Book Review: Terry Jones' Barbarians

One of the drawbacks of living on this side of the pond is that North Americans do not always get to see the best of British television programming such as BBC2's Terry Jones' Barbarians. Luckily for us, however, the inevitable companion book to the series is appearing in bookstores.

First of all let me say, "Yes, it is that Terry Jones." In addition to his work as a member of Monty Python, Jones has written children's books and books on medieval England, including Who Murdered Chaucer? and Chaucer's Knight. This particular book is co-written by Alan Ereira, a producer and writer of history programs.

The book itself has an ambitious goal: it seeks to correct the impression that most of us have of the "barbarian" societies that competed with the Roman Empire. Let's face it, the impression most of us have of barbarians is that of illiterate, ill-clothed tribes with no culture other than a savage love of war, violence, and plunder. We may no longer believe in God, but we do certainly believe it when ancient writers referred to Attila as "the scourge of God".

The book looks at nearly a millennium of Roman interaction with the Atlantic Celts, the Germans, the Greeks and Persians, and the Vandals and Huns. Regardless of which group they are talking about, Jones and Ereira provide an alternative portrait of the so-called barbarian societies as cultured, enlightened, and, in many cases, more tolerant than the Roman behemoth with which they contended. Among the books many claims:

• the Atlantic Celts not only made superior weapons to Romans, they also built extensive networks of roads much earlier than the Romans;
• the Celts were so far advanced in astronomy that their calendar is still accurate today, whereas the Roman calendar had to be adjusted several times to re-align it with the actual seasons;
• the Goths were Christians whose sacking of Rome destroyed only one building;
• Vandals were also highly moral and educated Christians, and their sack of Rome did not destroy a single building;
• Roman-era Greeks were sophisticated mechanics who constructed elaborate machines that were not replicated until the Renaissance.

If you are a big fan of the Roman Empire, you will probably not like this book, but if you are interested in an alternative approach to ancient European history, I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of this book.

Terry Jones' Barbarians

Terry Jones and Alan Ereira

BBC Books, London 2006

ISBN: 0-563-49318-6