Enemies of Rome

The artists of Ancient Rome portrayed the barbarian enemies of the empire in sculpture, reliefs, metalwork and jewellery. Iain Ferris's revealing study of these remarkable images tells us a great deal about the barbarians, as well as Roman art and the Romans' view of themselves. He examines the literary and historical background to these works, and exposes the deep-seated fear of the barbarian or 'primitive' which lay at the heart of the Roman world. He analyses the development of an artistic tradition that reflected the increasing power of barbarians within the empire.