| Specifications | 8" X 10"; 80 pages; Library Binding |
| Interest/Age Group | Grades 6+ |
| Special Features | Glossary; Timeline; Websites; Bibliography; Notes; Index |
About
the Series
The history of the ancient world is dominated
by the great civilizations of Greece, Rome, China, India, and others. Yet not
far beyond the borders of these famed states lived other peoples: the
barbarians. They were first given this name by the ancient Greeks, and it
imitated the sounds of languages that the Greeks found incomprehensible. Soon,
though, barbarians came to be thought of not just as peoples unfamiliar with the
languages and customs of Greece and Rome, but as wild, uncivilized, uncultured
peoples – and this stereotype has largely endured to the present
day.
The barbarians, however, had rich cultures of their own, as even
some ancient writers realized. The civilized peoples both feared the barbarians
and were fascinated by them. Great historians such as Herodotus and Tacitus
investigated and described their customs, sometimes even holing them up as
examples for the people of their own sophisticated cultures. Moreover, the
relationships between the barbarians and "civilization" were varied
and complex. Barbarians are most famous for raiding and invading, but in fact
they were often peaceable neighbors and close allies, trading with the great
ancient empires and even serving them as soldiers.
It is impossible to
have a full knowledge of the life of the ancient world without some knowledge of
the people known as barbarians.
Barbarians!
offers young people the opportunity to look beyond the borders
of the familiar cultures of Greece and Rome and meet the peoples who played a
compelling but often overlooked role in the history of Europe, Asia, and even
Africa.
