The barbarians of ancient Europe

Larissa Bonfante

"The Barbarians of Ancient Europe deals with the reality of the indigenous peoples of Europe, in contrast to many publications that explore these peoples in the context of the Greek idea of 'barbarians' as the 'Other'. These varied groups--Thracians, Scythians, Celts, Germans, Etruscans, and other peoples of Italy, the Alps, and beyond--had contact with one another and with Greek culture during its flowering. Images on the spectacular gold and silver objects buried in royal tombs show how the horse-riding nomads and the barbarian women warriors known in antiquity as Amazons saw themselves. Archaeological discoveries show how they dressed, what they ate and drank, where they lived, and how they honored their dead kings with barbaric splendor and human sacrifices, allowing us to change, correct, or confirm the picture given in Greek and Roman literature"--