Audiobook1 hour
The Vandals: The History and Legacy of Antiquity's Most Famous Barbarians
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Colin Fluxman
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Today, most people are familiar with the term “vandalism”, but are ignorant as to the word’s etymology. Yes, vandalism refers to the wanton destruction of property in the modern world, but the word’s origin is much more complex, as it was originally the name of an important Germanic tribe that flourished in Europe and North Africa in the fifth and sixth centuries AD. As the Vandals rampaged throughout Western Europe and later into North Africa, they left a swath of destruction in their wake, which is how the term "vandalism" became associated with destruction.. The Vandals were a truly ferocious band of people who used the art of war to achieve its goals in ways that seem cruel and barbaric to modern sensibilities, but it was just one of many groups of people at the time who employed these tactics to seize power and land throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region. An examination of the Vandals through a combination of Latin language Catholic Church sources and Byzantine chroniclers, combined with studies by modern historians, reveals that the Vandals were much more than blood thirsty barbarians whose primary goal was the destruction of Rome.
It is true that the Vandals sacked Rome in 455 AD, but even that act was a unique historical accomplishment in itself as they were only the third people to inflict such destruction on one of the world’s greatest cities. Despite living on the lawless marchlands of the Roman Empire, the Vandals were able to establish two different kingdoms, and introduce a fairly complicated code of royal succession, that gave stability to their people for some time. The Vandals also proved to be an extremely clever people in their use of violence and war, as they rarely engaged in violence for its own sake. They also often employed clever tactics on the battlefield to defeat the larger and more sophisticated armies of the Romans, and later, the Byzantines. The examination will also reveal that the Vandals were as adept at the arts of diplomacy and statecraft as they were with warfare. If they could obtain an advantage through negotiation, then they would choose that route over a war that threatened to decimate their forces. Despite having the image of the cruel barbarian warrior, the Vandals were not without God in their lives. Although the Vandals were Christians, they followed a different sect of Christianity, which often put them at odds with Rome and Constantinople, but throughout most of their history they stood fast to their theological beliefs. The bloodthirsty reputation accompanying the Vandals throughout the centuries has largely been the result of their theological beliefs that diverged from the orthodoxies practiced during the period by the church leaders in Rome and Constantinople. Though the Vandal culture was truly as important as any other in Europe and the Mediterranean region at the time, as was the case with many of the Germanic tribes that lived on the fringes of Rome, the Vandals were destined to find themselves the victims of the nascent Byzantine Empire in the end.
The Vandals: The History and Legacy of Antiquity’s Most Famous Barbarians looks at the history of the “barbarians” who brought Rome to its knees in the late 5th century CE and helped bring about the final collapse of the Roman Empire.
It is true that the Vandals sacked Rome in 455 AD, but even that act was a unique historical accomplishment in itself as they were only the third people to inflict such destruction on one of the world’s greatest cities. Despite living on the lawless marchlands of the Roman Empire, the Vandals were able to establish two different kingdoms, and introduce a fairly complicated code of royal succession, that gave stability to their people for some time. The Vandals also proved to be an extremely clever people in their use of violence and war, as they rarely engaged in violence for its own sake. They also often employed clever tactics on the battlefield to defeat the larger and more sophisticated armies of the Romans, and later, the Byzantines. The examination will also reveal that the Vandals were as adept at the arts of diplomacy and statecraft as they were with warfare. If they could obtain an advantage through negotiation, then they would choose that route over a war that threatened to decimate their forces. Despite having the image of the cruel barbarian warrior, the Vandals were not without God in their lives. Although the Vandals were Christians, they followed a different sect of Christianity, which often put them at odds with Rome and Constantinople, but throughout most of their history they stood fast to their theological beliefs. The bloodthirsty reputation accompanying the Vandals throughout the centuries has largely been the result of their theological beliefs that diverged from the orthodoxies practiced during the period by the church leaders in Rome and Constantinople. Though the Vandal culture was truly as important as any other in Europe and the Mediterranean region at the time, as was the case with many of the Germanic tribes that lived on the fringes of Rome, the Vandals were destined to find themselves the victims of the nascent Byzantine Empire in the end.
The Vandals: The History and Legacy of Antiquity’s Most Famous Barbarians looks at the history of the “barbarians” who brought Rome to its knees in the late 5th century CE and helped bring about the final collapse of the Roman Empire.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pleistocene Era: The History of the Ice Age and the Dawn of Modern Humans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Madame de Pompadour: The Life and Legacy of French King Louis XV’s Chief Mistress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Medieval England: The History of England from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Tudor Dynasty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSigmund Freud and Carl Jung: The Pioneering Lives and Works of History’s Most Influential Psychologists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fermi Paradox: The History and Legacy of the Famous Debate over the Existence of Aliens Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Vandals
Related audiobooks
The Normans: From Raiders to Kings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Middle Ages Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Restoration of Rome: The History of the Roman Empire during the Reigns of Diocletian and Constantine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Avars: The History and Legacy of the Eurasian Nomads in Central Europe during the Middle Ages Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Attila the Hun: A Captivating Guide to the Ruler of the Huns and His Invasions of the Roman Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Suebi: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Germanic Groups Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Magyars: The History and Legacy of the Medieval Tribe that Established the Kingdom of Hungary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Livonian Brothers of the Sword: The History of the Medieval Catholic Military Order that Fought Pagans in Eastern Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England: 400 – 1066 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empire of the Black Sea: The Rise and Fall of the Mithridatic World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emperor Charlemagne Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In Distant Lands: A Short History of the Crusades Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Waning of the Middle Ages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Byzantine Empire: A Complete Overview Of The Byzantine Empire History from Start to Finish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Ancient History For You
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When God Had a Wife: The Fall and Rise of the Sacred Feminine in the Judeo-Christian Tradition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roman History 101: From Republic to Empire Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Volume I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Greek Mythology: An Elaborate Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Harems, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Egyptian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Egyptian Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Egyptian Mythology: An Enthralling Overview of Egyptian Myths, Gods, and Goddesses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Histories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5History Is Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Epic of Gilgamesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Past Mistakes: How We Misinterpret History and Why it Matters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The History of the Bible: Explore 2,000 Years of Biblical Interpretation and Cultural Impact Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plutarch's Lives: Volume 1 of 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caesar: Life of a Colossus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient Greece 101: Greek History, Myth, and Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Killing Jesus: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mary Magdalene: Women, the Church, and the Great Deception Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Vandals
Rating: 4.0638297872340425 out of 5 stars
4/5
47 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good introductory overview of the Vandals but his distinction between Rome and Byzantium is a bit outdated and somewhat amateurish in my opinion. Also the Narrators reading of citations mid paragraph are highly distracting and annoying considering a whole chapter at the end is dedicated to the bibliography.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Very difficult to listen to. Narrator quotes reference after every sentence. It makes the audio book very painful to listen to.