Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

31 used & new from $11.49

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Tell the Publisher! I�d like to read this book on Kindle Don�t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

The Barbarians Speak: How the Conquered Peoples Shaped Roman Europe. (Paperback)

by Peter S. Wells (Author) "TODAY THE countryside east of the small city of Bramsche on the northern edge of the Teutoburg Forest in northern Germany is a quiet rural..." (more)
Key Phrases: terra sigillata pottery, feasting equipment, silver fibulae, Late Iron Age, Late La T�ne, Late Bronze Age (more...)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

List Price:	$24.95
Price:	$22.45 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:	$2.50 (10%)

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Tuesday, July 7? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

17 new from $22.45 14 used from $11.49

Also Available in:	List Price:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Hardcover			26 used & new from $5.21

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Barbarians to Angels: The Dark Ages Reconsidered

by Peter S. Wells

3.9 out of 5 stars (13) $14.52

The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest

by Peter S. Wells

3.0 out of 5 stars (37) $11.21

The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians

by Peter Heather

4.5 out of 5 stars (49) $13.57

The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World

by David W. Anthony

4.4 out of 5 stars (24) $25.20

How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World: The Vikings, Vandals, Huns, Mongols, Goths, and Tartars who Razed the Old World and Formed the New

by Thomas J. Craughwell

3.5 out of 5 stars (6) $14.96

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Traditionally, the indigenous peoples of temperate Europe with whom the Romans came in contactAthat is, the Celts and the GermansAhave been considered barbarians. Classical accounts of these peoples by Julius Caesar, Tacitus, and other Greek and Roman writers presented these nonliterate peoples as inhabitants of a primitive environment lacking the complexities of the Mediterranean world. Wells (anthropology, Univ. of Minnesota; Rural Economy in the Early Iron Age) draws upon current research to challenge this view. For the general reader, he presents research that has been until now largely the preserve of specialists,, revealing that the Celts and the Germans had a more complex material and social culture than previously believed. They were developing cities, for instance, and minting coins, suggesting the presence of a money economy before Roman expansion into the area. This will appeal to students and lay readers with an interest in European history; recommended for academic and larger public libraries.ARobert James Andrews, Duluth P.L., MN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
A book of deep scholarship and high quality. It will bring profitable reading to those interested in the ancient world. -- Arthur M. Eckstein, International History Review

[Wells's] clear prose, excellent illustrations, and numerous maps will give his readers a nuanced picture of the Roman frontiers and the peoples who lived there. And all of this is done without falling back on either Tacitus's or Rousseau's 'no savage,' no mean feat. Wells's barbarians are refreshingly matter of fact. -- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Princeton University Press (November 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0691089787
ISBN-13: 978-0691089782
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #535,000 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
TODAY THE countryside east of the small city of Bramsche on the northern edge of the Teutoburg Forest in northern Germany is a quiet rural landscape of small villages, open fields, and patches of light woodland. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
terra sigillata pottery, feasting equipment, silver fibulae, weapon deposits, limes boundary, wealthy burials, unconquered lands, bronze fibulae, military diplomas, burial evidence, unconquered territories, personal ornaments, indigenous individuals, imperial aristocracy, glass bracelets, imperial borders, handmade pottery, legionary soldiers, bronze ornaments, bronze vessels, auxiliary soldiers, frontier zone, metal ornaments

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Late Iron Age, Late La T�ne, Late Bronze Age, Marcomannic Wars, Roman Italy, Gallic Wars, Germania Superior, Germania Inferior, North Sea, Roman Europe, Teutoburg Forest, Emperor Augustus, New World, Susanne Sievers, Feddersen Wierde, Middle Ages, Raetian Ware, Early La T�ne, Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Agri Decumates, Belgic Ware, Neolithic Period, Nico Roymans, Rhine River

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 100 books:

Roman Archaeology (Aspects of Roman Life) by Miranda Green in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
The Roman Empire: Second Edition by Colin Wells in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Volumes 1-3 (Everyman's Library) by Edward Gibbon on page 19, and Back Matter
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 3 by Edward Gibbon on page 19, and Back Matter
Roman Britain (BBC Fact Finders) by Jenny Hall in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 100 books this book cites

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Fall of the Roman Empire by Peter Heather

Discusses:

The Romans by Mary T. Boatwright

Discusses:

The Battle That Stopped Rome by Peter S. Wells

Discusses:

The Archaeology of Ancient Greece by James Whitley

Discusses:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	69% buy the item featured on this page: The Barbarians Speak: How the Conquered Peoples Shaped Roman Europe. 4.3 out of 5 stars (7) $22.45
	15% buy Barbarians to Angels: The Dark Ages Reconsidered 3.9 out of 5 stars (13) $14.52
	6% buy The Early Germans (The Peoples of Europe) 4.6 out of 5 stars (8) $34.15
	5% buy The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest 3.0 out of 5 stars (37) $11.21

Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

germany(2)

history(2)

barbarians(1)

bavaria(1)

roman army(1)

rome(1)

See all 8 tags...

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Archaeology For the Rest of Us, March 13, 2000

By	Chris Osgood (Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barbarians Speak: How the Conquered Peoples Shaped Roman Europe. (Hardcover)

Peter Wells has done a nice job of taking his years of scholarly field research to create a book that is palatable, understandable and readable for the lay person interested in Pre-Roman culture in late Iron Age Europe and the effects and evidence of subsequent Romanization. Was it Napoleon that said "History is written by the victors"? In the case of the Roman interactions and subjugations of European tribes, the Romans were the only ones that could write! It is a painstaking task to recover the bits and pieces of those pre-existing and obviously vigorous cultures. To do so one must use a trowel instead of a library card. Thanks to Peter Wells for his fieldwork, his organizational sense and his enthusiasm for his subject. Us armchair archaeologists appreciate being presented with his fascinating body of knowledge.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough professional writes for informed popular audience, November 6, 2006

By	Frank Camm (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For much of my adult life, I have wondered who these peoples were who ultimately overwhelmed the Western Roman Empire and created the nations of Europe that we know today. I have been repeatedly frustrated by histories that (1) buried me in details of one archeological site after another without recovering much but the material objects themselves from the sites, (2) buried me in the details of one Germanic leader after another marching his or her people through Roman territory in search of security or a better life, whatever that meant at the time, or (3) spoke broadly of tribes in motion, without specific names, pushing each other around Europe like balls on a crowded pool table. Yikes, I have better things to do!

I recently stumbled upon Terry Jones and Alan Eriera's companion book to their BBC series on barbarians. It portrays the history of non-Romans--barbarians--in western Europe in a set of vivid stories that bring the barbarians to life as substantially more than noble savages. Anyone seeking a truly postmodern deconstruction of Gibbon's Rise and Fall need go no further. Jones and Eriera savage the Romans and remind us of how advanced Europeans beyond the Alps were before the Romans wrote them out of history. But how much can I trust a pair actively looking for opportunities to poke the old wisdom in the eye? Their outrageous efforts to turn European history on its head often raise more questions than they answer. The good news for me, then, is that Jones and Eriera reawakened my old questions--who were those guys anyway?--and sent me in search of someone like Prof. Wells.

Prof. Wells had actually been on a shelf in my den, waiting patiently for me to get back to him. And when I reopened the book, he patiently walked me through his vision of history north of the Alps, a vision that apparently stands a good distance from the consensus of specialists on history north of the Alps. Wells is not flashy. He is patient and thorough and quietly firm in his resolve. He brings to bear a coherent and fairly transparent, sophisticated theory of the links between social structures and the material items that they leave in the archeological record. As he applied this theory to one complex dataset after another, I felt a bit hammered upon. I've got your point, sir--thank you! But this hammering slowly revealed two important points to me.

First, the data available to talk about pre-history north of the Alps are limited in the extreme. There are good reasons why historians wave their hands as they speak of vague tribes passing through dark forests in the night. I came to appreciate much better the nature of the challenge we face in trying to reconstruct what happened 2000 years ago in modern-day eastern France and southern Germany.

Second, the data available can tell us nothing without some kind of theory that allows us to extract social meaning from physical objects. Past efforts used very crude theories; the scholars applying them appear often not even to have been aware of the theories they were applying. Wells is self-aware and careful. He brings a powerful theory stage-center and wields it with great skill but without any fuss. Slowly but surely, without any special effects or flourishes, his method does something unexpected.

The frontier around the Rhine and Danube Rivers comes to life! Not in the primary colors and action figures that Jones and Eriera use to beat Roman culture about the head and shoulders. But in a palpable heartbeat that arises from the social images he constructs from grave and trade goods, burial practices, building foundations, industrial shop detritus, .... These images float up from his data, despite the scattershot nature of these data, and show us how life probably differed from town to villa to village; from one region to another; and from one period to the next. These images allow us to see the consensus view of life on the frontier in fairly clear terms and contrast it with Wells's view. The frontier becomes a fuzzy place--seemingly akin to other frontiers we know, like that between Texas and Mexico--full of vivid, human life that defies black and white categories like "Roman" and "barbarian." Wells is never pushy or showy. But he is persistent and determined; he can wait for us to see the light, just as he waited so patiently for me to come back to him on the shelf.

Jones and Eriera rekindled my interest; Wells kindled the flame that finally threw a clear light on answers to my questions. He can do the same for you.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Barbarian Speaks, March 4, 2007

By	Michael Robert Gorman "A Proud Seanache" (Sacramento, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love this book! I actually bought it at Tower books based on the title alone. Anyone who has experienced the frustration of every history of the Celts simply parroting Julius Caesar (like listening to George Custer explain Native American culture), and ignoring the extant evidence from the Celtic world itself will understand the allure of this title. I refer to Peter wells as part of the "New Celtic Scholarship" and I use this book as a reference often. It's a bit academic to read, but for any serious lover of Celtic history and culture, this is a must have for your library! I only hope more archeologists will have the integrity and courage to follow in his footsteps and get real about Celtic research.

Michael R. Gorman

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 7 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars barbarians speak
this book is for advanced readers or people who have a great interest in the anthropological standpoint of the Roman empire.

Published 6 months ago by Cherie Cabrera

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for Celts only.
Peter S. Wells, author of the later "The Battle That Stopped Rome," does a good job of showing the culture of central Europe from ca. 5000 BC to 300 AD. Read more

Published 6 months ago by W. Staples

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading to understand the period
The previous reviewer really didn't like this book. It looks more like a personal beef to me. The book is, in fact, well written and very well researched. Read more

Published on January 4, 2006 by Camilo Montenegro

1.0 out of 5 stars Snobbish and academic
Wells is one of these post-modern deconstructionist types who thinks everything and anything Western is by very definition decadent and wrong. Read more

Published on March 17, 2002 by J. Trageser

› See all 7 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
history June 22nd, 1941...	29	1 hour ago
history Islam is positive: Yes or No?	31	1 hour ago
history History of the Palestinian Nation?	658	1 hour ago
history 2009: The 70th anniversary of the "Greatest" War in History	2	1 hour ago
history Are You an Author on Amazon? Tell us about your book:	376	2 hours ago
germany Germanophiles	52	19 hours ago
rome Where Ancient Romans	11	11 days ago