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Product Description
Product Description
In September AD 9 half of Romes estern army was ambushed in a German forest. Three legions, comprising some 25,000 men under the Roman general Varus, were wiped out by an army of Germanic tribes under the leadership of Arminius. The defeat dealt a severe blow to the Empires imperial pretensions; no other battle had stopped the Roman Empire in its tracks. Although the battle was avenged, further Roman efforts to conquer Germany met with limited success and the Teutoburg defeat became imbued with superstition. For the Germans, on the other hand, their victory became a symbol of nationalism. Drawing on new archaeological evidence and primary sources, this is the first book to give a full account of this hugely significant battle, bringing to life the battle itself, the historical background, the personalities involved and the implications of defeat.
About the Author
Adrian Murdoch is a journalist and historian who was educated in Scotland and at The Queen's College, Oxford. Previous books include The Last Pagan (Sutton 2003) a biography of Julian the Apostate and The Last Roman (Sutton 2006) a history of Romulus Augustulus and the collapse of the western Roman empire.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are many battles which could be described as "Rome's Greatest Defeat". I'm not sure that I agree this was it but nevertheless I found Adrian Murdoch's book to be an enjoyable and informative read.
Murdoch's book is the story of the ambush and destruction of three Roman legions in the heart of Germany two thousand years ago. Murdoch structures his account logically taking the reader from a point a few decades before the disaster, to the ambush itself and beyond. The final chapters of the book discuss how the battle has been seen at different points in history right up to the present day.
The introductory chapters are good for both the newcomer to Roman history and also those who already have some knowledge. This is a tricky path to tread for any author as it is difficult to keep the experts interested without baffling the novices. Murdoch succeeds because he does a good job of describing how he sees these historical figures that only come to us partly formed from the past.
Murdoch seems to rely fist and foremost on the ancient sources for his description of the disaster but he does also talk about the archaeology involved. I think he combines the two well to give a good, detailed account of the battle itself and the events leading up to and following it. Murdoch's archaeological sources are not just from Germany. He also uses finds from other parts of the world such as Hadrian's Wall to round out the world he is describing.
Indeed, Murdoch makes a lot of effort to recreate the world at that time and I think in this he is very successful. There is a great description of a Roman fort and he drops in nice details such as a brief explanation of the amber trade. In quite a short book (about 200 pages) he really manages to achieve a lot.
There are some faults with the book. I think it could benefit from more pictures of the finds at the site of the battle. A bust of Germanicus is all very well and good but I'd rather be looking at evidence of the battle itself. Also there is no map of the battle site; in my opinion essential for the description of any battle.
While the final chapters are good, for me they don't quite have the interest of the first two thirds of the book. Consequently I think it tails off somewhat towards the end. This is especially true with the author's philosophical concluding comments on the lessons of war.
The book contains a few minor errors such as saying that Lucius Caedicius was both primus pilus and preafectus castrorum (the two were quite different positions in a Roman legion) but for most people these would not spoil the book at all.
There is another book that I've reviewed which also deals with this battle called The Battle That Stopped Rome by Peter S. Wells. While I do like Wells's book (and I think the title is more accurate) I think Murdoch's book is superior.
Murdoch's book is the story of the ambush and destruction of three Roman legions in the heart of Germany two thousand years ago. Murdoch structures his account logically taking the reader from a point a few decades before the disaster, to the ambush itself and beyond. The final chapters of the book discuss how the battle has been seen at different points in history right up to the present day.
The introductory chapters are good for both the newcomer to Roman history and also those who already have some knowledge. This is a tricky path to tread for any author as it is difficult to keep the experts interested without baffling the novices. Murdoch succeeds because he does a good job of describing how he sees these historical figures that only come to us partly formed from the past.
Murdoch seems to rely fist and foremost on the ancient sources for his description of the disaster but he does also talk about the archaeology involved. I think he combines the two well to give a good, detailed account of the battle itself and the events leading up to and following it. Murdoch's archaeological sources are not just from Germany. He also uses finds from other parts of the world such as Hadrian's Wall to round out the world he is describing.
Indeed, Murdoch makes a lot of effort to recreate the world at that time and I think in this he is very successful. There is a great description of a Roman fort and he drops in nice details such as a brief explanation of the amber trade. In quite a short book (about 200 pages) he really manages to achieve a lot.
There are some faults with the book. I think it could benefit from more pictures of the finds at the site of the battle. A bust of Germanicus is all very well and good but I'd rather be looking at evidence of the battle itself. Also there is no map of the battle site; in my opinion essential for the description of any battle.
While the final chapters are good, for me they don't quite have the interest of the first two thirds of the book. Consequently I think it tails off somewhat towards the end. This is especially true with the author's philosophical concluding comments on the lessons of war.
The book contains a few minor errors such as saying that Lucius Caedicius was both primus pilus and preafectus castrorum (the two were quite different positions in a Roman legion) but for most people these would not spoil the book at all.
There is another book that I've reviewed which also deals with this battle called The Battle That Stopped Rome by Peter S. Wells. While I do like Wells's book (and I think the title is more accurate) I think Murdoch's book is superior.
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It describes vividly both the situation in Germania which lead almost inevitably to such a tragic climax, and also the conditions and build up in the Teutoburg Forest which made it the massacre it was. Although I knew of the battle, I hadn't been aware of the full after-effects of the massacre on the Roman Empire. These are brought home and the result that the Roman Empire in Germany was never the same again.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I ordered Murdoch's book on the basis of the Bryn Mawr Classical Review, which reckoned it 'the definitive work on the battle of Teutoburg'.
I agree - I thought it was excellent. It is certainly written in a more popular style than many academic works but I found that a refreshing change and the academic rigour and research are certainly there. Highly recommended.
I agree - I thought it was excellent. It is certainly written in a more popular style than many academic works but I found that a refreshing change and the academic rigour and research are certainly there. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
great book
The book gives all the background of the battle and the main characters you need to know. I have done a great deal of reading on this battle, So its great to read another book on... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Pharaoh
Varus, Hero or Villain ?
Adrian Murdoch's book is a superb account of Rome's frontier with Germania in the first century A D. Read more
Published 23 months ago by A. Tomlinson
Romes Greatest Defeat
Rome's Greatest Defeat: Massacre in the Teutoburg Forest
Excellent tome about the discovery of the battle site at Kalkriese and the events leading up to and immediately... Read more
Excellent tome about the discovery of the battle site at Kalkriese and the events leading up to and immediately... Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2010 by A. B. Drinkell
Rome's Greatest Defeat
An excellent description of the events leading up to and the massacre in the Tutoberg forest. The last quarter of the book seemed to move away from this event and it looked as... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2010 by plato
Whats the books title???
Full kudos to the author on his research of events surrounding the massacre, if you have no knowledge at all of the people involved, then this book will definitely serve you well. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2009 by Kosciuszko
Missed opportunity
After reading references to this battle in other works I bought this book hoping to get a real insight into what happened. Read more
Published on 10 July 2009 by L. Deponeo
A good enjoyable read
Although only one chapter of the book is actually dedicated to describing the battle itself, I still found this to be a fantastic read. Read more
Published on 1 July 2008 by R. Loughins
Not dry and academic, but a good read
Murdoch spends a lot of energy describing the personalities of each of the leaders involved in the history before an after the masacre, and he also spends a lot of energy... Read more
Published on 8 May 2008 by Bobby Bob
Marvellous Insights
This is a really excellent history book of the old school: scholarly, intelligent, well-written, thought-provoking. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Andrew Roberts
Andrew Roberts
Published on 17 Oct 2006 by Andrew Roberts
Great book
Murdoch has produced another great book, this time moving away from Byzantine history (Julian) to look at the Romans, and Varus' historic - and shocking - defeat by the 'barbarian'... Read more
Published on 28 May 2006 by Dorothy King
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