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Who were the enemies of Rome, the figures of legend who rose up against the empire and fought for independence or even, in some cases, domination? What do the writings of antiquity’s most eminent historians reveal of the reality behind the stories which surround figures such as Spartacus and Attila the Hun? In this series of fascinating historical accounts Philip Matyszak presents the extraordinary individuals who strove for freedom from Roman rule.
Boudicca, the warrior queen of the Iceni, led a rebellion in Britain that saw Londinium burn. The Carthaginian general Hannibal famously marched his army, including thirty-eight elephants, over the Alps. Matyszak weaves together the literary and the archaeological evidence to look at the growth and eventual demise of the Roman empire from the viewpoints of the people who fought against it, from the edges of the empire to the streets of Rome. Some enemies of Rome were noble heroes and others were murderous villains, but each has a fascinating story to tell.
'Pacy and compelling ... Matyzak tells the stories stylishly and well'
Sunday Times
'A highly readable gallop through a number of major military crises in Roman history ... good, clear, narrative style'
Sunday Telegraph
'An easy book to dip into ... accurate and entertaining'
BBC History
Introduction
Part I
Hannibal
Philip V
Viriathus
Jugurtha
Part II
Mithridates
Spartacus
Vercingetorix
Orodes
Cleopatra
Arminius
Part III
Boudicca
Josephus
Decebalus
Part IV
Shapur
Zenobia
Alaric
Attila
Epilogue
Description
Who were the enemies of Rome, the figures of legend who rose up against the empire and fought for independence or even, in some cases, domination? What do the writings of antiquity’s most eminent historians reveal of the reality behind the stories which surround figures such as Spartacus and Attila the Hun? In this series of fascinating historical accounts Philip Matyszak presents the extraordinary individuals who strove for freedom from Roman rule.
Boudicca, the warrior queen of the Iceni, led a rebellion in Britain that saw Londinium burn. The Carthaginian general Hannibal famously marched his army, including thirty-eight elephants, over the Alps. Matyszak weaves together the literary and the archaeological evidence to look at the growth and eventual demise of the Roman empire from the viewpoints of the people who fought against it, from the edges of the empire to the streets of Rome. Some enemies of Rome were noble heroes and others were murderous villains, but each has a fascinating story to tell.
'Pacy and compelling ... Matyzak tells the stories stylishly and well'
Sunday Times
'A highly readable gallop through a number of major military crises in Roman history ... good, clear, narrative style'
Sunday Telegraph
'An easy book to dip into ... accurate and entertaining'
BBC History
