever seen, and kill its emperor in the process.' Sunday Telegraph 'One of Italy's finest historians... A brilliantly vivid recreation of events leading to the defeat of the Roman army of the east by the Goths at the battle of Adrianople in 378.' Marc Lambert, Scotland on Sunday * 'Barbero has mastered the vast scholarly output on his subject. He possesses the historian's gift of summarizing a complex situation in a single sentence.' - Raymond Carr, Spectator * 'On the lines of Peter Heather's brilliant The Fall of the Roman Empire... A cracking tale, well researched and beautifully paced.' - Peter Jones, Literary Review * '[Barbero's] lucid, flowing narrative not only brings alive the military leaders and the problems they had to overcome, but also re-creates the lot of the ordinary footsoldiers. Rarely is history recounted in such a stimulating fashion.' - Yorkshire Evening Post * 'Elegant and pleasurable - what a joy it is to read about the ancient world in digestible portions.' - Steve Coates, New York Times"
Literary Review
And a cracking tale it is too, well researched and beautifully paced.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I would have given this book five stars if not for the fact that it does not feature a single map - not of the Balkans in question nor of the deployment of the troops in battle on the day.
However, it covers very well the build up to the battle and its aftermath. The author takes us through the mindset of the Romans at this time, when enemies were also a potential labour force or mercenaries fighting for one's cause.
You get a sense of the rivalry between both halves of the empire and cannot fail to notice the impact of Christianity on its foreign and domestic policy.
The author's style is easy and the narrative not disrupted by arguments about the veracity of any sources. That is not to say the book lacks an objective approach. On the contrary, there is enough scope to draw your own conclusions.
An enjoyable read. I hope other ancient or medieval battles get the same treatment.
However, it covers very well the build up to the battle and its aftermath. The author takes us through the mindset of the Romans at this time, when enemies were also a potential labour force or mercenaries fighting for one's cause.
You get a sense of the rivalry between both halves of the empire and cannot fail to notice the impact of Christianity on its foreign and domestic policy.
The author's style is easy and the narrative not disrupted by arguments about the veracity of any sources. That is not to say the book lacks an objective approach. On the contrary, there is enough scope to draw your own conclusions.
An enjoyable read. I hope other ancient or medieval battles get the same treatment.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is popular history at its best - no academic discussion about the translation of phrases from obscure original sources or dry machinations of government, just a tale well-told. Many British readers will know about the invasion of our country and Hadrian's Wall, but few will know about the population movements and battles in eastern Europe (in this case along the Danube and south into modern Turkey) that were such pivotal events in the history of the Roman empire. The tale of this battle, which the author argues marked the beginning of the end, is told at pace and with just enough lively detail to paint the picture for an interested layman. At 146 pages long (plus notes and suggestions for further reading) you could probably read this in one sitting on a medium-distance train journey. Huge credit for the readability goes to Barbero, the author, of course, but also to John Cullen, the translator. You wouldn't think it was possible to make a Professor of Mediaeval Studies sound interesting but he pulls it off!
One of the other reviews here states the book has no maps. I am using the hardback version from 2007 (which is cheaper than the 2008 paperback, incidentally) and it has a map at the start of the book ... but it is of the whole of Europe and beyond from the Orkneys to the Red Sea so trying to spot the manoeuvres of two armies maybe 10 miles apart from each other is impossible. However, Wikipedia has a `Battle of Adrianople' page (largely a summary of Barbero's book!) but it does include a diagram of the battle.
Pictures of the battlefield site are harder to come by (even trusty Flickr has let me down) but please leave a comment below if you can link to any.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Roman empire, whether you have heard of this battle before or not.
One of the other reviews here states the book has no maps. I am using the hardback version from 2007 (which is cheaper than the 2008 paperback, incidentally) and it has a map at the start of the book ... but it is of the whole of Europe and beyond from the Orkneys to the Red Sea so trying to spot the manoeuvres of two armies maybe 10 miles apart from each other is impossible. However, Wikipedia has a `Battle of Adrianople' page (largely a summary of Barbero's book!) but it does include a diagram of the battle.
Pictures of the battlefield site are harder to come by (even trusty Flickr has let me down) but please leave a comment below if you can link to any.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Roman empire, whether you have heard of this battle before or not.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Put simply this books only problem is that it's too short. It deals with the battle of Adrianople, the immediate aftermath, and then it ends. It's smaller than a paperback novel. When I first saw it I was skeptical that anything so small could be of any use. Actually, I thought I'd been ripped off. But it does such a good job of explaining what happened, why it happened, and what made it such an important battle that I grew to like it. And it's cheap so you have no excuse for not buying it. I mean it. Like right now.
For those of you with money who want a book that covers more than just the battle I'd recommend Failure of Empire: Valens and the Roman State in the Fourth Century A.D. It goes into more detail and covers all of Valens life before that.
For those of you with money who want a book that covers more than just the battle I'd recommend Failure of Empire: Valens and the Roman State in the Fourth Century A.D. It goes into more detail and covers all of Valens life before that.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
How "popular history" should be told
I can only agree with previous reviewers. This is indeed "popular history" at its best, however much I might dislike this term for suggesting that "non-specialists" can make do... Read more
Published 1 day ago by JPS
excellent - popular history at its best
When it comes to reading history as a non-academic in this area, I found this expertly executed for the ordinary reader. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Josey Wales
Goths vs Romans at Adrianople
This book tells the story of the great defeat of the imperial Roman army, led by the emperor Valens, at the hands of the Goths (with some Huns and some Alans) under the leadership... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Martin White
Something of a disappointment
I was looking forward to this. I'd enjoyed Professor Barbero's book on Waterloo enormously, and was hoping for something similar. Read more
Published 11 months ago by BigJohn
A Big Day
In rush to make a flight, I was glad plucked this off self. Short, concise but masterful. Barbero gets straight to the heart of the matter why, and how, the Romans got brutally... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Simon P. Casson
Excellent in every way
The book describes the lead up to, aftermath of, and battle that took place at Adrianople in AD378. This little known battle was one of the most important events in history,... Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2009 by Mr X
Straightforward and readable account
A short account of the events leading up to the Goth victory over the Eastern Roman army at Adrianople in 378. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2009 by John Hopper
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