Romans and Barbarians: Four Views from the Empire's Edge 1st Century AD

Interesting approach to history and the author has complete command of his subject. Fills in gaps in common historical knowledge. He is a scholar who writes and communicates well. If only there were more like him. Don't waste time reading reviews, buy this book and enjoy yourself.

In was my intention to give this book 5 stars with my previous review.

An historian turned writer, Williams provides a book that is most easy and enjoyable to read, but is packed with information you won't find anywhere else. I am especially impressed with how he tries to relate archeological findings with studies of ancient texts. As he tells us in the prologue, scholars in these disciplines rarely talk to each other, and indeed are often antagonistic. This tension is highlighted most dramatically in the chapter on the 'Teutoburg Forest' battle in Germany, where recent archeology tells us that the battle occurred not in a forest at all, but in an area between a hill and a marsh. I was astounded to read this: I had never seen it before because the information is published mainly in German, or is out of print. If you are interested in ancient history and can find this title, get it. I found my copy in a used book store.

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 no 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.