The Vandals: A Captivating Guide to the Barbarians That Conquered the Roman Empire During the Transitional Period from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages (Barbarians in the Ancient World)

Solid book covering a group that gets little coverage in history books other than a rep as the classic wild barbarian, destructive and animalistic. This text gives an alternate and more researched view. The Vandels were warriors, but also patrons of the arts and a people that adopted the trappings of the empire they are blamed for ending.Check it out.

Well researched history of one of the more famous (infamous?) tribal groups that participated in the dissolution of the western Roman Empire. As is usually the case the actual story of what they did and how they did it is substantially more rational and reasonable than their reputation.

Good review of the vandals, proving they were a lot different than history has painted them. This just proves that just like everyday life, don’t always accept the mainstream view, check it out yourself, the real truth might prove to enlightening.

Excellent. Really enjoyed the history! Highly recommend this book as a solid source for honest and true historical truth. Read it!

Whether you need a source for a school project or just something to read for fun, I highly recommend this book!

Like the Celts, the Vandals did not leave a written history behind.  Thus, they also suffer from the written records of their adversaries, who looked upon them unkindly.  It seems the Vandals emerged from Sweden and migrated with the Goths (a Germanic tribe) to take up residence in Silesia, part of modern-day Poland.They were farmers, who lived in small villages and were famous for their horsemanship skills and for their tooling of weapons.  In the 4th century, they accepted Christianity.  However, the Romans, who were Nicean Christians, thought the Aryan Christian-Vandals were heretics.During the tumultuous 5th century, the Vandals moved to Gaul (present-day France), one of Rome's provinces.  However, in 30 years, they migrated all the way to North Africa.  During this time, the Roman empire was in disarray.  The Vandals' crossing of the Mediterranean Sea is seen as a turning point in world history.  The Vandals were the first barbarians to invade Roman provinces in Africa, and Rome never recovered from the loss.  In 422, the Romans accepted the Vandals as a separate, independent empire who just happened to have taken over extensive lands in North Africa (including present-day Algeria, most of Tunisia, and some of Libya).  The Vandals also took most of the Roman merchant fleet and shipyards.  In 455, the Vandals turned their eyes toward Rome and sacked it without much trouble.As is so often the case, the leader who brings about great victories often spawns lesser rulers.  When Gaiseric died, lesser men replaced him and the kingdom decayed.  In 534, the Vandal kingdom collapsed and North Africa rejoined the Roman Empire.  This book makes an interesting statement to the effect that the Vandals were the most Romanized barbarians of them all.

The author is rather obsessed with cleaning up the perceived derogatory image of the Vandals as, well: 'vandals' .... and repeats the endeavour many times throughout the book.There are several mentions that the Vandals left no written records - but there is insistence that they appreciated poetry, and the arts!The primary basis for the comments and observations included in the book are attributed to Roman scribes, but their interpretation is acknowledges as questionable.Consequently - there is rather a lot of educated assumptions and guesswork as to their day-to-day lives, actions, aims and ideals.STILL - once again: this undertaking by 'Captivating' is interesting, easy to read and educational!

I received an advance copy of this book so that I could submit an early review. However, I volunteered to do early reviews because I really like the Captivating History series. The books are written on a wide variety of historical subjects. They are relatively short, but packed with information, so the reader can understand the subject without making a huge time commitment.This book discusses the Vandals, which I’ve always thought of as just one of those barbarian tribes that bit some chunks off the rotting carcass of the Roman Empire. This book adds a lot of depth, as it discusses their rise from being an insignificant people to a force to be reckoned with; their shifting alliances with Rome and with other tribes; and their eventual decay and disappearance. In the course of this, it also becomes clear that they were not just a marauding horde as they are pictured in most histories, which were written mostly by their enemies, as the Vandals left no written histories of their own. Definitely worth a read.

Very good book.

This books was very well written and although the sources are not traceable, it provides a good retelling of the deed of the vandals, their conquest and most important figures, as well as it’s cultural traditions.Good book for the little history known about the vandals