Following Hadrian

This book about the Roman emperor Hadrian is written by Elisabeth Speller, who has a degree in Ancient History from Cambridge University. Hadrian is famous for three things:

(1) Travelling all over the empire

(2) Building many monuments in Rome, Italy and the provinces

(3) Studying many topics, especially Greek culture and philosophy

Speller's focus is on the first item on this list, but sometimes she includes the other two as well. Her book begins with a chronology of Roman emperors (27 BC-AD 193), a timeline of Hadrian (AD 76-138), and an introduction. The main text is divided into nine chapters which follow a chronological line. At the end of the book there are notes with references, a bibliography, and an index. Twenty-one illustrations (black-and-white photos) are placed in a block the middle of the book.

As emperor (117-138) Hadrian spent more time travelling in the provinces than he spent in Rome or in Italy. Speller explains (on page 81):

“Conventionally, Hadrian is said to have completed three major journeys: broadly, to the north and west of the empire, to the southern Mediterranean and to the east. In fact these were interspersed with numerous smaller journeys to destinations closer to home.”

In 122 he visited Britannia, and during this visit he ordered the troops to begin the construction of the wall which runs from coast to coast and which is still known by his name. The journey to the north is listed in the chronology (page xix), but it is largely ignored in the main text. Hadrian's Wall is mentioned four times, but only in passing (pages 2, 3, 81 & 245).

In 128 he visited North Africa, and during this visit he adressed the Third Legion (Legio III Augusta) which was stationed in Lambaesis (in present-day Algeria). His speeches to the troops (in Latin: adlocutio) are partially preserved, because the text was cut in stone on a platform in the centre of the parade ground. The journey to the south is listed in the chronology (page xix), but it is virtually ignored in the main text.

For more information about the emperor's speeches to the army, please turn to Emperor Hadrian’s Speeches to the African Army by Michael Speidel (2006).

In 130 Hadrian visited Egypt, and this journey to the east is covered in great detail. We hear about Hadrian and his special "friend," the young man Antinous, who drowned in the Nile during mysterious circumstances, about his wife Vibia Sabina, about her companion Julia Balbilla, and about the visit to the huge statues known as the Colossi of Memnon which are still standing on the west bank of the Nile.

The title of the book is Following Hadrian. The subtitle is A Second-Century Journey through the Roman Empire. But two of his three major journeys through the Roman empire are virtually ignored. We hear only about the third journey to the east. In other words: the title and the subtitle are quite misleading.

This is a general problem. There are more problems when we look at the details:

(1) The name of he eastern province is constantly spelled “Judea.” As a classicist, Speller should know that the correct Latin (or Roman) spelling is “Judaea.”

(2) There is a mistake in the chronology (page xix). For the year 97 Speller says:

“Nerva adopts Trajan; Nerva dies; Trajan proclaimed emperor.”

Trajan is adopted by Nerva in 97, but Nerva dies in 98, and Trajan is proclaimed emperor in 98.

(3) There is another mistake on the next page. For the year 134 Speller says: “Hadrian at Rome.” But in that year Hadrian joined his army in the east, so the entry should read: “134-135: Hadrian in Jerusalem.”

(4) On page 14 the birth of Hadrian is placed in the wrong century:

“It was by no means predictable, on a cold winter's day in second-century Rome, even among the most affluent of families, that the squalling infant would survive at all.” 

Hadrian was born in AD 76, which is in the first century. By the way: we do not know where he was born. Perhaps in Rome, perhaps in Spain, where his family lived.

(5) On page 238 the Italian sea side resort Baiae is described as blandissima Baiae. As a classicist, Speller should know that the correct Latin form is blandissimae Baiae.

(6) On page 275 Speller claims Pliny's work Natural History was “written late in the first century.” But Pliny died in AD 79, while studying the eruption of Vesuvius, and therefore this phrase is rather unfortunate.

(7) A caption to an illustration reads as follows:

“Late Victorian engraving of the construction of Hadrian's Wall across the north of England in 121 CE.”

But Hadrian did not visit Britannia and did not order the construction of the wall until the following year, AD 122.

(8) In the chapter about the Jewish uprising in Jerusalem (AD 132-135) Speller mentions two of Hadrian's most trusted generals: Tineius Rufus and Julius Severus. This is fine, but three important figures are not mentioned here, even though they also played an important role during this conflict. They are:

* Certus Publicius Marcellus
* Quintus Lollius Urbicus
* Titus Haterius Nepos

This book gives an interesting account of Hadrian's life and career, but for reasons explained above I can only give it four out of five stars.

* * *
 

Elisabeth Speller,

Following Hadrian:

A Second-Century Journey through the Roman Empire,

Oxford University Press, hardcover 2002, paperback 2004, 361 pages

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Lutetia (Paris)

Paris is known as the city with the Eiffel Tower from 1889, Napoleon's triumphal arch, which was inaugurated in 1836, more than ten years after the emperor's death in 1821, and the modern triumphal arch, La Grande Arche de la Défense, designed by Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen (1929-1987).

Paris may not be known as an ancient city, but it does date back to antiquity. The Romans called it Lutetia, but the French have a problem pronouncing this word. In French it becomes Lutèce. This form is used in several place names. A street on the tiny island in the river Seine - Île de la Cité – is called Rue de Lutèce, and the Roman amphitheatre, which is partially preserved, is known as Les Arènes de Lutèce.

There are plenty of guidebooks about Paris, but as far as I know, there is only one about Lutetia. It is written by the French archaeologist Didier Busson, who is an expert on Paris, and it is # 37 in the series “Guides Archéologiques de la France.”

The French version was published in 2001. An English version (translated by Alexandra Keens) appeared in 2003. The title is: Paris, a Roman City.

The publications in this series are written by professional archaeologists, and the quality is high. Unfortunately, the first books in this series have a rather old-fashioned layout. Fortunately, the more recent books – e.g. this book – have a more modern and user-friendly layout. The text is divided into many sections with clear headings, so it is easy to find what you are looking for. Furthermore, there are many instructive illustrations, and many of them are in color.

The book is divided into three sections:

The first section presents the history of the ancient city (pages 19-61).

The second section presents the ancient monuments: A forum, a theatre, an amphitheatre (Les Arènes de Lutèce) and three baths (Thermes du forum, Thermes du College de France, and Thermes de Cluny) (pages 63-135).

The third section presents two local museums that have a Gallo-Roman collection. The first is Musée National du Moyen Age, also known as Thermes de Cluny. The second is Musée Carnavalet, which is the city museum of Paris. This section also presents the archaeological crypt under the square in front of Notre-Dame (La crypte archéologique du parvis Notre-Dame), where you can see some of the oldest walls of the city (pages 137-153).

The book concludes with a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography and a page with some practical information about the museums.

There is no index. But there is a proposed itinerary for a walk through ancient Paris. The route has 17 points, plus the city museum, located north of the Seine. There is a short text for each of the 17 points, plus a map of the city where the route is marked. The map of the city is printed on the inside of the back cover. When you fold it out, you have the text of the 17 points and map of the city side by side.

A guidebook is not only meant to be read, it is also meant to be used. What about this one? Is it any good? The answer is: yes! I had it with me on a trip to Paris, during which I had the opportunity to check its information down to the smallest detail.

The walk worked well. But the time frame given – “a little more than one hour” - is not realistic. I recommend that you set aside an entire day for the walk.

I also recommend that you set aside half a day to visit the Gallo-Roman collection in the city museum in Rue de Sévigné, near the beautiful Place des Vosges.

Some of the 17 points on the route are more interesting than others. In some cases there is little or nothing to see, for instance # 2 (Rue Toullier) about the forum. Unfortunately, there is nothing to see here.

This also applies to # 6 (Rue des Écoles), about Thermes du College de France and the theatre. There is nothing to see here, either. In these cases, you must give yourself the following message:

“It is sad that there is no longer any visible trace of these monuments, but do not blame the author for this. He has taken you to the place where they once were, and he has told you what is known about them. He has done what he can.”

The text of # 1 (Rue Saint-Jacques) mentions a “Metro Luxembourg.” This is a mistake. Luxembourg is not a metro station, it is an RER station, and it is located on Boulevard Saint-Michel. The two networks do not meet very often. There are only a few stations where you can change from one network to the other. The metro covers almost all major sites in Paris, but this area (around Panthéon), has no subway station. In other words, you cannot use the metro when you want to begin the archaeological walk. You must find another way to get there.

This guidebook about Lutetia is recommended for two reasons:

(1) It gives detailed and reliable background information, which you can study before you visit Paris. Not only about the monuments and the museums, which you can see, but also about buildings that are no longer visible, because they are hidden under modern constructions.

(2) It tells you where to go when you are in Paris, and it enables you to understand what you see, even when there is little or nothing to see. In short: it does exactly what a guidebook is supposed to do, and it does it well!

* * *

 

The French version:

Didier Busson,

Paris ville antique,

Éditions du Patrimoine, 2001, 160 pages

 

* * *

 

The English version (translated by Alexandra Keens):

Didier Busson,

Paris, a Roman City,

Éditions du Patrimoine, 2003, 160 pages

 

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LytLæs fo

Ordbog - Vis detal

 

Augustodunum (Autun)

Autun, a town with ca. 15,000 inhabitants and located ca. 300 km southeast of Paris, dates back to antiquity, and several monuments from this period can still be seen today. 

 

The Romans called it Augustodunum, and this is the origin of the modern name Autun.

Napoleon and his older brother Joseph went to school there. The former Jesuit college which they attended is now a secondary school named after the older brother: Lycée Joseph Bonaparte. The brothers arrived there in 1779. At the time, Napoleon was only about 10 years old, and the French Revolution was still 10 years away. 

 

He did not stay long: after only three and a half months he left the town (and his brother) to attend a military academy in Brienne. Despite the brief stay he evidently had fond memories of the place: as an adult, he visited Autun no less than four times.

Talleyrand (1754-1838) was appointed Bishop of Autun shortly before the French Revolution in 1789. Like Napoleon, he did not stay long, but long enough to get a seat in the assembly which was later transformed into the National Parliament. The brief period as Bishop of Autun was thus the beginning of his long and controversial career as a powerful politician and diplomat.

Autun is a charming town, situated in a hilly landscape. It is so small that you can get to know it quite fast. In many cases you can walk from place to place, because the distance is so short.

Lonely Planet's guidebook about France has four pages about Autun, including one page with a map and three pages with text about the town’s history, attractions, hotels, and restaurants as well as some practical information about how to get there.

This is not bad, but it is, on the other hand, rather brief, especially with regard to the ancient monuments. Fortunately, there is a guidebook which focuses on Augustodunum. 

 

The first edition (from 1986) is written by Alain Rebourg, who died in 1999. The second edition (from 2002) is edited and updated by Christian Goudineau (with contributions from Herveline Delhumeau). As far as I know, it is only available in French.

The book is divided into three sections:

The first section presents the history of the ancient town. Here we are told that:

 

** Emperor Constantine I (also known as Constantine the Great) visited this town in 311

 

** The town's Bishop Reticius attended a church council held in Rome in 313 and another church council held in Arles in 314

 

** Magnentius (in French: Magnence) was proclaimed emperor in this town in January 350 (pp. 25-43)

The second section presents the ancient monuments: The so-called Janus temple; the northern gate (Porte d'Arroux); the eastern gate (Porte Saint-André); a theatre that could seat more than 20,000 spectators, and a pyramid called Pierre de Couhard. 

 

The ancient town wall is partially preserved, especially in two places: On the western side of town, along Boulevard des Résistants-Fusillés and Boulevard Mac Mahon, and on the eastern side of town, along Chemin de la Maladière, between the theatre and the small lake, Plan d'eau du Vallon. 

 

The footpath that runs along the lake is called Allée Marcel Lucotte. Inside the town, on Rue de la Jambe-de-Bois, you can see a small stretch of the Roman road, Cardo Maximus (pp. 45-103).

The third section presents two local museums that have a Gallo-Roman collection. The first is Musée Rolin. The second is Musée lapidaire Saint-Nicolas. 

 

The section about the two museums is written by Brigitte Maurice-Chabard who is a conservator at Musée Rolin (pp. 105-121).

The book concludes with a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography, and a page with some practical information about the museums.

There is no index. But there is a proposed itinerary for a walk through ancient Autun. The route has 12 points, plus the museums mentioned above. There is a short text for each of the 12 points, plus a map of the town where the route is marked. The map of the town is printed on the inside of the back-cover. When you fold it out, you have the text of the 12 points and the map of the town side by side.

A guidebook is not only meant to be read, it is also meant to be used. What about this one? Is it any good? The answer is: yes! I had it with me on a trip to Autun, during which I had the opportunity to check its information down to the smallest detail.

The walk worked well. But the time frame given – “one and a half hours on foot and one hour by car” - is not realistic. I recommend that you set aside a full day for the walk.

I also recommend that you set aside half a day to visit Musée Rolin, which is located in the southern part of town, near the cathedral, Catedral Saint-Lazare. The museum is named after Nicolas Rolin, who was born in Autun around 1376 and died in Autun in 1461. The museum is located in his former home (Hôtel Rolin).

The Gallo-Roman collection is not extensive, but there are several interesting items, for instance a sarcophagus with fine reliefs, some polychrome mosaics, some miniature figurines and some tombstones. A ticket is € 3.50. If you wish to use your camera during your visit, you must pay an extra fee of € 1.20.

According to the book, the second museum - Musée lapidaire Saint-Nicolas - can only be visited by appointment. When I was in Autun, I was told that this museum is closed indefinitely. But the book cannot be blamed for a change which occurred after its publication.

This is an excellent book. Read it to prepare your visit to Autun, and take it with you when you are going to France. With this book in your hand, I think you will enjoy your stay in this charming town as much as Napoleon did.

 

PS. Auf Roms Spuren: Autun - Festung des Augustus is a documentary film which was shown on German television (ZDF) in February 2023. Run time = 44 minutes. It is available on the ZDF website until September 2025.

* * *

 

Alain Rebourg,

New edition prepared by Christian Goudineau,

With contributions from Herveline Delhumeau,

Autun antique: guides archéologiques de la France,

monum: Éditions du patrimoine, 2002, 128 pages

 

* * *

 

 For more information about Roman France, 

see the following items

posted on this blog:

Southern France: An Oxford Archaeological Guide

The Roman Remains of Southern France

Lutetia (Paris)

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Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings: The tombs and the funerary temples of Thebes West is published by the Italian publishing house White Star Books, which specialises in picture books in large format.

It is illustrated by numerous pictures, drawings and maps. All illustrations are in colour - except a few old pictures, which are in black-and-white. Most pictures are taken by the Italian photographer Araldo de Luca, who has worked with White Star for many years.

One drawing is made by the French scholar Emile Prisse d’Avennes (p. 44). For more information about this man and his work see: Atlas of Egyptian Art.

Some drawings are made by the Italian scholar Ippolito Rosellini (pp. 26-27, 42-43). For more information about this man and his work see: The Monuments of Egypt and Nubia.

The quality of the illustrations is high. The details are sharp and the colours bright. Several pictures are taken from the air. You can not do this yourself, unless you can afford to rent a helicopter or a hot air balloon. Many pictures are taken inside the ancient tombs. You cannot do this yourself, because ordinary visitors are not allowed to use a camera inside the ancient tombs. The pictures published in this book are the result of a special permit issued by the Egyptian authorities.

The book is edited by Kent R. Weeks, who is Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo and the author of several books, including The Treasures of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings (2005).

The text is written by the editor and seven other scholars. Biographical information about all contributors appears on page 9 (and on the dust jacket). Here are the names in alphabetical order:

*** Hartwig Altenmuller

*** Peter Brand
*** Betsy M. Bryan

*** Edwin C. Brock
*** Erik Hornung

*** T.G.H. James
*** Christian Leblanc

The main text is divided into four parts. Here is a summary:

Part one “Introduction” contains a preface and two chapters – “Thebes: A Model for every City” and “The Exploration of Thebes”

Part two “The Temples of Millions of Years” contains an introduction plus five chapters about five funerary temples on the west bank

Part three “The Valley of the Kings” contains an introduction, a chapter about funerary literature in the tombs, plus fourteen chapters about fourteen royal tombs

Part four “The Valley of the Queens” is divided into two sections: the first section covers one tomb (the tomb of Queen Nefertari), while the second section covers two tombs (the tombs of the sons of Rameses III)

The book concludes with an index and photographic credits. There is no bibliography.

I like this book, but I have to mention a few minor flaws:

(1) On page 37 Weeks says:

 

“In 390, Constantine moved two obelisks from Thebes to Alexandria, then to the Circus Maximus in Rome and Istanbul.”

This passage is unfortunate: two obelisks were moved from Thebes, but Constantine I did not do anything in 390, because he died in 337. Here is what happened:

Obelisk # 1 was moved to Alexandria by Constantine I ca. 330 and moved to Rome by Constantius in 357. It was raised on the spina of the Circus Maximus. In 1588 it was re-erected next to St. John Lateran, where it still stands today.

Obelisk # 2 was moved to Alexandria by Constantine II ca. 350 and moved to Constantinople (today Istanbul) by Theodosius I in 390. It was raised on the spina of the hippodrome, where it still stands today.

(2) On page 37 Weeks mentions the Jesuit priest Claude Sicard “who came [to Egypt] in 1726.” A caption on page 36 refers to “Claude Sicard’s map of Egypt drawn in 1717.”

How could Sicard draw a map of Egypt in 1717, if he did not come to Egypt until 1726? Here are the facts: Sicard, who was born in 1677, came to Egypt in 1707 or 1708 and stayed there for the rest of his life. He drew the map in 1717 and died in Cairo in 1726. In other words: the caption is correct; the text is wrong.

(3) On page 119 Weeks explains how the walls of the tombs were decorated: the workers

 

“drew in red ink outlines of the figures and hieroglyphs to be carved there. Senior artists and scribes used black ink to adjust the proportions of figures or correct spelling errors.”

But the caption on page 118 says:

 

“Black lines are the artist’s original outlines, red lines are corrections, made to enhance the proportions of the figure.”

These two passages contradict each other. In this case the caption is false, while the text is correct.

(4) On page 120 there are two unfortunate misprints about KV5: Weeks says the area of the tomb is “over 1800 m_.” He wants to say m² (square meters). He also says the volume of the tomb is “about 6,000 m_.” Here he wants to say m³ (cubic meters).

(5) On page 297 (about the tomb of Nefertari) Christian Leblanc says:

 

“The tomb is once again accessible to tourists, but only in limited numbers.”

This statement is no longer true. The tomb was re-opened to the public - in limited numbers - in 1995, but it was closed again in 2005. It seems the editor (or the publisher) forgot to update the text from 2001, when the book was reprinted in 2011.

These flaws are unfortunate, but they are minor and they are the exception.

Valley of the Kings is an excellent book, written by experts, who know their topic very well. If you are interested in the history of ancient Egypt, this volume is highly recommended.

PS. Right now this hardcover book with fabulous illustrations is available from Amazon UK for less than ten British pounds. It is a bargain!

* * *

 

Kent R. Weeks (editor) and Araldo de Luca (photographs),

Valley of the Kings:

The tombs and the funerary temples of Thebes West,

White Star Books, hardcover, 2001, reprinted 2011, 326 pages

 

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Terry Jones' Barbarians

Terry Jones’ Barbarians is the title of a documentary film presented by Terry Jones and first broadcast on BBC2 in 2006. It is also the title of a book written by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira (published by BBC Books in 2006 and 2007).

Terry Jones is probably best known as a member of Monty Python’s Comedy Team (which was active 1969-1983), but he is also the author of several books about history and the presenter of several television programs about history, including The Hidden History of Rome (2003) and The Hidden History of Egypt (2003).

Alan Ereira has worked with Terry Jones on several projects, including Crusades (1996) and Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives (2005).

 

The book is a companion to the film. They have the same structure. The film is divided into four episodes; therefore the book is divided into four parts. Here is the table of contents:

PART ONE – THE CELTS

Chapter I – Unearthing the Celts

Chapter II – The Looting of Gaul
Chapter III – Celtic Women and the Great British Revolt
Chapter IV – Romans on Top

PART TWO – BARBARIANS FROM THE NORTH

Chapter V – The Germans

Chapter VI – Dacia and the Vanished World
Chapter VII – The Goths

PART THREE – BARBARIANS FROM THE EAST

Chapter VIII – Hellenes

Chapter IX – Persia – the Early Dynasties
Chapter X – Sassanians

PART FOUR – VANDALS AND HUNS

Chapter XI – Behind the Myths

Chapter XII – The Christianization of the Empire
Chapter XIII – Vandals
Chapter XIV – Nemesis

The book begins with a preface and a timeline. It concludes with an epilogue followed by four items: Notes – Bibliography – Picture Credits – Index.

The book is illustrated by more than forty black-and-white pictures. The first batch is placed after page 96; the second after page 176; the third after page 224. Each picture is accompanied by a caption and a cross-reference to the main text.

Egyptians, Phoenicians and Carthaginians are mentioned in passing, but there is no chapter about any of them, although these peoples are an important element of the ancient Mediterranean World. This curious omission is not explained anywhere.

The authors are openly biased against the Romans. When they want to portray the Romans as the bad guys, they are too negative; when they want to portray the Barbarians as the good guys, they are too positive.

They claim the positive achievements of the Romans have been overrated, while the Barbarians have been ignored or misunderstood. They also claim modern scholars and modern public opinion love everything about the Romans and blame the Barbarians for all the problems of the Roman Empire.

When they compare Romans and Barbarians, the topic as well as the Barbarian people is carefully chosen in order to “prove” that the Barbarians are better and/or more talented than the Romans.

One example is the question of women’s rights, which is discussed in chapter III about the Celtic tribes in Britain. First the authors claim Roman women did not have any rights at all. Then they tell us about Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, and Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes. This is how they “prove” that Barbarians had more respect for women than the Romans had. But this argument is flawed for several reasons:

(A) Roman women did not have public rights. They could not vote, not hold public office and not serve in the army. But they did have private rights. They could buy and sell property, make a will, be the beneficiary of a will, and divorce their husband. These rights are not insignificant. Moreover, if a husband divorced his wife, he had to return the dowry he had received when the marriage began.

(B) Boudica and Cartimandua were members of the local elite. They ruled their tribes as queens, but this does not prove that ordinary women had the same rights as ordinary men in ancient Britain.

(C) The question is not raised in chapters about other Barbarians. It is easy to understand why. If you study the question of women’s rights among the Huns or the Vandals, you will not find any “ammunition” you can use against the Romans.

Another example is the question of technology and inventions which is discussed in chapter VIII about the Greeks. The authors present the Antikythera mechanism, which is a unique product from the ancient world. They imply that this device is ignored by modern scholars, which is not true. It is discussed in the Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World (2008, 2010) pp. 744-746.

Jones and Ereira also mention Archimedes and the story of his burning mirrors, i.e. the idea that he was able to set fire to Roman ships using mirrors to reflect the rays of the sun. Three pages are devoted to their attempt to demonstrate that this story is credible. The story is mentioned and rejected in the Oxford Handbook (page 138), and in my opinion with good reason.

[See the Archimedes Home Page established by Chris Rorres. One section of his website - Burning Mirrors - explains why this story is not credible.]

Not everything is this book is bad, though. There are some good points as well:

In chapter VI they demonstrate that the main motive for Trajan’s wars against Dacia was economic. The Roman Empire needed more money:

 

“And in Dacia, Decebalus was sitting on a gold mine – literally.”

The claim is correct. However, they are not the first ones to make this claim. See for instance The Dacian Stones Speak by Paul MacKendrick (1975, 2000). This important book about the history of ancient Romania is not listed in the bibliography of Jones and Ereira.

In chapter X they tell us about the Roman Emperor Valerian, who was captured alive by the Persian king Shapur I in 260. This story is not well-known and deserves to be told.

But they also make mistakes. Here are two examples:

(1) A passage on page 117 about Dacia reads:

 

“It is said that the great Emperor Augustus betrothed his five-year-old daughter to one Dacian chief, and was himself supposed to be interested in marrying the man’s daughter.”

They do not provide any source for this anecdote. But they add the following words:

 

“Whether the story is true or not, it gives some indication of the equality that was then perceived to exist between the societies of Rome and Dacia.”

The source is Svetonius, Divus Augustus, chapter 63. When you check the source, you will discover the context: this anecdote is part of the smear campaign Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) conducted against Octavian (the future Augustus) during their civil war. The story is not true and does not show any “equality” between Rome and Dacia: in fact, quite the opposite. Mark Antony circulated this rumour in order to show how low Octavian was ready to go. Because Jones and Ereira fail to provide the source and the context of this anecdote, they completely misunderstand it.

(2) A passage on page 126 about the images on Trajan’s Column says:

 

“there is no viewpoint from where you can observe them with the naked eye (and as far as we know never has been)…”

In antiquity the column was flanked by two libraries (one Greek, one Latin). The carvings on the column could be observed from balconies mounted on these buildings. It seems Jones and Ereira are not aware of this fact.

Minor flaws are found elsewhere in the book:
 

** The timeline on page 12 says Theodosius I becomes emperor in 378. But this does not happen until the following year (379). And the Byzantine conquest of Ravenna is placed in 535. But this event does not take place until 540.

** On page 241 they mention a Roman military commander (magister militum) called Constantius: “By 413 he had established himself as the sole emperor of the West.” This is not true. The emperor at the time was Honorius, who ruled 395-423. Three pages later (on page 244) the authors suddenly remember Honorius and say: “In 421 Constantius finally became co-emperor with Honorius.”

** In a passage on page 300 the authors define “the time of Antoninus Pius” as ca. AD 100. This is unfortunate, because this emperor ruled 138-161.

In some ways this book is a breath of fresh air; it provides an interesting perspective. It is a good idea to describe the history of the Roman Empire from the Barbarian point of view instead of the traditional Roman point of view. But the authors go completely overboard; they overstate their case.

For them the Romans represent only death and destruction, while the Barbarians stand for freedom and creativity, but this black-and-white image of the ancient world is not true. It is an oversimplified version of the facts as we know them.

If you read this book, you may like it, and you may enjoy the strictly un-academic style. But please be careful. Do not believe everything they tell you. Caveat lector!

PS. The British historian Philip Matyszak attempted a somewhat similar project with his book The Enemies of Rome: From Hannibal to Attila the Hun (hardcover 2004, paperback 2008). For more information about this volume, see my blog: The Enemies of Rome.

* * *

Terry Jones and Alan Ereira,

Terry Jones’ Barbarians:

An Alternative Roman History,

BBC Books, hardcover 2006, paperback 2007, 320 pages

* * *

Below: the cover of the DVD



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