Just Finished Reading: Twilight Cities – Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean by Katherine Pangonis (FP: 2023) [254pp] 

Whenever we think of ancient Mediterranean cities our minds quickly go to the Big 3 – Rome, Athens and Alexandria. But what of the others? Those cities that rivalled the Big 3 or simply pre-dated them. What of them? What are THEIR histories and where are they now – apart from largely forgotten. This is their tale. 

Starting in Tyre (Lebanon), home port of the Phoenician traders of early antiquity the author moves to their most famous settlement – Carthage (Tunisia), now a rather underappreciated part of the capital Tunis. From there we move to the much fought over strategic port of Syracuse (Sicily), site of encounters between the Carthaginians and Romans during the three Punic Wars that made Rome the Mediterranean super-power of the period. On then to Ravenna (Italy) which had a very varied history including, for a short period, being the capital of the western Roman Empire itself. Finally, we visit Antioch (Turkey) so recently [at time of the book’s publication] virtually destroyed in a massive earthquake. 

Whilst certainly being aware of the history of Carthage and most especially the series of wars between it and Rome I was initially unaware of the other places beyond their names and rough locations. Needless to say, I learnt a LOT here. Although the history of the region is dominated by Rome, Greece and Egypt – often for very good reasons – there was much more going on here. The other cities and other empires were not just bit-players in the well-known stories of the Big 3, but players in and of themselves. Missing them out not only leaves the other, more well-known, players without either foundation or motivation for their actions but diminishes the rich cultural environment of the ancient world of which they were part. This informative book revives that importance and left me with a greater appreciation of the interplay of these cities in the history of the region itself. One thing I particularly liked was how the author put each city into its historical context, often bringing things up to the present as she visited each site and talked to the locals about their own histories. This certainly whet my interest to dig deeper into the non-Big 3 cities/states/empires. So, more to come. Recommended to anyone interested in the ancient world and looking beyond the Roman Empire.

Oh, and a shout-out to a quite lovely cover - which is why I spotted it to begin with! 

Just Finished Reading: Spartacus by Lewis Grassic Gibbon (FP: 1933) [237pp] 

Italy, 73BC. As soon as Kleon heard the news he knew exactly what to do. Taking a knife, he went into his master’s bedroom and calmly slit his throat. Leaving the house and the city he made his way south meeting up with other runaway slaves who were all searching for one man – Spartacus. Even if it was a dream, it was a dream worth having. They were free. For how long no one knew. It would only be a matter of time before the masters came to reclaim their property or, more likely, to kill them all and to destroy for ever the very idea that mere slaves could revolt without paying the ultimate price. Spartacus the man was almost a myth already – the gladiator who had stood against Rome itself. But he was far from alone. The slaves who gathered around him were far from the rabble portrayed across Italy. Many had fought in the arena and many more were both prepared and able to train to fight. It wasn’t long before the slave army had become the Free Legions and had won their first battle against a hastily put together Roman force. Now with more confidence, more weapons and more recruits they needed to decide what to do next. Would it be crossing the border into freedom or an attack on Rome itself? Only Spartacus could decide. 

As a fan of Spartacus himself (mostly because of the badly aged Kirk Douglas film to be honest) and having read a few history books about the fabled slave revolt I jumped at this fictionalisation of the events back in the Roman Republic. Finding out its age and classic status (completely unknown to me) made me want to read it all the more. I was not disappointed. Despite being slightly slow at times and, at least at times, feeling slightly oddly written – I did wonder if the author was going for a mix of ‘modern’ and classical style – this was both a fun and fascinating read.  

Told from several perspectives (mostly from the Free Legions sub-commanders as well as Spartacus himself and the Roman generals who opposed him) this gave a rounded – if fictional – interpretation of events. Interesting for such an old novel there was a ‘meta’ moment were some of the characters wondered how the revolt would be seen in the future and how much of reality would survive the inevitable mythologisation that was already happening! I found that musing, between battles, quite fascinating and mused on it quite a bit. Although there were a handful of battles described – very well I thought – there was much more going on. We saw various nationalities discussing their gods and other beliefs, and we saw friendships form and relationships develop. All of the main characters were well drawn and believable which certainly helped with immersion into the story. Being the time and event in question there are more than a few moments of violent death which might disturb some readers. Whilst not particularly graphic the narrative doesn’t pull every punch so be prepared for more than a little blood and people being nailed to trees. Recommended for any fans of the classical world or of the slave revolt itself. 

Just Finished Reading: Nomads – The Wanderers Who Shaped Our World by Anthony Sattin (FP: 2022) [310pp] 

Go back far enough in our collective human history and we were all nomads. The few of us who existed in that long gone pre-historic age wandered the Earth hunting, fishing and generally getting on with our lives. Gradually, for a number of reasons, a few and then a few more, moved less or less often then, gradually ceased moving around and settled. From that point on the tension between the mobile and the settled has only grown. Of course, as we know, history is written by the victors but in this case there’s an added twist. Nomads, as a rule, leave behind no monuments, few artifacts and even few documents. By their very nature they travel light and have a light impact on the world. The settled, by contrast, have the ability, the numbers and often the wealth to build monuments that outlast their civilisations, leave behind a plethora of objects wherever they live and leave behind contracts, bills of sale and letters to loved ones. It's not surprising therefore that our nomadic ancestors and more their modern descendants have received a poor press when they received the attention a press at all. The author of this intriguing book does what he can (and does it well) to address that issue. 

The problem, as alluded to already, is that much of what we know about ancient, and more recent, nomadic tribes comes from the settled who had direct or indirect contact with them. As you might imagine much of the ‘press’ has been negative – sometimes with good reason but often without. Nomad all too often is synonymous with barbarian – those that lack sophistication or the trappings of civilisation. Unsurprisingly they are looked down upon, exploited, harassed and feared. Yet, throughout our long history, they have produced some awesome artifacts and have ruled over vast lands, empires and trade routes that shaped our entire planets history. Ignoring or sidelining nomadic people is telling only half the story of mankind at best. Despite the fact that the settled ‘civilised’ have triumphed over the nomadic doesn’t mean that they have contributed little (or nothing) of note nor that they can be ‘disappeared’ from the history books without doing real damage to our knowledge or understanding of humanity. 

This was definitely an interesting read, looking as it does from the ‘other side’ of history and focusing on those who move rather than exclusively on those who stand still (geographically speaking). The interaction of the nomad and the city-dweller is an important one and I think this book makes a creditable contribution to understanding that process. I certainly learnt a lot and by the end could more appreciate the value of those who chose to remain with their herds and their horses whilst others moved inside walls. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in a very different way of life. 

Just Finished Reading: Footmarks – A Journey into Our Restless Past by Jim Leary (FP: 2024) [238pp] 

The problem with digging up the deep past is that everything is static, dead, unmoving. Even Roman roads, ancient pathways, and drover's lanes are empty. Of course, when they were in daily use, they were anything but – that's the rub. How do you excavate a world on the move?  

That is the interesting question at the heart of this often-fascinating book. Humans move around a LOT and this was true thousands, indeed tens of thousands of years ago as it is today – except without continent spanning aircraft or ocean spanning liners. For much of our history if you wanted to go any great distance you walked there or, if you were lucky or rich, rode there on horseback. This is what we, and humanities predecessors, did. We got up and we walked out of Africa and across Eurasia and into both the America’s and Australia (although the last bit of that particular journey was by boat). 

There is a great deal of (growing) evidence for our mobile past from fossilised footprints (fascinating in and of themselves), to the very earliest bridges, river fords and more permanent constructions. To our very earliest boats of wood and leather to ocean going Viking craft. We have genetic evidence of grand movements of people, evidence of the spread of ideas, technology and burial beliefs over thousands of years and thousands of miles. All of this brings the dead, static, unmoving past to a more mobile, more visible, more human clarity. 

This is definitely a very different way of looking at the deep past. Despite some very good writing it did take me a little while to ‘reorientate’ myself (pun obviously intended!) to the author's vision but once I did a great deal of his arguments made perfect sense. Humans move – a LOT. So, viewing artifacts and structures with that in mind help us to understand why roads are where they are and go where they go. It helps to explain pilgrimages and religious sites, it helps to explain why coins and other artifacts are located in rivers, wells and other locations. It even explains the location of gates, doorways and walls. Seeing places without an occupying human community is only half the picture. This book helps being able to at least imagine, if not actually ‘see’ the other half. Full of interesting ideas, observations and discoveries. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in our very human mobile past.     

Just Finished Reading: Heroes by Valerio Massimo Manfredi (FP: 1994) [274pp] 

The War is finally over. After long years of conflict Troy has fallen and is burning. Eager to leave the Greeks know that the Gods will not approve of the killings and desecration of temples, the result of years of tension and disappointment. They are not wrong. The journey back home is cursed for many. Some will not make it back alive. Others are blown off course and spend years in far off lands complete with new unwanted adventure and loss. Others, the hero Diomedes among them, manage to complete their journeys only to find that their home has changed beyond recognition and that only death and betrayal await them. Knowing that his wife wants him dead and her lover to take the throne, Diomedes manages to convince part of his fleet to follow him to unknown lands and, eventually, to far off Hesperia to build a new city and begin a new life. Meanwhile, back in Greece Menelaus plots his revenge against his brother's wife while a deeper conspiracy begins to unfold. After years of war there will be no peace for the heroes of the Trojan Wars. 

I’ve read a few books by this author and this was one of his earlier works – his fourth book. I found it to be essentially a book of two parts. The primary tale was of Diomedes and his band of warriors wandering up and down Hesperia – which we know today as Italy – looking for a new home, fighting primitive tribes and coming to terms with their fates. I did find this rather pedestrian to be honest and very little seemed to happen. The second thread was, I thought, much more interesting – the intrigue and plotting back home in Greece involving Menelaus and others in revenge over the death of Agamemnon and the political machinations that followed from it. I enjoyed that a great deal and would have ranked this book highly if it had been the primary (or only!) plot line. 

A few other things interested me – the fact that Diomedes had an, almost fatal, encounter with a warrior wielding an IRON sword which made very short work of his BRONZE sword and armour! Another thing was the ‘true’ role of Helen in the Trojan War... I’d heard it before when reading other books on myths so it didn’t come as a huge surprise. In a previous work I learnt that there is no agreed upon ‘canon’ in Greek myths and there are MANY variations on a theme none of which is the ‘correct’ version. The myths we know these days are just one ‘agreed upon’ version. The BIG thing that I’d never come across before (which, to be honest, the author may have created out of whole cloth) was the ‘REAL’ reason for the war itself – which wasn’t what we had been led to believe. It was, taking into account the beliefs of the time, a creditable one. I’ll see if I can find reference to it elsewhere. 

Overall, this was a fair read. I was a little bored at times by the Diomedes story but the Menelaus plotline more than made up for it. An interesting look at a timeless story. Recommended and more to come from both this author and this Myth series. 

Translated from the Italian by Christine Feddersen-Manfredi

Just Finished Reading: The Origins of the Anglo-Saxons – Decoding the Ancestry of the English by Jean Manco (FP: 2018) [206pp] 

After reading the author’s previous book on the Celts around 2 years ago I thought it was about time to read her book about the Anglo-Saxons (despite not being one). As with the Celts this is a DEEP dive into the origins, culture, genetics and movements of a whole people so is very much a foundation – broad and deep – to any investigation of personal ancestry. I wasn’t expecting it to be particularly illuminating from my perspective but this didn’t stop it being always interesting and often fascinating. 

As I’ve said before, people (indeed peoples) moved around far more in the past than we moderns give them credit for. The Anglo-Saxons – generally made up of Angles, Saxons and Jutes – are a case in point moving across eastern Europe/central Asia westwards and northwards into western Europe, the British Isles and Scandanavia. Most of this slim volume covers that particular part of their history with diversions into archaeology, grave styles, coinage and, my particular favourite, languages and how they changed over LONG periods of time. Only the last quarter or so of the book looks at the impact on England putting to rest, yet again, the idea that the British Isles was ‘invaded’ and conquered by the Saxons and that the local population was displaced. Interesting this erroneous idea seems to have origination after the end of WW2 when the Saxons (AKA Germans) where not exactly in high standing in the UK. However, archaeological and, later, DNA evidence has shown the invasion motif to be overplayed at best. Apparently, which I found MOST interesting, around 36% of Brits living in the South East of England have Saxon genes and some individuals in Kent are essentially indistinguishable from native Germans (much, apparently, to their surprise and annoyance!). But the native population didn’t vanish (AKA killed). Nothing like it. The so-called ‘invasion’ actually took place over 2-300 years and varied from the hiring of mercenary soldiers who decided to stay – whether their ‘masters’ liked it or not – to actual raiders who stayed long term, and individual family groups looking for a better life and more productive farmland. 

Overall, this was interesting read that helped put present day genetics, place names and much else into a (DEEP) historical context. Although it didn’t help me very much to understand my own ancestry (of which more later) it did help me bed in the genetic foundations my ancestors were part of. Definitely of interest to anyone looking deep into their Anglo-Saxon past. Recommended.  

Just Finished Reading: 24 Hours in Ancient Rome – A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Philip Matyszak (FP: 2017) [253pp] 

History is written by the victors and, by and large, historical documents are written by (and about) the rich, powerful and educated. So, its unsurprising that most – but not all – historical writing centres on the rich and shameless. The fact that this book focuses on people at street level – in the main – therefore made this doubly interesting. 

Going through a typical day, hour by hour, the author takes slices of the lives of night watchmen, prostitutes, slaves on their way to market to buy food, bakers producing the daily bread for the city, farmers bringing in their crops to feed the hungry mob, gladiators ‘moonlighting’ as bodyguards and leg-breakers, Vestal virgins gathering water from a sacred well, lawyers offering advice to busy magistrates and so on... 

My favourite insight was during a dinner party given by the wife of an up-and-coming merchant. One of his guests, invited because of his entertaining story-telling ability and who is only apparently well-travelled, is roundly ridiculed by a spice trader who has indeed been all over the Mediterranean and even as far east as the west coast of India in his search for the much sort after and very profitable condiment pepper. It is all too often assumed that ancient peoples stayed close to home and inevitably knew little or nothing of the world much beyond their borders. Nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly not everyone travelled long distances, but a surprising number did so – either for conquest (I’m looking at YOU Alexander), pleasure, exploration or trade. Rome traded with half the world and a great deal of its silver ended up in India and points east in its never-ending search for spices. Romans, and indeed Greeks, travelled FAR beyond the Mediterranean basin to the far north of Europe and Britain, beyond Egypt into the Middle East and, as did the spice trader here to India. They knew about China and were certain that the world was much bigger than the Empire. European coins as well as European genes spread across the known and the ‘unknown’ world. 

This was a fast, fun and informative read. It was nice to step out of the palace and into the street (but watch where you walk and what you step in), to see the markets, schools and law courts, to hear the traders shout their wares and smell the cooking in people's houses. Recommended if you have an interest in the Ancient World or Rome in particular.    

Just Finished Reading: Divine Might – Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes (FP: 2023) [277pp] 

You would think, or at least I would, that when we created gods to explain our world, we would have imagined them to be better than us. Sure, we often ended up making them stronger and faster than us but in other ways we were much their superiors. Greek gods (and goddesses) tended to have the morals of feral teenagers and the emotional temperaments of toddlers. Being noticed by a god was bad enough – even when they liked you (mostly a fleeting thing) - but being disliked, well THAT was often a death sentence or worse! The main reason they were worshiped (it seemed) was not to get on their bad side. They were deities who firmly believed that it was much better to be feared than to be loved. I suppose the fact that they were immortal and couldn’t easily be hurt never mind killed helped explain much. If you had almost unlimited power and an eternity to use it in then it's not surprising that you would end up pulling wings off flies, starting years long wars (for entertainment purposes) or meddling in the lives of short-lived mortals. Oh, and then there was the fun of turning said mortals into trees, cows or magpies when they offended you... Anything really to have something to distract you for a moment or (if lucky) two. 

It's difficult not to be fascinated with them though, and I definitely share the authors interests if not (maybe) to the same degree. We tend to absorb the tales of the Greek gods without even thinking of it. Like the author I grew up with movies like ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and ‘Clash of the Titans’ which couldn’t help colour my appreciation of later divine encounters in books, comics and more modern cinematic interpretations. Greek gods, and honestly to a somewhat lessor extent goddesses, are a pervasive recurring theme through our culture so it’s nice to have someone like the author looking at the original stories (in MANY variations) who can put them into their original context, draw out more modern interpretations and then place them within western cultural thought down the ages.  

A goodly portion of the details of the goddesses portrayed here were new to me – despite being pretty familiar with the individual icons themselves – which was a plus and I’ll be following this up with more investigations both in fiction and non-fiction. We do seem to be living through a new revival of all things Greek mythish which is fun. It’s especially good that we’re seeing many of the lessor known or ignored mythic characters (oddly mostly women – who'd have thought it, right?) which I know several of my readers (and I!) have been enjoying. Hopefully at some point we’ll move beyond the Greek world into other areas like Egypt or points East. We’ll see (I hope). Anyway, if you have any interest in Greek gods and goddesses this is definitely the book for you. Full of interesting stories, strange characters and quite a bit of humour. Definitely recommended and much more to come. 

Just Finished Reading: Britain After Rome – The Fall and Rise 400 to 1070 by Robin Fleming (FP: 2010) [366pp] 

It was a long time coming but it was still a shock when the last legions left Britain around AD410. Trouble within the Empire with enemies both foreign and domestic meant that more and more often units were withdrawn from the edges of the known world never to return. Britainnia was on its own. Her problem was less enemies on the borders but trade across the narrow sea to Gaul and beyond. With the legions gone trade fell off a cliff. With trans-imperial trade now practically non-existent local industries and manufactures struggled without a local economy to support them. Before long internal trade collapsed and with it any urban areas designed primarily around trade and administration. Towns became strange ruins to future generations, mined for stone or other resources and, generally, shunned by all but the most curious. Life continued much as it had done before the Occupation and slowly, very slowly, micro-kingdoms sprang into being often headed by old families who harked back to the glory of Rome or those who could organise the local population for building or defence. 

In the centuries that followed, some micro-kingdoms grew absorbing the less able or unlucky neighbours and eventually became powers covering significant parts of England. Adaptive to change, coping with foreign immigrants, traders, raiders and invasions they finally faced their greatest threat in the Vikings. Initially losing whole swathes of the country to the Norsemen, the centuries long struggle saw first an accommodation and then an assimilation under a single English monarch. The economy, at first struggling under numerous assaults, became one of the strongest in Europe and a magnet for anyone willing to chance his arm (and often his head) on taking control of such a rich prize. Eventually a foreign invader succeeded and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Obviously, there’s no way that I’m going to sketch 600+ years of history in a few paragraphs so I’m not even going to try. Despite the dearth of documents during the early part of ex-Roman British history there’s still a lot we can tell about the conditions people lived in. Once Christianity is re-established and written records start showing up in relative abundance we can tell a lot more. Ironically this was the least interesting part of the narrative as I honestly don’t have any significant interest in early ecclesiastical history. To be honest I did skim a bit of the chapters discussing it.  

This was, quite deliberately, a history focused on the people digging in the dirt rather than the people wearing silk and eating eels – or as much as it can be considering that dirt diggers tend to leave rather less to study than the castle dwellers. But there are graves, always graves. Often the most interesting bits (for me anyway) were discussions of burials and grave goods – and most especially (in the last chapter most of all) the analysis of the people’s health conditions determined by skeletal evidence. I was quite astounded to read of areas were around 25% of children never made it to their 2nd birthday and in others where 40% of women were dead by their 25th year. It must have been a strange, sad, place with so many motherless children and so many parents still grieving (no doubt) over lost sons and daughters. Such grim statistics hardly changed – at least at the shallow end of the social economy until the 19th century. How lucky we are to live in the age of anti-biotics and enough food to eat. 

Despite being a rather slow read at times (more me than the author I think!) this was an interesting look into a period of Britain’s history I know very little about. I shall, no doubt, be returning to this era to see how much I can flesh out my pre-1066 knowledge further. Recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: Echolands – A Journey in Search of Boudica by Duncan Mackay (FP: 2023) [306pp] 

It all started with the Welsh, and an overzealous Roman commander. It ended with death, destruction and a revolt that might have ended to occupation of Britannia. The commander of the province at the ends of the world, Suetonius Paulinus, was campaigning (AKA exterminating) in Wales subduing the local population that had been causing so much trouble in the past. To do so with the maximum of effort he wanted his rear to be secure and to assure this he directed his subordinate to disarm the local tribes. One of these tribes, the Iceni, had been willing clients to Rome for some time and they expected to be treated as such. To demand their weapons, as if they couldn’t be trusted, was an insult too far. Swords were drawn, words were said and, as night follows day, blood flowed. What was worse is that the queen, Boudica (which means Victory) was whipped and her daughters raped – or at least according to later accounts. Whatever actually happened, it was enough for the Iceni and their allies to hold an urgent meeting to decide how to respond. The decision was to fight – to kill every Roman, man, woman and child they found and to burn everything Roman to the ground. The Iceni were warriors of their word and they fell upon the Roman occupiers like ravening wolves. Cities burnt, including London, thousands died and the IX Legion was destroyed to a man – with only its commander and a handful of cavalry able to save the eagle from capture. Only weeks later, when Paulinus return from his campaigning did a final battle take place where, this time, the Iceni fell in their thousands and the revolt was brutally ended. But it was a close-run thing and even the Emperor, Nero, apparently considered giving up Britannia as a lost cause. 

I’ve long had a ‘thing’ for the Boudica story (or Boadicea as I wrongly knew her growing up). I think I might have heard the full story early in school during a history lesson. I do wonder if the teacher, in the 1970’s, was the same one who turned me on to the story of Hereward. It’s entirely possible. They were a radical bunch back then! It is a great story though – despite the fact that we only really know about it from the Roman viewpoint and a good chunk of that evidence is questionable to a degree. There’s plenty of physical evidence – including the Boudican layer of destruction visible in digs across England’s southern plain. What we don’t know are where some of the notable battles took place – including the ambush and destruction of the IX Legion and the final battle itself.  

That’s one of the things the author went looking for in this highly engaging and highly entertaining narrative. I was honestly hooked! I really liked the way he tried to get inside the heads of the main players but was also more than happy to point out what we don’t know and probably will never know about the events surrounding the revolt itself. I also really liked the authors sense of humour most obvious from his chapter headings. I particularly liked the one covering the initial Roman invasion of Britain called ‘The Egle Has Landed’. Brilliant! If you’ve ever wondered exactly who Boudica was and why she was held in such high regard for so long – although apparently there are some who are trying to label her as a war criminal or worse – this is definitely the book for you. One last thing, below is an image of the statue of Boudica and her two daughters in London. Whenever I’m there I always try to visit the area and admire the artwork and the woman herself. She’s still one of my all-time historical heroes and I can’t help but wonder what things would’ve been like if she had succeeded in throwing the Romans back into the sea.... 

Just Finished Reading: The Romans Who Shaped Britain by Sam Moorhead and David Stuttard (FP: 2012) [251pp] 

It may have been true, but it was certainly a piece of significant propaganda as well as a shot at personal aggrandisement. When Julius Ceaser was fighting in Gaul he pointed at Britain as a haven for trouble makers, a haven that needed to be tamed, to be brought to heel. The only way to do that was to invade – which he did with a relatively small force in 55BC achieving little more than a ‘photo-op’. He returned with a much larger force the following year achieving his limited war aims and essentially put the locals on notice that the Roman Empire was watching and would be back. Then... Nothing. 

Only after around 100 years in AD43 under Emperor Claudius did a full invasion and occupation get underway. Resistance was, at first, significant – at least amongst some of the Britannic tribes but Rome, being Rome, dealt with any signs of opposition in their usual brutally methodical manner. In this case at least resistance was, generally, useless. With each passing year the Empire pressed north and west towards what is now Scotland and Wales. Both future countries proved far more difficult to subdue than first thought although Wales eventually fell after many years of warfare. Scotland proved a somewhat tougher nut to crack – or simply too expensive for minimal gain – and a series of walls were built to contain any possible threat. But not all was well (or peaceful) in Britannia.  

In AD60 the Roman’s pushed too far. With a heavy hand they turned a compliant ally into an implacable enemy. The Iceni queen Boudica rose in revolt to avenge her husband, her daughters and herself against an oppressive regime. This was no idle threat. Tens of thousands reached for their swords and shouted ‘Death to Rome’. The city of Colchester went down in blood and flame followed by London. The 9th Legion was ambushed on the way to intercept Boudica’s army and destroyed. Rearmed and reinvigorated who could stand against them? Returning from the Druid heartland of Anglesey the Roman governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, did just that with appalling consequences and the revolt bled out in an English field. The death toll was truly staggering with the Romans and their allies losing around 80,000 and the Celtic tribes considerably more. Although Emperor Nero considered abandoning Britain the defeat of Boudica led to Roman consolidation in the south and a confirmed presence in the rest of the country for centuries to come. 

When the Romans finally left early in the 5th century, they left a partially Romanised province largely unable to stand on its own feet. For centuries it had been a place of some value but always at a cost. It was one of the most heavily garrisoned provinces in the Empire and seemed to be a regular producer of troublesome Emperor ‘wannabies’ safely far from the centre of things. 

This was a very good overview/introduction to Roman Britain. I was aware of the rough outline of things (back in my day they taught this sort of thing in History class) so it was nice to fill in some detail. There is much, at least on the surface, to admire about the Romans but it was gratifying to see then get their assess handed to them on more than one occasion by the Brits (even though the ‘British’ didn’t actually exist at that time), the Welsh and the Scots (ditto and ditto). Naturally I was drawn particularly to Boudica (or Boadicea as I knew her growing up – yes, I’m THAT old) so there’s more to follow on that amazing woman and hero of mine for many years. Definitely worth a read and recommended to anyone wanting a firm foundation to this most interesting slice of Britain's early history. 

Just Finished Reading: Persians – The Age of the Great Kings by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (FP: 2022) [397pp] 

Up until comparatively recently, our knowledge of the Persian world and especially the Greek-Persian War had been almost exclusively from the Greek side. Unsurprisingly, those who write the histories tend to portray themselves in the best of lights and their enemies – well all too often they are seen as decadent aggressive barbarians unworthy of the name civilised. Our views changed with the discovery of thousands of clay tablets which, in the preceding years, have been painstakingly translated and compiled into a history of the region and the Persian empire in their own words. Needless to say, this is VERY different from the Greek accounts so well known in the West. 

Starting in what is now Iran, the Achaemenids eventually founded an empire spanning the whole region and claimed parts of what is now northern Greece and north Africa including most of Egypt. They were mighty and a force to be reckoned with for centuries. They built great cities, produced epic iconic art and waged war with an equally epoch-making intensity. They did not suffer their enemies to remain rivals for long, crushing all opposition, burning cities to the ground and enslaving the survivors. They were most certainly NOT to be messed with. This, of course, did not stop the Greek city states on the coast of what is now Turkey from doing so – much to their regret. It also didn’t stop internal rivalry, most especially at times of power transition. The King of Kings, in order to secure the continuity of the Achaemenids made sure to produce enough sons to pick from to be the designated heir. Unfortunately, with SO many sons to choose from – often in the tens if not more – those who were passed over either had to be placated, exiled FAR away from the centres of power or simply executed/assassinated to ensure a ‘peaceful’ transfer of power. It was, to say the least, messy. If that wasn’t bad enough, even before the next King had been designated (or assumed) there was a constant jostling for position and power in the attempt to ensure that the favoured son in fact ended up as the heir-designate. Poison or simple assassination played their parts here. 

If that wasn’t complicated enough – and to be honest getting my head around some of the family trees in this book is a REAL mind twister – the Achaemenids most definitely kept it in the family in order to maintain a ‘pure’ bloodline. This involved Kings marrying their cousins, sisters, daughters and whoever was ‘best suited’ to maintain the dynasty. My particular ‘favourite’ example was a King (I can’t remember which one as they often had the same names) who married his daughter who was, herself, continuing her affair with her brother throughout. They could certainly give the later Egyptian dynasties a run for their money in that department. 

It was nice to start to rectify my DEEP ignorance of this region and period covered in this excellent book. As you’ll have guessed by now, seeing my reading on Ancient Times, I do tend to concentrate on the Greeks and the Romans probably at least partially due to the fact that there’s just SO much out there on them. I have been trying – OK, mostly by accumulating unread books – to move my knowledge Eastwards and this is an early foray towards that. It was a very good start. If, like me, you’ve often wondered what it was like beyond the edges of the Greek and Roman worlds in Ancient Times I recommend that you give this tome a read. You can thank me later. MUCH more to come from this region. 

[Highest page count of the year so far: 397pp][+14pp]

Fascinating......!

Just Finished Reading: Rubicon by The Historical Writers Association (FP: 2019) [177pp] 

I thought this was an interesting idea/concept so picked it up to try it out. The idea is to showcase a number of established as well as new(ish) authors who are writing in a particular historical period. This volume, naturally, revolves around Ancient Rome with others based around the Crusades, the Tudors and the Victorian era. It’s a really great way to deepen your experience in an already favourite era – especially if you’re unsure which author to try next – or to expand into other historical periods you’re less familiar with. 

This slim volume contained 10 short stories or extracts from longer works and each story concluded with a short (3 pages or so) Q&A with the author uncovering their backgrounds, motivations and future plans. I was aware of some of the authors, and indeed have books by them waiting to be read – like Anthony Riches, for example – but others were completely new to me. One that particularly impressed me was Alter Ego by Ruth Downie where a Roman doctor travelling in occupied Britannia solves a crime at a roadside hostel because his travelling companions had annoyed him. I’ve added the author to my interest list, and she will, no doubt, be showing up here again at some point. Another author, who has been on my interest list for a while now, got my attention with her story Mystery of Victory where a small cadre of Romans during the Empire’s transition to Christianity smuggle out one of their icons to set up the break-away state of Roma Nova in order to keep the Old Ways alive. Oddly Roma Nova shows up again in a completely unrelated book of short stories coming up soon. Maybe the Book Gods are telling me something!?! 

I’m giving some serious thought to picking up the other volumes in this series as this one impressed me and they’re only £6.99. They’re a great way to test the waters and, if you’re anything like me and are always looking for something new, a great way to pick up future historical reads with confidence. Definitely recommended. 

[This is my last book review of the year, so I’ll be posting my 2023 yearly review on Saturday. My plans for 2024 and beyond will be posted on the following Saturday.]  

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My favourite local London historian....

Just Finished Reading: The Makers of Scotland – Picts, Romans, Gaels and Vikings by Tim Clarkson (FP: 2011) [230pp] 

I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of Scottish history – from any period – is scant at best. Apart from the existence of Hadrian's Wall my knowledge of early Scottish history was effectively zero - until now. For instance, although we studied Hadrian's Wall in school (and the fact I’ve walked along part of it) I had no idea, or maybe I’d forgotten, that there was another Roman ‘wall’ even further north. Although nowhere near as substantial as Hadrian’s effort or as well defended, it did play its part (albeit briefly) in the Roman occupation of Britainnia and the suppression of the unruly Scots (who, obviously at that time neither called themselves Scots nor were called that except in the generic Roman term Scotti for people in the North). Interestingly, the area between the two walls was kept as a buffer zone with (mostly) friendly tribes living there often dependent on Roman aid. Naturally this all fell apart when the Romans left and (mostly) returned to the troubled heart of their crumbling Empire. 

It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that there is a gap in our knowledge of events in Scotland after the Romans left and before more modern, early Medieval times. The Romans were notorious record keepers, builders and distributors of coins and other items so loved by archaeologists and treasure hunters whereas the peoples who immediately followed them were anything but. What little we do know often has to be handled with care as myth, self-promotion and history are all too often mixed to a greater of lesser extent. As you can well imagine caveats galore are sprinkled throughout the entire book – which is, in my mind, a good thing! Saying that we don’t know, and in some cases can never know, something is much better than idle speculation which can rest on very narrow or very suspect ‘evidence’ such as the similarity of words or placenames coupled with Latinisation of people's often embellished family history. 

I did, being honest, skim through some parts of a chapter or so on the Church History of the Region which really doesn’t interest me. I understand why it's there – Christianity did have a significant impact on the UK and, indeed, Europe during this time, so passing over such history just isn’t an option. Plus, naturally, the early Church kept reasonable, indeed often the only, records from that time (even if they did sometimes shade into propaganda) and it would be unreasonable not to use them. Because of its remoteness from English and European affairs we are sometimes left with little more than lists of Kings and mention of battles – although surprisingly despite being ‘important’ enough to mention few seemed important enough to locate accurately – and these ‘histories’ being compiled by authors hundreds of miles and sometimes hundreds of years after the events.  

Despite the caveats above I thought this was fairly good read overall. I did find it particularly interesting how populations mixed from Ireland, England, Scandinavia and further afield which gave an extra layer of understanding to my ‘quest’ to uncover where my Scottish DNA comes from. My DNA profile shows 5% Scottish DNA from ‘Parent 1’ (presumably my father) and 16% from Parent 2’ (my mother) which makes sense from what else I know already as well as what I know of the history of the Isles. I’m looking forward to finding out more. Worth a read for anyone interested in the very earliest history of Scotland.  

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Just Finished Reading: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint (FP: 2021) [386pp] 

As a princess of Crete young Ariadne knew her place, not that she liked it much. Her role was to marry someone important, someone wealthy and someone who could help her father, King Minos, consolidate his power. Minos held Crete in his grip in part by fear, fear of his wrath, fear of his palace guard but mostly through fear of the monster he controlled – the Minotaur. Ariadne knew it, him, by another name – Asterion – her brother. Trapped on Crete, just like the greatest engineer of the age, Daedalus, she was suddenly presented with an alternative, a chance to change her Fate. Each year the recently defeated city of Athens sent a number of its youth to serve as tribute and as meat to feed the Minotaur. This year amongst them was Theseus, prince of Athens. Ariadne had never seen anyone quite like him. He was quite simply a Hero who had walked out of the songs being sung in the great halls. Here was hope personified, here was her way out of her island prison and a way to rid the world of a monster. 

I can see why the retellings of Greek myths have become so popular. Most people, I think, have at least a nodding experience with these stories if only from Hollywood movies and stories from childhood. What’s different in the present retellings, apart from the language modernisation, is that the focus has generally shifted from the male heroes to the female characters often either ignored or sidelined previously. The other difference I think is that despite the existence of gods and other fantastical creatures, these stories are told very much from the human level – rather than exclusively from the viewpoint or sorely focused on gods and heroes. This particular tale is definitely one of two halves. The first 130 pages covers the well-known story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Despite the different Ariadne viewpoint, I did find this a little bit dull because it was so well known. The second part of the novel was split into two points of view – Ariadne herself and her younger sister Phaedra who becomes Queen of Athens. Although somewhat long and at times rather drawn out – especially with Ariadne’s relationship with the god Dionysus – I did find this more interesting than the first half because this part of the story/myth was unknown to me. The ending, in typical Greek tragedy fashion all rather grim and bloody, was I thought well done and did surprise me a few times with its very dark path. Much like the plays of Shakespeare there more than enough misunderstanding, grief and death to go around. 

Although this could’ve been at least 50 pages shorter without losing any of its style and impact I still liked this retelling quite a bit. I couldn’t help but think that the author essentially tacked two stories together (possibly after finding the first tale wasn’t quite long enough for the full novel treatment) but I might be being a bit harsh there! The two connected stories worked well together, and it was interesting (for me at least) to find out about what happened after the Minotaur incident. Despite a few minor quibbles this was an impressive first novel and I’m looking forward to the authors future works and I have her next book already. Recommended for all lovers of Greek myths.     

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Just Finished Reading: Amazons – The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John Man (FP: 2017) [273pp] 

Just like the Ancient Greeks, I have long been fascinated by stories of Amazons. Even today women in combat roles can seem odd or even wrong but to the Greeks they seemed positively bizarre. The norm of Greek society at that time was that women stayed at home – they were either daughters or wives. The idea of them riding horseback in armour, complete with bow or spear and (incredibly) not only fighting but besting male warriors was somewhere between obscene and deeply alluring. The word ‘Amazon’ was full of negative meaning and was not used in a positive way – quite the opposite. Yet, the Greeks kept coming back to the idea even incorporating Amazons into several of their founding myths.  

We know now of course that the mythical race of Amazons were just that – a myth. But, the author argues, they did have at least some basis in fact. Several tribes in East Asia – most notably the Scythians – did indeed use female warriors on horseback to great effect. Why, after all, relegate up to half of your available force to the kitchen and the hearth when they can ride and use a bow just as well as their male counterparts? Such a practical use of resources was well outside the Greek experience. Archaeological evidence exists in abundance (once unthinking sexist assumptions about the gender of interned skeletons had been challenged) for celebrated female warriors throughout Asia. This idea was so powerful that the myth of the Amazons lasted long after the Greek civilisation that gave it birth had fallen. The land of the Amazons continued to be looked for and continued to remain just over the next mountain range or beyond the next forest. Both the Amazon River and the state of California bare the mark of the Amazon myth. Real-life ‘amazons’ have indeed existed though with examples of massed female troops in Africa, female fighter and bomber squadrons in Soviet Russia during World War 2 (the fabled ‘Night Witches’ amongst them) and the Kurdish female fighters in Syria and elsewhere. 

Probably the most interesting chapter for me – especially as I am no fan of the present Superhero genre – was on Wonder Woman herself (that’s ignoring the short chapter addressing the ‘missing’ breast issue). I knew something of her comic creation but had no idea about the strange life of her creator and how his interests in both feminism and bondage produced the hero we know today. It was all very illuminating and so much about Diana Prince makes total sense now. I’ll be following up that particular thread in a book already on my Wish List – watch this space! 

Overall, this was an interesting and often fascinating read of how a myth (or misunderstanding) became such a powerful idea in Western culture and survived largely intact to the present day. Although it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting – as it wasn’t exclusively concentrated on the Ancient World – this was still a fun and very informative read. If you’ve ever wondered about the Amazons or about Wonder Woman herself, this is definitely the book for you. Recommended and more to come on this intriguing subject. 

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Just Finished Reading: Pandora’s Jar – Women in Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes (FP: 2020) [288pp] 

First off, I have to say that this was an excellent ‘companion’ read to my previous book ‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller. It wasn’t exactly planned that way, but I’ll take it. I’d read a non-fiction work by this author previously so knew something of her style. Here though we had a mix of deep knowledge and obvious love of the subject mixed with a fair bit of humour and topped off with a feminist vibe. 

The thing that most jumped out at me throughout this book was the idea that the Myths we know (or think we know) exist in multiple versions. Those that have made it to the modern day have either been cherry-picked from a range of examples or have simply been the one that survived the passage of time down the ages. Other versions, presently lost, are hinted at by ancient authorities but we have nothing more. Those facts alone give me pause for thought when people try to talk about the ‘real’ myth as opposed to other versions with different endings or different outcomes for some characters. Greek myth, I realised or had been prompted to remember, is a very fluid thing. 

Unfortunately, like most people I imagine, my ‘knowledge’ of Greek myths is generally derived from Hollywood movies (along with some random reading over the decades). This means that generally the female characters in these myths are all too often relegated to love interests, helpers (usually quickly disposed of), people to be rescued or all too sexualised villain's and temptresses. Of course, some of this at least is taken straight from the myths themselves where the female characters – created it must be remembered in a time and place that allowed women very little space to become individuals in their own right – were (often but not always) very much sidelined or presented as an example or a danger to the male heroes. But what we would regard today as strong or nuanced female characters did exist in plays of these mythic stories and many of those roles are eagerly sought after by modern actresses (it’s interesting to note that, much like Shakespeare’s time, all stage roles in Classical Greece were played by men). 

I think the first surprise, which handily got me prepared for the rest of this excellent book, was the tale of Pandora. I thought I knew this tale and quickly learnt that I simply didn’t. For a start the ‘box’ was a much later invention and she started out with a jar – as in a Greek style vase. The other thing that really jumped out at me was the fact (if we can talk about facts within myths) was that Pandora was *designed* by the Gods as a living weapon in retribution for Prometeus giving humans fire and therefore, by extension, a comfortable life. Pandora was sent in order to make men miserable again, just as Zeus wanted. She was programmed to open the jar thus releasing all the bad stuff. It wasn’t her fault. THAT puts a whole other gloss on things and changes the whole story. That was just the first chapter! After that we had tales of Jocasta, Helen (lots of weird stuff there including the Helen in Troy being a hologram!), Medusa (very badly treated by all and sundry), The Amazons (more later!), Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea (who, of course, everyone loves to hate) and Penelope. Needless to say, not only has my knowledge and appreciation of Greek myth increased by leaps and bounds but I’m also looking at those myths in some interesting and, for me, new ways. If you have any interest or curiosity about the Greek myths – and most especially the place of women in them – this is most definitely the book for you. Told with a fair bit of humour as well as modern cultural references from movies – Clash of the Titans (original), Troy (naturally), Wonder Woman (ditto) - literate reinterpretations and Star Trek I enjoyed this a LOT. It was largely from a feminist perspective which, no doubt will annoy/irritate some readers, but the perspective is a valid one and works well here. Highly recommended and much more to come.  

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Just Finished Reading: Circe by Madeline Miller (FP: 2018) [333pp] 

Maybe it was her youth, but Circe seemed to be the only one with a heart, the only one who saw Prometeus in pain and who wanted to do something about it. The other Titans looked on with a mixture of boredom and disdain. It was, after all, his own fault. Giving mortals the ‘gift of fire’ wasn’t in the plan envisioned by Zeus for mankind. But it was too late now. But that act of disobedience wasn’t the thing that caused her exile, THAT was much worse. The problem with Circe was that she had power, the power to change things, the power to heal and the power to kill. Circe, just like her siblings was a witch – the first in the world and even the gods themselves feared that kind of power in the hands of an Immortal. Trapped, isolated and alone Circe did the only thing she could, she perfected her art and found that she was actually quite good at it once she stopped trying too hard and felt her way by instinct towards the results she wanted. Her isolation, however, was never total – despite the agreement between her father and Zeus. Hermes, messenger of the Gods, visited to gently torture her whilst passing along morsels of information of the outside would. There were other visitors too, some welcome, most not. Although the unwelcome visitors regretted their arrival, at least briefly, before they died – or worse. Then there was Odysseus...   

I enjoyed the author’s previous book ‘The Song of Achilles’ very much so had high hopes for this one. I was definitely not disappointed. Impressively I thought this was even better than her first work and am looking forward already to her future output. Many things impressed me about the book. One of the things that really stuck out for me was the fact that, seemingly like most celebrities from any age, Circe seemed to have more than a nodding relationship to almost every famous (or infamous) hero/ine of the Ages and not just that most central hero Odysseus. Oh no, she had dealings with Daedalus (father of Icarus), was a friend of Ariadnne (of Minitour fame), sister to the Minitour’s mother Pasiphaë, Medea the lover and later wife of Jason (of the Argonauts fame) was her niece, she was the creator of the sea monster Scylla and much else besides. She had one HECK of a life, which isn’t all that surprising considering just how long she lived! Certainly, if you have only a passing knowledge of Greek Myth and, like me, gleaned a goodly chunk of that knowledge from children's books and Hollywood movies you’ll have a much deeper and wider knowledge of the subject after reading this wonderful novel. I did almost at times think it was bordering on too much information coming my way, but the writing was so masterful as well as more than occasionally either laugh out loud funny or poetically beautiful that I couldn’t help but forgive the authors exuberance and love of the subject. If you’ve ever wondered about the Greek Mythical world but couldn’t face a potentially dry tome listing gods and heroes and their deeds or misdeeds, then this is most definitely the book for you. But be warned, this just might make you into an avid fan of Mythology and those heavy tomes you’ll end up buying aren't cheap! Highly recommended. 

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