The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest

by Peter S. Wells

Book Overview

In AD 9, a Roman traitor led an army of barbarians who trapped and then slaughtered three entire Roman legions: 20,000 men, half the Roman army in Europe. If not for this battle, the Roman Empire would surely have expanded to the Elbe River, and probably eastward into present-day Russia. But after this defeat, the shocked Romans ended all efforts to expand beyond the Rhine, which became the fixed border between Rome and Germania for the next 400...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393326438
• ISBN13: 9780393326437
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A real-life "Butterfly Effect" for Classical history

The Battle of Teutoburg Forest is one of those things you never hear about in your public school education, but then when you stumble on it years later in your adult life, you think to yourself "This is huge... how is it that I've never heard about this until now?" Take a look at a map of Europe. In the West, you have Spain, France, England, Italy, and Switzerland... all countries profoundly influenced by their years of Latin occupation. Ancient Rome can be seen in these countries in everything from the language to the architecture. But then look at Germany... the change is abrupt. Once you cross eastwards over the Rhine River, Roman influence still exists, but not nearly to the same degree. The Romans made forays into German territory, and held various German lands on and off all the way up to Cologne (where there is a fantastic museum about the Romans in Germany) but most of Germany, most of the time, lived free of Roman rule. As a result, the indigenous German language remained intact, and modern German does not belong to the family of Latin-based "Romance languages". So what happened? The Romans conquered territories as far away as Persia; why not Germany, which is so much closer? It would be misleading to give a simple answer to that question, but one piece of the puzzle is the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, which saw the obliteration of three entire Roman legions at the hands of a loose confederation of Germanic tribes. As Peter Wells describes, Roman ambitions in Germany never completely recovered from that devestating blow. Imagine how different European history might have been if the Romans succeeded in conquering Germany and presumably then sweeping up into Russia and Scandinavia. It's too complex for me to guess at, but I think (speculative history and fantasy author) Harry Turtledove might come up with something interesting (Romans fighting Vikings? the Vinland Sagas recast with Roman Centurians?) The historical implications are huge, but another reason to read this book is that it is a heartening David-and-Goliath story of small indigenous peoples standing up and defending themselves against the great Empire of their day. I think there's a current 3D movie out with a similar theme...

Eye-opening and enlightening.

I, as a general reader, enjoyed this book immensely! Peter Wells has the ability to write about history in a way that is both enjoyable *and* educational - a rare skill. I felt his treatment of the kind of face-to-face combat that existed in the ancient world helps the reader understand both the nature of war at that time and the achievement of Arminius in defeating the utterly brutal and cruel, yet efficient, Roman legions. His coverage of germanic society is excellent. Topics such as the increase in the numbers and types of weapons in graves is important. As the germanic people were increasingly exposed to naked Roman aggression, they consciously became more warlike and created better weapons to deal with the bloodthirsty empire to the south. That Arminius was able to galvanize the many independent tribes that comprised what we call "Germany" leads one to the conclusion that he must have been an imposing and inspirational leader. Arminius, unlike Hannibal, Vergingetorix, Sparticus, et al, was able to deal the Romans a decisive defeat that did indeed "stop Rome". Arminius alone was able to achieve his strategic aim: prevent his homeland from becoming another conquered, pillaged, and raped land supplying yet more slaves to the bloody, gaping maw that was Rome. Let's not sugar-coat this: Rome was a predatory beast that fed itself by murdering, robbing and enslaving others wholesale. One reviewer stated that Arminius wasn't a "worthy adversary". Drivel, I say! Awww! He wouldn't sell out his own people so he could personally profit from their enslavement! What a horrible "traitor" he was! In that case, Benedict Arnold must be that reviewer's idea of a "worthy adversary".

A Battle That Changed the World

The Battle That Stopped Rome is a highly informative book the famous battle of Teutoburg Forest and also has a wealth of information about how the two adversaries lived and fought. Peters Wells provides fascinating data about the development of the Germanic tribes from more peaceful pursuits to their increasing militarization in the wake of the Roman conquest of Gaul. Readers also learn much about the daily lives of the Roman soldiers, their battle tactics and how Arminius was able to stage his ambush to the best advantage of the weakness of the Romans. We learn how the Romans underestimated the Germans, believing that they were inferior warriors, the many invasions from that of Julius Caesar to Nero Claudius Drusus and Tiberius and the idea that claiming the Germans had been conquered was propaganda when the Romans had never been able to engage them in a pitched battle. Mr. Wells provides an excellent background of the establishment of the Rhine frontier and its fortifications. Mr. Wells has produced a well-written, sometimes riveting book about the massacre. The opening chapter, titled Ambushed, is an interesting piece of writing where the author places himself at the battle, vividly describing the action. The book goes on to describe the finding of the battle site, the topography and the importance of the German victory to the Germans of later times, like Martin Luther who gave Arminius the name Hermann when he began his own struggle against the Pope. Arminius and Varus are are the subjects of an in-depth portraits and Mr. Wells provides an admirable description of the development of German villages, their communications and the change in the tribes to producing more weapons and their importance to the men fighting the Romans. The highlight of the book is the detailed description of the battle of the Teutoburg Forest: how the Romans came to be ambushed and how the battle was conducted. The details of the battle are broken down step by step from the Romans entering the trap, the springing of the attack, the inability of the Romans to fight to their advantage, the slaughter of the three legions and the aftermath of the battle when the Germans sanctified the site. Mr. Wells provides as complete a view of this turning point battle as is possible relating the archaeological findings to the events of the battle and how the Roman world changed due to the dramatic loss of the three legions. This is a book aimed more for the general reader of history. There are chapters on life in Rome and a short biography of Augustus that provide thumbnail sketches. As someone whose reading is extensive in ancient history, I found this material a bit boring and skimmed through it. There are no footnotes but each chapter has a section of suggested further reading. My only complaint is that Mr. Wells quotes Tacitus and other authors but does not provide the citation in the works of those authors. I think if one is going to quote from Tacitus mention of

"Varus, give me back my Legions!"

The complete annihilation of three Roman Legions by Germanic tribesmen under Arminius in A.D. 9 is one of the most important military events in human history. The defeat caused the shocked Romans to give up any plans of further expansion beyond the Rhine, establishing the Rhine as a political and cultural boundary between Latin and Germanic Europe that has existed to this day. It also demonstrated to the world and to the Romans themselves that Rome was not invincible, instilling in them a fear of invasion from the north that became a paranoia, and it provided later German peoples with a source for legend and a national hero in Arminius, corrupted to Hermann. Mr. Wells has retold the story of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in detail, using information gathered by the latest archaeological efforts as well as contemporary accounts written by the great historians of antiquity. Wells describes the relationships between the protagonists, relating how Arminius had served as an Auxillary Officer with the Roman Army and so had learned their tactics and gained their leaders' trust. Each of the major characters of the book are introduced to the reader, and their life's experiences are delved into, providing a means for understanding their various actions during the battle and it's aftermath. The political and social environment of this period in history is explained, from the regal glory of Imperial Rome to the simple day to day existence of a soldier on the frontier or a Germanic tribesman. Wells vividly recreates the battle itself, describing how the Roman Legions were drawn into the trap, with thick forest on one side and a treacherous bog on the other, denied of room to maneuver and unable to use the tactics they had drilled and trained in, their weapons useless in such close quarters, and the sudden, terrifying attack of the Germans, completely overwhelming and slaughtering the trapped and helpless Romans. Finally, Wells summarizes the effects of the battle, such as halting Roman expansion, shattering the Roman ideology of superiority, and the cultural and economic growth of the Rhineland as the result of thousands of Roman soldiers being stationed along the new boundary. "The Battle That Stopped Rome" is a well researched and well presented account of a battle in antiquity whose effects can still be seen today, and should be a welcome addition to the library of any interested in history or archaeology.

An Excellent Book on Ancient Rome/Europe

Using the writings of ancient historians, as well as the results of recent archaeological excavations, the author reconstructs the legendary battle referred to in the book's title. But this book contains much more than a detailed educated reconstruction of that battle in all of its gory details; the author builds up to the battle by going back many years to show the evolution of the relationships between the Roman Empire and its neighboring peoples. The daily life of ancient Romans is discussed as well as that of the ancient Germans, in addition to their comparative ways of thinking, fighting, technology, etc. The pertinent highlights of the lives of Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, Arminius and other key historical figures are also well presented. The immediate aftermath of the battle is discussed, as are the effects on subsequent Roman-German relationships. The author writes very clearly, authoritatively and in a very engaging style which makes the information presented most accessible to the general reader. The book does contain a certain amount of repetition, as pointed out by a prior reviewer; however, in my opinion, this does not take away from the book's qualities. This is a valuable addition to the popular literature on the ancient world. A real page-turner that is highly recommended!