Barbarians

For centuries, the Romans viewed “barbarians” as uncultured foreigners who threatened their power and civilisation. At the same time, however, it was precisely by defining themselves against these enemies that the Roman identity itself was formed – determining what virtues, behaviour and values the ideal Roman should have. From the Gaul Brennus to Hannibal, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra or Spartacus, to the Germanic and Hunnic leaders and many others, this book shows how these foreign adversaries not only threatened the empire, but also significantly co-created it.