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Review
A galloping and riproaring piece of work ! it left me with admiration for an author who seems to be aufait with virtually everything in the whole Scottish millennium. -- C P Hammond Bammel A scholarly book, and everyone interested in this area should read it ... it is quite splendid. A galloping and riproaring piece of work ! it left me with admiration for an author who seems to be aufait with virtually everything in the whole Scottish millennium. A scholarly book, and everyone interested in this area should read it ... it is quite splendid.
Product Description
Basing his work strongly on documentary and archaeological sources, Alfred Smyth covers traditional topics in a thoroughly unconventional manner. Winner of the 1985 Spring Book Award for Literature (Scottish Arts Council)
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The inhabitants of ancient Scotland were separated from the Roman province of Britannia by a series of limites or frontier walls combined with a network of forward defences and fallback positions, all of which were controlled by the praetorian governor at Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The inhabitants of ancient Scotland were separated from the Roman province of Britannia by a series of limites or frontier walls combined with a network of forward defences and fallback positions, all of which were controlled by the praetorian governor at Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid scholarship,
By Timbo (Hertfordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland, A.D.80-1000 (New History of Scotland) (Paperback)
The first millennium AD is an opaque period in Scottish history; anyone expecting an accessible narrative will necessarily be disappointed - such a book does not, and cannot, exist. But Smyth does a splendid job of assembling our scraps of knowledge and teasing meaning from them; his conclusions are argued from a fine sifting of the evidence, particularly the written sources, though he also makes judicious use of the archaeology, and his conclusions, on the whole, convince. The Picts as ever remain elusive, but whether or not Smyth is right in dismissing matrilineal succession, he is surely correct in seeing the Picts, whatever their origins, as firmly integrated into the Celtic world. His reassessment of Columba and the Iona community is eye-opening, and he is also illuminating on the Strathclyde Britons, Northumbrian expansion and the Gall-Ghàidheal. I was a little disappointed however not have more on the origins of Dal Riata.
This is not an introduction for the casual reader, but taken on its own terms as a work of historical scholarship, it is well-written, and stimulating, and can be heartily recommended to anyone with a grounding in the subject.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best summary of early Scottish history I have read.,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland, A.D.80-1000 (New History of Scotland) (Paperback)
My B.A. degree dealt with the growth and development of Scottish Gaelic society and culture, and I used no book more than this one. It is challenging and accessible, and provides many reference materials such as chronological and geaneological tables. The bibilography is also outstanding. The book has been described as a 'galloping, rip-roaring' work and I wholly agree. Its greatest strength is its presentation of detailed arguements in a way which both makes a coherent point and invites further study. More than a survey, but not a specialist-only text by any means. Its counterpart for Irish history would be "The Course of Irish History" edited by T.W. Moody and F.X. Martin (Dublin: Mercier) 1994. Both are invaluable.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended,
By G. R. Grove "gwernin" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland, A.D.80-1000 (New History of Scotland) (Paperback)
This book won the 1985 Spring Book Award for Literature from the Scottish Arts Council, and one can see why. A wide-ranging, enthusiastic and scholarly work, it covers a great deal of ground with a surprising amount of detail for its size. Although some of the archaeological conclusions have changed in the intervening thirty years, this is still a good introduction to the period and good value for money. Topics include: Roman Britain, the Picts, St. Columba, Adomnan, Vikings, the orgins of medieval Scotland, and the conquest of the southern uplands.
The author shows an impressive ability to look at the larger picture while not losing sight of details, an ability which allows him to combine seeming isolated facts into interesting combinations. Whether or not you agree with all of his conclusions, you will find many that are thought-provoking. An example is his dating of the final collapse of the British kingdom of Rheged by the series of entries in the Irish Annals of Ulster regarding the presence of roving bands of British warriors in Ireland between 682 and 709. Highly recommended. |
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