Empires and Barbarians
The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe
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Narrated by:
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Sean Schemmel
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By:
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Peter Heather
About this listen
Empires and Barbarians presents a fresh, provocative look at how a recognizable Europe came into being in the first millennium AD. With sharp analytic insight, Peter Heather explores the dynamics of migration and social and economic interaction that changed two vastly different worlds - the undeveloped barbarian world and the sophisticated Roman Empire - into remarkably similar societies and states.
The book's vivid narrative begins at the time of Christ, when the Mediterranean circle, newly united under the Romans, hosted a politically sophisticated, economically advanced, and culturally developed civilization - one with philosophy, banking, professional armies, literature, stunning architecture, even garbage collection. The rest of Europe, meanwhile, was home to subsistence farmers living in small groups, dominated largely by Germanic speakers. Although having some iron tools and weapons, these mostly illiterate peoples worked mainly in wood and never built in stone. The farther east one went, the simpler it became: fewer iron tools and ever less productive economies. And yet 10 centuries later, from the Atlantic to the Urals, the European world had turned. Slavic speakers had largely superseded Germanic speakers in central and Eastern Europe, literacy was growing, Christianity had spread, and most fundamentally, Mediterranean supremacy was broken.
Bringing the whole of first millennium European history together, and challenging current arguments that migration played but a tiny role in this unfolding narrative, Empires and Barbarians views the destruction of the ancient world order in light of modern migration and globalization patterns.
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Using a wide array of sources, historian Matthew Restall highlights seven key myths, uncovering the source of the inaccuracies and exploding the fallacies and misconceptions behind each myth. This vividly written and authoritative book shows, for instance, that native Americans did not take the conquistadors for gods and that small numbers of vastly outnumbered Spaniards did not bring down great empires with stunning rapidity. We discover that Columbus was correctly seen in his lifetime - and for decades after - as a briefly fortunate but unexceptional participant in efforts.
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A good book marred by awful narration
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The Revenge of Geography
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In The Revenge of Geography, Robert D. Kaplan builds on the insights, discoveries, and theories of great geographers and geopolitical thinkers of the near and distant past to look back at critical pivots in history and then to look forward at the evolving global scene. Kaplan traces the history of the world's hot spots by examining their climates, topographies, and proximities to other embattled lands.
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In The Fall of Rome, eminent historian Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the "peaceful" theory of Rome's "transformation" is badly in error. Indeed, he sees the fall of Rome as a time of horror and dislocation that destroyed a great civilization, throwing the inhabitants of the West back to a standard of living typical of prehistoric times. Attacking contemporary theories with relish and making use of modern archaeological evidence, he looks at both the wider explanations for the disintegration of the Roman world and also the consequences for the lives of everyday Romans.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Of all the famous civilizations to emerge from Mesopotamia, a list that includes the Akkadians, the Sumerians, and the Babylonians, it’s the Assyrians who deserve the fame and glory. The empire they constructed over the course of some 1,200 years survived constant attacks, a few defeats, and the famed Dark Age, known as the Bronze Age collapse, to become one of the largest and most expansive empires the world has ever seen.
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Cringe wording, a narration that cannot pronounce
- By Shane on 09-23-19
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Ragnar Lothbrok and a History of the Vikings
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ragnar Lothbrok was a legendary warrior who left a legacy among the Vikings like none other. Today's popular TV show may have popularized Ragnar's story, but the real facts are not very well known. Discover the truth behind this Viking warrior and the rich history of the Vikings.
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Happy with this purchase!
- By Michelle Watson on 09-08-19
By: Noah Brown
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China
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- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
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Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
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Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
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The Decline and Rise of Democracy
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Historical accounts of democracy's rise tend to focus on ancient Greece and pre-Renaissance Europe. The Decline and Rise of Democracy draws from global evidence to show that the story is much richer - democratic practices were present in many places at many other times. David Stasavage makes the case that understanding how and where these democracies flourished - and when and why they declined - can provide crucial information not just about the history of governance, but about the ways modern democracies work and where they could manifest in the future.
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Informative
- By Frank on 12-22-20
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The Caucasus mountains rise at the intersection of Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. A land of astonishing natural beauty and a dizzying array of ancient cultures, the Caucasus for most of the 20th century lay inside the Soviet Union, before movements of national liberation created newly independent countries and sparked the devastating war in Chechnya.
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fascinating story of a messy region
- By A. T. Howarth on 07-30-20
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The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
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Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.
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Few forests, but lots of trees
- By Steve Pagano on 10-05-15
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Empires of the Weak
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Overall
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Performance
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What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? The conventional answer asserts that superior technology, tactics, and institutions forged by Darwinian military competition gave Europeans a decisive advantage in war from 1500 onward. Empires of the Weak argues that Europeans had no general military superiority in the early modern era. Sharman shows instead that European expansion is better explained by deference to strong Asian and African polities, disease in the Americas, and maritime supremacy earned by default.
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a great read
- By José de Ribera on 02-02-23
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Born in Blackness
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Born in Blackness vitally reframes the story of medieval and emerging Africa, demonstrating how the economic ascendancy of Europe, the anchoring of democracy in the West, and the fulfillment of so-called Enlightenment ideals all grew out of Europe's dehumanizing engagement with the "dark" continent. In fact, French reveals, the first impetus for the Age of Discovery was not—as we are so often told, even today—Europe's yearning for ties with Asia, but rather its centuries-old desire to forge a trade in gold with legendarily rich Black societies in the heart of West Africa.
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American History World History Our History
- By Bill on 06-13-22
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The Silk Roads
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It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures, and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the 20th century - this book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East.
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An Absolutely SUPERB Book for Lovers of History
- By Dipam on 06-27-21
By: Peter Frankopan
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What listeners say about Empires and Barbarians
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Robert Burns
- 07-03-15
Book is Great, Performance Shameful
Peter Heather's work provides a detailed history of people and factors which drove the relationship between Rome and its neighbors. His review of the evidence for and against the notion of mass migration was new information for me.
Unfortunately, the audio version requires the listener to to endure a reading totally without nuance or comprehension of the text itself.
The mispronunciation of proper names, geographic locations, and common words makes me wonder where the producer/editor was for this reading.
For example, before reading further, pronounce the name of the dead language spoken in Italy during late antiquity. Many people took the class in high school.
Right, the answer is LATIN. Last syllable rhymes with "sin"
It took me a while to fully understand what the reader was talking about as he kept referring to the "LATINE West". Last syllable pronounced to rhyme with "fine"
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- Annie Anderson
- 01-18-24
Good material hampered by really bad narration.
I went to look up this narrator because he sounded like he was reading a business book badly. To my surprise he mostly narrates kids books. I’m sure they’re good for lulling kids to sleep. I had to dump the narration and read the book. If I was only slightly interested in the material I wouldn’t have bothered. It’s rare that a narration actively damages the material, but this is certainly one of those cases. Monotone pacing and poor pronunciation make it a difficult listen at all speeds.
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- Kirsty
- 06-02-13
Enjoying the book, but the performance....
What did you like best about Empires and Barbarians ? What did you like least?
I am fascinated by the topic of the millennium which started during the Roman Empire and after its collapse, seemed to be a confused mess of Huns, Goths and Vandals. This author sheds light on what has been called the Dark Ages and brings to life the people and the ebb and flow of the societies which lived in Europe during the period. There is some repetition - my attention span is not so short that I needed to be reminded of the parallels with some 20th century events, which seemed to me to happen fairly frequently. However the attention to detail and scholarship of the author is amazing.
The performance needed a really good editor and some instruction for the narrator, however. I doubt if too many English peasants set sail for America in the 7th(sic) century. The first syllable in Pyrenees rhymes with fir, not fire, at least every time I have heard it said. I presume the word the author meant was 'denuded' not 'denunded' which I have not found in any dictionary. If such frequent errors could be corrected, it would certainly improve the experience, from which they currently detract. I am not a particularly pedantic or critical listener but the errors grate.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Empires and Barbarians ?
The sections which mention areas of northern France (Loire etc) as I am about to visit the area and will look at it this time with an enhanced awareness of its history and see the chateaux and their surroundings in the context of a much longer time span than previously. This book is helping me fill in the gaps in my knowledge of european society between Roman times and approximately 1000AD.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
See above
Was Empires and Barbarians worth the listening time?
Yes
Any additional comments?
Please let me know when the errors have been corrected - I think the author is owed this attention.
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23 people found this helpful
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- Ken
- 08-25-14
Decent book- TERRIBLE narrator
What disappointed you about Empires and Barbarians ?
Heather's previous book was great. This offers more convoluted expositions of his theses, which necessitate careful listening to discern and understand (and I had to buy the print edition to REALLY follow it.) The narrator has NO clue as to pronounce these admittedly complex names for the various peoples of central and eastern Europe in the first millennium CE. However, even current place names evade his comprehension. Sevastopol is pronounced sev-as-TO-pol instead of the more common se-VAST-o-pol. I'm really surprised he did not have more guidance provided to him in preparing and delivering his performance. Anyway, it makes Heather's points HARDER to understand rather than elucidating them.
Would you recommend Empires and Barbarians to your friends? Why or why not?
The book, simultaneously more ambitious and complex than his previous work on the fall of Rome, is very thorough in its breadth, but its depth must be worked at more assiduously by the listener.
Would you be willing to try another one of Sean Schemmel’s performances?
Not on THIS basis.
What character would you cut from Empires and Barbarians ?
Not relevant to an historical work
Any additional comments?
I am disappointed, as I was looking forward to this book.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Elizabeth
- 12-20-14
Peter Heather deserved better
Would you listen to Empires and Barbarians again? Why?
Enjoyed the book, and the humor. There is a lot of content there, and I'd go back again and listen, now that I know where it's going
What did you like best about this story?
The tour of Europe -- taking each section in turn
How could the performance have been better?
The narrator was horrible. Peter Heather is a very witty man, and I don't think the narrator got most of his jokes. Mr. Heather deserves a narrator erudite enough to know when he is being funny! There is a lot of warmth and humanity in this book, too, which is also obscured by the delivery.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Bad Babs
- 07-23-17
Good book - unbearable narration
What did you love best about Empires and Barbarians ?
Peter Heather's scholarship has depth and breadth, and he covers an astonishingly long period and range of subjects. He synthesizes a large and disparate range of scholarship to develop a complex and fascinating story.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
I was convinced at one point that this was an AI voice. The performance is so robotic and droning, and I am convinced that Sean Schemmel was most of the time just saying words on a page, with absolutely no understanding or interest. This performance is such an insult to the author, and frankly, to the listeners as well. From the monotonous tone to the mispronunciation of not only subject-related terms, but also simple English words, this was a miserable listen. I am really disappointed that Audible has allowed this one through. I have given up on this book - I have just come to dread turning it on and end up turning it off in irritation and rage every time I try. Audible should be offering refunds and firing whoever manages quality.
Any additional comments?
Worst performance ever.
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2 people found this helpful
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- SP
- 08-19-24
terrible narration
It almost sounds like Audible took a real voice and then used AI to read the book in that voice. Many words are mispronounced including simple words like "latin" on occasion. Worst narrator of any audiobook to date
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- Patrick
- 03-28-14
Great book, terrible reading
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The book itself is great, an important and likely enduring work of scholarship. The reading, unfortunately is terrible. I feel for the narrator because many of the names of both people and places are quite difficult to pronounce correctly. Unfortunately though the narrator consistently mispronounces well-known names such as "Constantius", "Dacia", "Nicomedia" and even "Nicea." Both he and the producers of this book should have done their homework before-hand. I stuck through the audiobook, but the reading often left me either shaking my head or grinding my teeth. Sorry to be so critical but it is what it is.
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- david
- 10-29-24
Terrible reader. Sounded like a robot. Mispronounced words.
Best most detailed historian of the fall of rome and dark ages on audible. It’s a shame to have an amateur reading it. Terrible voice, cadence, pronunciation. Sounded like a robot. Couldn’t be bothered to look up pronunciation.
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- Thomas
- 10-22-13
The Perils of Pronunciation
What didn’t you like about Sean Schemmel’s performance?
It is terribly sad when a good book is ruined due to insufficient preparations on the part of the reader and/or audiobook producer. Peter Heather's "Empires and Barbarians" is positively brimming with names of people, places, cultures etc. most of which are not familiar to the average listener. The recording would have been so much better if the reader and producer had spent a couple of hours figuring out how to pronounce things. Asking the author, e.g., might have been a good idea. As it stands, the recording is a complete failure. Some of the worst cases are almost unidentifiable without access to the printed text.
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28 people found this helpful