'Barbarians' is the name the Romans gave to those who lived beyond the frontiers of the Roman Empire - the peoples they considered 'uncivilised'. Most of the written sources concerning the barbarians come from the Romans too, and as such, need to be treated with caution. Only archaeology allows us to see beyond Roman prejudices - and yet these records are often as difficult to interpret as historical ones.

Expertly guiding the reader through such historiographical complexities, Edward James traces the history of the barbarians from the height of Roman power through to AD 600, by which time they had settled in most parts of imperial territory in Europe. His book is the first to look at all Europe's barbarians: the Picts and the Scots in the far north-west; the Franks, Goths and Slavic-speaking peoples; and relative newcomers such as the Huns and Alans from the Asiatic steppes.

How did whole barbarian peoples migrate across Europe? What were their relations with the Romans? And why did they convert to Christianity? Drawing on the latest scholarly research, this book rejects easy generalisations to provide a clear, nuanced and comprehensive account of the barbarians and the tumultuous period they lived through.

The Germanic Invasions of the fifth century brought about the collapse of the Roman Empire. This book will change the way we think about those Dark Ages, looking at the Barbarians themselves rather than just their impact on the Roman empire.

About the Author

Edward James trained as both an archaeologist and historian and is currently Professor of Medieval History at University College Dublin. His single-authored books include The Origins of France (1982), The Franks (1988), and Britain in the First Millennium (2001), and he has also co-edited two award-winning books on science fiction, Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century (1994) and The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (2003).

Book Information
ISBN 9780582772960
Author Edward James
Format Paperback
Page Count 356
Imprint Longman
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 660g