Chronicles of the Barbarians:: Firsthand Accounts of Pillage and Conquest, from the Ancient World to the Fall o f Constantinople

Novelist and anthologist McCullough brings together firsthand accounts of barbarian invaders from Herodotus (d. 424 B.C.E.) to the fall of Constantinople (1553) for general readers. Common fears color these accounts, which stretch across a millennium and a half and span two continents. Scythians, Huns, Vandals, Mongols, Turks - all were seen through the same lenses of fear, ignorance, and bias. The Irish were lazy, the Vandals treacherous, the Tartars relentless in vengeance. The Vikings "everyday wash their faces and heads in the dirtiest and filthiest fashion possible: a girl servant brings a great basin of water to her master; he washes his hands and his face and his hair; then he blows his nose and spits into the basin. When he has finished, the servant carries the basin to the next person. Each blows his nose, spits, and washes face and hair in it." History buffs will enjoy this attractive and lively anthology. A Barbarian chronology -- Barbarians on the landscape -- from Geography, A.D. 24 / Strabo -- The Greeks' barbarians. -- "Scythians and Thracians," 424 B.C. / Herodotus -- Rome encounters the Celts. -- 'Romans and Celts battle in Umbria," ca. 390 B.C. / Diodorus Siculus -- "The Celts enter Rome," ca. 390 B.C. / Livy -- "The early Celtic-Roman wars," 225 B.C. / Polybius -- Gaul. -- "On the Gauls," 58 B.C. / Julius Caesar -- "On the people and customs of Gaul," ca. 50 B.C. / Diodorus Siculus -- "Border battles," 55 B.C. / Julius Caesar -- Germany. -- "On the Germans," 55 B.C. / Julius Caesar -- Germania, A.D. 98 / Tacitus -- Britain. -- "The first invasion of Britain," 55 B.C. / Julius Caesar -- "The people and customs of Britain," ca. 50 B.C. / Diodorus Siculus -- "A battle between Romans and Caledonians in southern Scotland," ca. A.D. 80 / Tacitus -- The Goths turn south to Rome. -- "The Gothic invasion and the battle of Hadrianople," A.D. 378 / Ammianus Marcellinus -- "Alaric sacks Rome," A.D. 410 / Procopius -- "The death and funeral of Alaric" / Edward Gibbon -- The Huns. -- "The Huns," ca. A.D.400 / Claudian -- "Negotiating and dining with Attila," A.D. 449 / Priscus -- "A Goth's biography of Attila," A.D. 551 / Jordanes -- The Vandals. -- from The history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire / Edward Gibbon -- The Vikings. -- The battle of Maldon," 991 -- "Viking raids," from The annals of St. Bertin, 843-859 -- "Viking raids," from The Anglo-Saxon chronicle, 994-1016 -- "A Viking funeral," 922 / Ibn Fadlan -- "The beastly Eruli," ca. 560 / Procopius -- Ireland. -- "The customs of the Irish," 1185 / Geraldus Cambrensis -- "Bricriu's feast and the war of words of the women of Ulster," from Cuchulain of Muirthemne, 12th century -- Genghis Khan. -- from The history of the world conqueror, 1260 / Juvaini -- "Some incidents during Genghis's war with the Tatars," from The secret history of the Mongols, 13th century -- Mongols and Tartars. -- from The Tartar relation, 1247 / C. de Bridia -- from The chronicle of Novgorod, 1224-1259 -- from Chronicles, 1240-1243 / Matthew Paris -- Tamerlane. -- from The life of Timur, 15th century / Ahmed Ibn Mohammed Ibn' Arabshah -- from Travels and bondage, ca. 1430 / Johann Schiltberger -- The Crusades : infidel against infidel. -- "Pope Urban II calls for a crusade," 1095 / Robert the Monk -- "The capture of Jerusalem," 1099 / anonymous Norman knight and Raymond, Canon of Le Puy -- "Encounters with crusaders in Syria," ca. 1150 / Usamah Ibn-Murshid -- "The fall of Constantinople," 1453 / Doukas -- "At the gates of Hadrianople," 1453 / Doukas. Chronicles of the Barbarians contains accounts of legendary warriors such as Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan, and other fierce invaders who attacked foreign lands throughout early history. Told by those who saw them in action, it is an unforgettable read.The primary sources collected here range from ancient scholars such as Herodotus, who wrote history as it happened, and commanders such as Julius Caesar, who tells of the first invasion of Britain, to ordinary soldiers, such as the Norman who gives a harrowing description of life as a crusader. To set the stage, this handsome volume includes short introductions, photographs, maps, illustrations, a timeline, and a biographical glossary. This beautifully packaged, one-of-a-kind anthology is the perfect combination of Conan and Gibbon. For history and military buffs and lovers of well-told tales, this collection is both historically invaluable and luridly fascinating. This compilation of primary sources presents dozens of striking accounts of the exotic customs and fierce deeds of those considered barbarians by eyewitness writers from throughout history. These authors, mostly near-contemporaries of the events they describe, range from classical historians like Herodotus and Tacitus, to generals, ambassadors, and ordinary soldiers. In often colorful prose, they describe the exploits of legendary warriors such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane (reputed to erect pyramids of skulls before the gates of captured cities), along with Viking raids, Mongol invasions, epic battles, and general depravity. Accounts written between 424 B.C. and the fifteenth century describe the battles waged by conquering nations and the invaders' customs