Tales of the Barbarians

Tales of the Barbarians traces the creation of new mythologies in the wake of Roman expansion westward to the Atlantic, and offers the first application of modern ethnographic theory to ancient material. Investigates the connections between empire and knowledge at the turn of the millennia, and the creation of new histories in the Roman West Explores how ancient geography, local histories and the stories of wandering heroes were woven together by Greek scholars and local experts Offers a fresh perspective by examining  passages from ancient writers in a new light

Translations Used Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Telling Tales on the Middle Ground 8 Chapter 2: Explaining the Barbarians 32 Chapter 3: Ethnography and Empire 59 Chapter 4: Enduring Fictions? 89 Notes 119 References 146 General Index 164 Index of Main Passages Discussed 168