Product Description

In September AD 9 half of Romes estern army was ambushed in a German forest. Three legions, comprising some 25,000 men under the Roman general Varus, were wiped out by an army of Germanic tribes under the leadership of Arminius. The defeat dealt a severe blow to the Empires imperial pretensions; no other battle had stopped the Roman Empire in its tracks. Although the battle was avenged, further Roman efforts to conquer Germany met with limited success and the Teutoburg defeat became imbued with superstition. For the Germans, on the other hand, their victory became a symbol of nationalism. Drawing on new archaeological evidence and primary sources, this is the first book to give a full account of this hugely significant battle, bringing to life the battle itself, the historical background, the personalities involved and the implications of defeat.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42510 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-15
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Adrian Murdoch is a journalist and historian who was educated in Scotland and at The Queen's College, Oxford. Previous books include The Last Pagan (Sutton 2003) a biography of Julian the Apostate and The Last Roman (Sutton 2006) a history of Romulus Augustulus and the collapse of the western Roman empire.

Customer Reviews

An excellent book.
It describes vividly both the situation in Germania which lead almost inevitably to such a tragic climax, and also the conditions and build up in the Teutoburg Forest which made it the massacre it was. Although I knew of the battle, I hadn't been aware of the full after-effects of the massacre on the Roman Empire. These are brought home and the result that the Roman Empire in Germany was never the same again.

Great book
Murdoch has produced another great book, this time moving away from Byzantine history (Julian) to look at the Romans, and Varus' historic - and shocking - defeat by the 'barbarian' Germans at the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9. Equally fascinating are his chapters on how the Battle of Teutoburg Forest have been politicised by modern Germans.

Well written and well judged account
I ordered Murdoch's book on the basis of the Bryn Mawr Classical Review, which reckoned it 'the definitive work on the battle of Teutoburg'.

I agree - I thought it was excellent. It is certainly written in a more popular style than many academic works but I found that a refreshing change and the academic rigour and research are certainly there. Highly recommended.