With "Empires & Barbarians", London historian Peter Heather has written a complex but very worthwhile book on European political and demographic changes in the period between 300AD and 1000AD, extending the thinking presented in his outstanding "The Fall of the Roman Empire". While I have some criticisms, as explained below, this is a very important synthesis of research and a must read for anyone interested in the topic.
In "The Fall of the Roman Empire," Heather presented what was to me a new and original explanation for the dissolution of the empire, one of history's great questions. Heather believes that technological developments and wealth leached out from the Roman borders to allow the Germanic tribes living in northern and eastern Europe to develop a greater level of material and political sophistication and more efficient agricultural methods. This increase in sophistication led to a population rise among the Germanic tribes, and in turn an increase in political and military heft, which allowed the tribes to encroach on an overextended Roman empire, teetering from civil war and war on its Persian front. In a fascinating passage in "Empires & Barbarians," Heather speculates that the Hunnic invasion form the steppes led by Attila was a crucial precipitating cause in the collapse of the empire, as the increasingly powerful Germanic tribes would probably have done no more than annex certain Roman provinces, letting the Empire continue on. Heather supports his theory principally through a review of recent archaeological research from Germany and eastern Europe with less emphasis placed on Roman historical writings.
"Empires & Barbarians" advances Heather's case by describing current thinking of human migrations, examines issues and controversies currently preoccupying ancient & medieval scholars, making in-depth analysis of events such as the Anglo-Saxon takeover of Britain and the expansion of the Frankish empire in the 5th & 6th centuries, and careful reviews of the archaeological digs undertaken by Warsaw Pact scientists to unravel the mysteries of the Slavic ascendance. The analysis is penetrating, subtle and not pedantic.
A measure of the excellence of this book can be seen in the account of middle medieval Byzantium. I have read quite a few books about Byzantine history yet nothing has clarified for me the shape and crucial developments in Byzantium's empire after the fall of the west like the few pages Heather devotes to it. Heather summarizes the brutal wars Byzantium successfully engaged in during the earlier part of the 7th century, with a dramatic and draining success on both the European and Persian fronts "turning to ashes" as the Islamic wave swept across the world, expropriating several of the eastern empire's most important provinces, which rendered Byzantium into an appendage of the Islamic empire after about 650. Such clarifying overviews are frequently found in "Empires & Barbarians".
I mentioned some flaws: The chief among them is a stilted, academic style. There is a reliance on jargon and euphemism that detracts from Heather's message and analysis. Phrases like "political identity" and "variegated patterns of participation" abound. Heather would have been better served by writing crisply and clearly. Writing of the Frankish takeover of Roman territories in northern Gaul, he writes: "the process was stressful for the indigenous population, who found themselves invaded by an intrusive new elite and incorporated into a new kingdom that was imposing on them new duties based on the alternative conception of a triple-tier social order." I'm translating that to mean that the Franks slaughtered the remaining Roman landowners, stole everything they could and reduced their new subjects to quaking fear.
Another criticism is more conceptual. Many theories of Rome's fall have emphasized internal weaknesses leading to its dissolution. Heather takes the original tack of stressing the growing strength of Rome's enemies as the key determinant. I would have appreciated more description and analysis of Rome's internal issues, which of course also played a role in the Empire's fall.
I also think Heather ignores salient issues that highlight the catastrophic nature of the fall of the Roman empire. One of the many things I learned from "Empires & Barbarians" is that the estimated population of England in the late empire (late 4th century) was 3-7 million and that this population probably dropped to 1 million by the early 6th century. Obviously that is a disaster, but Heather doesn't spend any time pondering such a tragic devolution. Heather also ignores the plunge in literacy at all levels. He perhaps would answer that he couldn't cover all topics, and had to emphasize other subjects such as migration and material culture finds at archeological digs, but I think the book would have benefited from admitting that the overall cultural and economic impact of the middle ages was very, very negative. (See "The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization" by Ward Perkins, which Heather singles out for praise.) These criticisms don't eliminate the book's strengths or its value, though.
Heather in his foreword writes that he spent sixteen years working on this book. The richness of research, careful and deep thought and intellectual sophistication of "Empires and Barbarians" makes it obvious he spent this time well.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
There is a newer edition of this item:
Frequently bought together
$29.00
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
Joao Cunha Marques
The substance is great, the hardcover not so much.
Reviewed in Spain on March 2, 2022
Christian G. Cameron
And excellent overview of a difficult period
Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2017
I. Jones
Fascinating study of how migration contributed to the development of modern Europe
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2018
