The Day of the Barbarians

'An excellent book... [Barbero] brings to the potent story of Adrianople a winning combination of historiographical scholarship and literary artistry... Beguiling.' Sunday TelegraphOn August 9, 378 AD, outside Adrianople in the Roman province of Thrace, the Roman Empire began to fall. Two years earlier, an unexpected flood of refugees from the tribe known as the Goths had arrived at the Empire's eastern border, seeking admittance. In the David-and-Goliath struggle that ensued, the barbarians eventually inflicted upon the Roman Army the most disastrous defeat they had suffered since Hannibal's victory over them almost 600 years earlier. Although the Empire did not actually fall for another century, this battle signaled nothing less than the end of the ancient world and the opening of the Middle Ages. Barbero vividly recreates the events leading up to the last epic battle of the ancient world, and a significant turning point in world history. The Day of the Barbarians is military history at its gripping best. 'A highly readable account of the campaign and its consequences... [Barbero] possesses the historian's gift of summarising a complex situation in a single sentence.' Spectator'The Battle of Adrianople... proved that a raggle-taggle bunch of refugees in animal skins could outfight the best-organized army the world had ever seen, and kill its emperor in the process.' Daily Telegraph'A cracking tale, well researched and beautifully paced.' Literary Review'Elegant and pleasurable - what a joy it is to read about the ancient world in digestible portions.' New York Times