Tales of the Barbarians - Ethnography and Empire in the Roman West

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 lightTales of the Barbarians traces the creation of new mythologies in the wake of Roman expansion westward to the Atlantic. Providing a fresh perspective on the topic by examining passages from ancient writers in a new light, Woolf explores how ancient geography, local histories and the stories of wandering heroes were woven together by Greek scholars and local experts to establish a place for Celts and Spaniards, Africans and Britons in the classical world. The author also investigates the impact of Roman imperialism on those intellectual endeavours, the attempts to reconcile science and myth, and why ancient stereotypes have survived for ages.§Making use of comparisons with modern empires and the voyages of exploration, Woolf offers fascinating new insights into the creation of the first national traditions of Western Europe.