History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

My Absolute Favorite of the Attolia Books!
An awesome sequel
Bravo for The King of Attolia
Thief to King
Beautiful, smart, funny: Instant Classic

The King of Attolia
Megan Whalen Turner
Manufacturer: Greenwillow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 006083577X
Release Date: 2006-01-24

Book Description

By scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making. Attolia's barons seethe with resentment, the Mede emperor is returning to the attack, and the king is surrounded by the subtle and dangerous intrigue of the Attolian court.

When a naive young guard expresses his contempt for the king in no uncertain terms, he is dragged by Eugenides into the center of the political maelstrom. Like the king, he cannot escape the difficulties he makes for himself. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but he discovers a reluctant sympathy for Eugenides as he watches the newly crowned king struggle against his fate.

Fans of the Newbery Honor Book The Thief and The Queen of Attolia will recognize Megan Whalen Turner's signature plot twists and turns in the third exquisitely crafted tale about Eugenides.

Customer Reviews:

My Absolute Favorite of the Attolia Books!.......2007-10-09

Ok, I'm going to try to give out as few spoilers as possible for any of the Attolia books! Let's see how this goes.

King of Attolia is by far my favorite of all the Attolia books! In fact, it's one of my favorite books of all time. Romance, humor, action, court intrigue...what else could you want? While it has less of the action and quests aspect of the first two books, I think it's much more interesting in terms of the relationships between the characters.

This book is told through the eyes of Costis, a young palace guard who hates his new king. And why shouldn't he? The king is one-handed, incapable, and disrespectful. He must have gotten the queen to marry him through cunning and deceit, because they obviously don't love each other. But when Costis loses his temper with the new king, his "punishment" is to serve the king more intimately. Against his will, he begins to respect and even love his lord as he discoveres there really is MUCH more to the king than meets the eye. But will the rest of the court ever see the king for who he really is, or will he continue to play the incompetent fool forever? And can the country afford to have a king who seems so incompetent?

Eugenides is as mischievous and lovable as ever. However, while he's matured so much over the course of the series, he still can't quite shake off his former role of the Thief. Therefore, as usual, it's hard to figure out at first exactly how much of his act is reality. Although Attolia becomes more likeable in the second book, I didn't truly love her until this one. Here, you see both her strengths and her weaknesses, and you find that she is not nearly as cold as some have portrayed her as. In fact, she is a wonderful match for her new husband. Costis, Teleus, and Relius are all characters you come to appreciate and care about, despite their many faults. And while Eddis and the Magus don't play much of a role in the story, readers of the previous books will be glad to hear that they make a few brief appearances!

The ending of the book doesn't have the same surprising twist as the first two, but that doesn't make it any less powerful. And by no chance does it mean that there are any fewer layers of complexity. In fact, I would argue there are more. Out of the three books, this is the one I keep coming back to, and every time I discover something new.

There are lose ends to be tied up in The King of Attolia, though all the elements essential to the story have been wrapped up and it definitely doesn't feel like a cliffhanger. The author has confirmed that a fourth book is planned, though it may be awhile in coming. I can hardly wait!

An awesome sequel.......2007-08-24

Megan Whalen Turner seems to have mastered the trick of writing sequels worth of their predecessors. I loved The Thief, and The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia is just as awesome. The characters are complex, endearing, intelligent, and the plot is clever, satisfying, and unpredictable. Writing like this reminds me what we're capable of.

Bravo for The King of Attolia.......2007-08-22

Having read and loved The Thief and to be followed with all the marvelous and clever twists in the Queen of Attolia, I did not know if it was possible to be surprised, and satisfied by a third book with two amazing and original predecessors to top, although the twists in the Queen of Attolia gave us even more of a glimpse at Megan Whalen Turner's breadth. But happily I was EVEN MORE ENTHRALLED by the King of Attolia, as original and unpredictable as the first two, full of more sophistication and intrigue and hilarity. Megan Whelan Turner outdoes herself in continuing to expand on her characters: Eugenides, who is quirky and irreverent, ridiculous in feinging the idiot, but is brilliant nonetheless; and the Queen, who took off Eugenides' hand in the last book when he was captured, and is now his wife, is one whom we come to understand in her ruthlessness as a match for Eugenides and whom we come to love as we see the relationship of the King and Queen unfold under the scrutiny of the stuffy court as well as in private; Costis, poor pawn that he is, is likeable in his staunch loyalty and honor and who comes to love the King in the end. The unravelling and overcoming of the corruption in the Attolian court by the hand of Eugenides (in record time)with its unexpected outcomes is shear genius of writing.

Megan Whalen Turner is no lightwight fluff-writer, but a savvy writer who is at home in her element and understands her art. I was spellbound by the depth of Megan Whelan Turner's writing. The recurring theme of transformation, redemption and change of perceptions pervades the entire series. Our perceptions as readers turn topsy turvy and completely alter from one extreme to its complete and unexpected opposite as we were first introduced to Eugenides as a convict, dirty, uncultured gutter-spawn in the first book, The Thief, and who then is revealed throughout the series to be so much more, a member of the royal family of Eddis, a scholar, the Thief of His Majesty, the Queen of Eddis, only to find himself affecting a series of events, as a matter of State of (and of his unmitigated attraction and ironic love) to thus wed the beautiful Queen of Attolia, the woman who took off his hand, to become King of Attolia (this is such a clever version of the whole, sizzling arch enemy attraction thing which turns into a refreshingly different but touching love story.) In addition, change happens within the story as characters within the story change their perceptions of eachother turn topsy turvy as well. The Magus in the first book changes from enemy to respected friend. Costis like all other characters changes his perceptions of the king, from one guilty of possible treason, to loyal defender of the King. The Queen changes from bloodthirsty merciless sovereign (who again took off his hand) to a strong but tender wife, and one willing to compromise and grant mercy. And most of all, Eugenides, having gone through a transformation from handicapped idiot to king, not only redeems himself, but has the power to grant redemption to those around him. While life and people have dealt him a wicked blow, somehow, he in his unconventional way is able to get over it, "stop whining" and emerge on top. Megan Whelan Turner presents this them in a wholly uncliche and fresh manner and she makes my list of favorite authors, along with Stephanie Meyer and Jonathan Stroud.

My prediction (and hope) is that a 4th book must be coming since the issue of Sophos, the heir of Sounis in unresolved: he is still missing, captured or dead, and there was speculation that young Sophos may marry Eddis. If not, there ought to be another installment, and I hope there will be a whole string in the series to follow! Few series have been as satisfying! LONG LIVE THE KING!!!

Thief to King.......2007-08-08

This is the third book in a series. It is more sophisticated than the first novel and concerns politics more than the first two books. The Thief is presents a younger man who is concerned for himself. The Queen of Attolia move further away in focus, but deals with relationships. The King of Attolia moves even further away from Gen the thief. He has new responsibilites and concerns, but the reader is further separated from the character. This novel can be read without reading the first two, but they do put this book in perspective.

Beautiful, smart, funny: Instant Classic.......2007-08-01

After Megan Whalen Turner's Eugenides series, I have been spoiled for smart fantasy. Starting with the first book, The Thief, I was hooked, and finally struck gold after perusing "children's book" for my fantasy shelf.

The first book was first person, second was third but still focalized through Eugenides. The third takes the reader one more step backwards and shows our favorite thief through the eyes of a guardsman who has no respect for his new king, and slowly realizes the King's true mettle.

Exceptionally fine writing makes this third part a joy to read. As the events are narrated through Costis the guard, every act and word has a double, triple meaning, that clearly unfolds as the book progresses. The story shows us how carefully Eugenides wins over the court of Attolia, with seemingly ridiculous and even buffoonish tricks and ploys, and above all, infinite patience. His relationship with the Queen is touching and wry and one of the most beautiful love stories I've seen in a while, deftly done with none of the tired cliches that send "children" readers running rightfully away from "grownup" romance in their books.

Above all, The King of Attolia is FUNNY. Smart and funny, from Eugenides's machinations, to his conversations with Costis, the Queen, and his gods. The tone of the book is gentle mannerpunk, and as soon as I finished the whole series in an afternoon, I was reading it over again from the beginning.

When a book has made me laugh more than a dozen times from sheer joy, cry over injustice, then right it again so beautifully that it makes me want to read it again and again, I'd say: instant classic.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Average customer rating:

Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Average customer rating:

Lymond series No 2: brilliant but not for everyone
Plodding Through
Wonderfully pleasurable and eminently educational
Reviews paperback book, not content
Confusing

Queens' Play (Lymond Chronicles, 2)
Dorothy Dunnett
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 067977744X
Release Date: 1997-04-29

Book Description

For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.

Second in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Queen's Play follows Frances Crawford of Lymond who has been abruptly called into the service of Mary Queen of Scots. Though she is only a little girl, the Queen is already the object of malicious intrigues that extend from her native country to the court of France. It is to France that Lymond must travel, exercising his sword hand and his agile wit while also undertaking the most unlikely of masquerades, all to make sure that his charge's royal person stays intact.

Customer Reviews:

Lymond series No 2: brilliant but not for everyone.......2007-09-06

This is the second book in a series which you will either love or hate. It is also one of those multi-book series which must if at all possible be read in the right order, which is

1) The Game of Kings
2) Queen's Play
3) The Disorderly Knights
4) Pawn in Frankincense
5) The Ringed Castle
6) Checkmate

The Queen of the title is Mary Queen of Scots, a child ruler at the time of the story, with much of the action in Scotland and France relating to intrugues as to who will control the person of the young Queen.

There are two reasons why this series, and the author's similar "Niccolo" series, should be read in chronological order. The first is that the plots are incredibly complicated and if you read them out of sequence you have no chance of understanding what is going on. The second is that many of the characters meet their deaths in ways which are exceptionally unpleasant both for themselves and for the characters who survive them.

I made the mistake of reading one of the later books first. When I came to read this one, advance knowledge of how an important character in this book is going to die, and how Lymond is going to find out about it, seriously affected the pleasure I would otherwise have had in reading the passage when they meet for the first time in "Queen's Play".

Like the books, the central character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, is brilliant, violent, and extremely complicated. Unlike the books he is very flawed. Lymond is a mercenary with particular interests in Scotland and France, and gets involved in nefarious deeds all over the world as 16th century Europeans knew it. Dunnett brings the splendour, cultural ferment, and violent cruelty of the Renaissance world splendidly to life.

If you are at all squeamish, or do not like having to make your brain work overtime to follow a book, leave this series alone. Lymond's story is neither "chewing gum for the brain" nor a comfortable read. And even if you prefer flawed heroes to knights in shining armour, Lymond may infuriate you from time to time. But if you can put up with these features, these books will richly reward the effort you make in reading them.

There is no middle ground: you will either hate the Lymond series or recognise these books as one of the greatest works of historical fiction ever written. Or very possibly both !

Plodding Through.......2007-07-26

I'm almost done with book 2 of the Lymond Chronicles and so far I've realized that Lymond is moody, manic-depressive, an alcoholic and highly intelligent. I couldn't be his woman. Actually, so far he hasn't had any serious relationships with anyone, just sex with [...] and one night stands with court people that are vaguely mentioned. The relationship with Christian Stewart in book 1 was very sweet and tender but purely platonic - however I know she had his heart.

I'll keep reading and see what more I learn of him. As a character he is interesting. This particular book - book II - is not my favorite. I am only reading it in hopes (and from reading reviews) that the rest of the series is better. I don't want to miss anything by skipping this one so I am forcing my way through. The most interesting part of forcing my way through are the tidbits I pick up on his character. The plot/story line of the book is not interesting at all to me.

I enjoyed book 1 after I got about 100 pages into it and after putting it down and picking it up for a second time.

Wonderfully pleasurable and eminently educational.......2007-03-10

Utterly fascinating from cover to cover as a novel, while the research backing up even the smallest detail commands an admiration bordering on awe. It is a book that I will re-read several times.

Reviews paperback book, not content.......2005-09-01

I have heard great reviews of this author from friends, so I set out to buy one of her books. The paperback version of this book is so offensively ugly no one should buy it. The type bleeds so the letters are fuzzy, and the overall impact is negative. I haven't looked at the hardbound version, but don't buy the paperback version - get it from the library if you want to read this book. No publisher should get away with this kind of product. No author should put up with it, and no reader should buy it.

Confusing.......2002-11-25

I hate to be a spoil sport since so many comments about Dunnett have been so effusive- however, I have to be honest and admit that I just don't get it. The plot lines are very confusing and the characters are not well enough developed to identify with. In Game of Kings Lymond communicates solely by spouting erudite witticisms in various languages. Every uttered sentence is either joking, tongue in cheek or nebulous in some way. I never felt for one moment that I understood this character. In fact, there is almost a comical aspect of the larger-than-life adventures that undermines the historical accuracy. Another problem is that Dunnett uses a lexicon that is so archaic and erudite that it becomes annoying after a while. I never thought that I would ever feel this way about a book since I love a good challenging read. This is over the top! I started reading this series in the sincere hope that I would discover something as wonderful and entrancing as the Patric O'Brian novels, I have been sorely disappointed. To tell the truth, I had to stop reading Queen's Play after the first few chapters.

Average customer rating:

Slow Going
ANOTHER WINNER FROM ONE OF THE BEST HISTORIANS EVER
Decent historical analysis
An attempted read
If Women Ran The World...

Warrior Queens, The
Antonia Fraser
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394549392
Release Date: 1989-03-04

Customer Reviews:

Slow Going.......2006-06-08

For all the exalted reputation Lady Antonia Fraser enjoys as a historian and writer, I expected this work to be far more informative and entertaining than it actually was. Despite her fascinating subject, Lady Fraser manages to flog it to death with endless historical references, obscure citations and literary allusions. I found the text to be so cluttered up and bogged down with arcane details and research notes that the actual subject matter was obscured by the author's very erudition. In a word: BORING. I hoped that after determinedly slogging through two opening chapters of explication and introduction, the body of the book pertaining to the fascinating women selected to represent history's Warrior Queens would pick up speed and capture my fast fading interest. Nope. Ponderous at best, the writing never seems to catch fire and I found myself hoping the next chapter would be better than the one I was reading. This is slow going and fails to reward the reader who actually gets through it. The last chapter of "summation" just repeats quotations and points made throughout the main text. Very disappointing and far from Lady Fraser's best effort. This more closely resembles the senior thesis of a graduate who has spent too much time in the library than the sparkling historical depiction of female political and military leaders throughout time which I was hoping to find.

ANOTHER WINNER FROM ONE OF THE BEST HISTORIANS EVER.......2005-10-02

Antonia Fraser superbly writes about Boadicea of Great Britain, Catherine the Great of Russia, Elizabeth the First of England, Queen Isabella of Spain, the Rani of Jhansi, and the obscure Queen Jinga of Angola. All are delineated with grace and fervour and this book is another welcome addition to the opus of Lady Antonia Fraser. It is very highly recommended.

Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA

Decent historical analysis.......2004-01-23

This is not a pop-history book. I picked this book up expecting it to be a very easy read but was surprised when I found myself reading through a book that would not have been out of place in any of my college history courses. Fraser has painted a very fascinating picture of various warrior queens around the world. Though at times, the narrative drags through her meticulous statement of facts, that is to be expected. I was very disappointed at her omission of the Egyptian pharaoh-queen Hatshepsut, however. Nevertheless, the women that she picks to include in her analysis make up a very good overview of the various warrior queens throughout the world and through time. It was an extremely interesting read and I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in historical women as well as the the patience to read a (mostly) scholarly work.

An attempted read.......2003-12-28

Perhaps I expected more from this book than was present, but I could hardly get through the first few chapters and I am an avid historic biography reader. I found her methods tiresome and boring, having the preference to recite found facts rather than compile and share, she reads like a card catalog. I now know exactly what to read if I do wish to learn something of these women she eludes to, but after having put this book down, I feel I am less wise to the subjects then when I started. I need a chronological telling of a person and their movement, not a forty-three page explanation of exactly who has written such things in the past. Perhaps, I stopped reading three or four chapters before it got good, but I doubt it. I was very disappointed.

If Women Ran The World..........2003-06-21

Let this scene from the revolt of Boudicca fire your imagination: "the captured Roman women had their breasts sliced off and sewn to their faces so it would appear they were eating them; then they were skewered alive and strung up longways." No surprise that the career of Margaret Thatcher inspired this work.

Warrior Queen: The Story of Boudica, Celtic Queen

Average customer rating:

Excellent read!
Oh, please...
Boudica history
Amazing, bloody, and brutal
Excellent Heroine Story

Warrior Queen: The Story of Boudica, Celtic Queen
Alan Gold
Manufacturer: NAL Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451215257

Book Description

Meticulously researched and imaginatively wrought, Warrior Queen is the sweeping epic of a flame-haired woman who would dare to challenge the vicious might of the Roman Empire-and whose name would echo throughout history.

In 43 A.D., Boudica became the queen of a Celtic tribe-and a Roman sympathizer. But after years of loyal service to the Empire, she would find herself brutally betrayed. With the conviction of a hero and the courage of a warrior, she united the Celts against their enemy. The fury of her unleashed vengeance threw the Roman forces into chaos, made her a goddess to her own people-and carried her into the history books as a true heroine of the British people.

Now, Alan Gold retells the story of Boudica in a novel that embraces all the fiery passion and intrigue of the Warrior Queen.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent read!.......2007-10-06

This was an excellent recounting of the story. The author seemed to have done thorough research and has a good understanding of the culture that existed at the time. I would highly recommend reading this book!

Oh, please..........2007-04-07

As an ordained druid priestess, I'll be the first to admit that the amount we actually know about the ancient druids fills about 2 pages, and some of that was written by the romans themselves. Not exactly the best source for information. Everything else is speculation based on a few fragmentary references in Greek, Latin, and medieval Irish writings. What did the druids actually practice? Nobody knows!! So why try to create rituals for them in this book? Yes, OK, it's fiction. I get that. But gods, Cornwell did it SO much better in his Warlord Chronicles. I guess I'm spoiled by an actual author who IS a meticulous researcher.

Two stars (WHICH I CAN'T SEEM TO EDIT, HELLO???) instead of 0 for the roman bits that are correct. Everything else is completely fiction. I also rated this low for hokiness. Some of the dialogue is so ridiculous.

Boudica history.......2007-01-18

This historical fiction novel brings to life the 1st century, AD, when Claudius and Nero were emperors of Rome, and Britain was being conquered by them. Assuming that the factual portions of the story are correct, he has done a good job of weaving a story around what facts remain about the rise and fall of Boudica. The way of life of the Celts are dramatized into a very readable book. I give this book a 4 star rating, mostly based on the enjoyment of experiencing life in the 1st century.

Amazing, bloody, and brutal.......2006-11-16

I love historical-fiction books about the ancient times and that is why I bought this book. The cover grabbed my attention and the synopsis on the back grabbed everything else. This was one. good. book! So good infact that after I was finished I started doing a search on the Web to find out more about Boudicia. I highly recommed this book yall!!

Excellent Heroine Story.......2006-08-12

Love the story of a great female warrior in history. Alan Gold has a way of captivating the reader. Looking for more of his books.

Dreaming the Eagle (Scott, Manda. Boudica Trilogy.)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Start to a Wonderful Series
Great Book
Great idea, not such great writing
Historical novels don't have to be this boring
Good Historical Fiction

Dreaming the Eagle (Scott, Manda. Boudica Trilogy.)
Manda Scott
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385336705
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Book Description

Dreaming the Eagle is the first part of the gloriously imagined epic trilogy of the life of Boudica.

Boudica means Bringer of Victory (from the early Celtic word “boudeg”). She is the last defender of the Celtic culture in Britain; the only woman openly to lead her warriors into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome -- and triumph.

It is 33 AD and eleven-year-old Breaca (later named Boudica), the red-haired daughter of one of the leaders of the Eceni tribe, is on the cusp between girl and womanhood. She longs to be a Dreamer, a mystical leader who can foretell the future, but having killed the man who has attacked and killed her mother, she has proven herself a warrior. Dreaming the Eagle is also the story of the two men Boudica loves most: Caradoc, outstanding warrior and inspirational leader; and Bàn, her half-brother, who longs to be a warrior, though he is manifestly a Dreamer, possibly the finest in his tribe’s history. Bàn becomes the Druid whose eventual return to the Celts is Boudica’s salvation.

Dreaming the Eagle is full of brilliantly realised, luminous scenes as the narrative sweeps effortlessly from the epic -- where battle scenes are huge, bloody, and action-packed -- to the intimate. Manda Scott plunges us into the unforgettable world of tribal Britain in the years before the Roman invasion: a world of druids and dreamers and the magic of the gods where the natural world is as much a character as any of the people who live within it, a world of warriors who fight for honour as much as victory, a world of passion, courage and spectacular heroism pitched against overwhelming odds.

Dreaming the Eagle stunningly recreates the roots of a story so powerful its impact has lasted through the ages.

Download Description

Dreaming the Eagle is the first part of the gloriously imagined epic trilogy of the life of Boudica. Boudica means Bringer of Victory (from the early Celtic word "boudeg"). She is the last defender of the Celtic culture in Britain; the only woman to lead her warriors openly into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome -- and triumph.

It is 33 AD and eleven-year-old Breaca (later named Boudica), the red-haired daughter of one of the leaders of the Eceni tribe, is on the cusp between girlhood and womanhood. She longs to be a Dreamer, a mystical leader who can foretell the future, but having killed the man who attacked and killed her mother, she has proven herself a warrior.

Dreaming the Eagle is also the story of the two men Boudica loves most: Caradoc, outstanding warrior and inspirational leader; and BÃƒÂ n, her half-brother, who longs to be a warrior, though he is manifestly a Dreamer, possibly the finest in his tribe's history. Bàn becomes the Druid whose eventual return to the Celts is Boudica's salvation.

Dreaming the Eagle is full of brilliantly realized, luminous scenes as the narrative sweeps effortlessly from the epic -- where battle scenes are huge, bloody, and action-packed -- to the intimate. Manda Scott plunges us into the unforgettable world of tribal Britain in the years before the Roman invasion: a world of druids and dreamers and the magic of the gods where the natural world is as much a character as any of the people who live within it, a world of warriors who fight for honor as much as victory, a world of passion, courage and spectacular heroism pitched against overwhelming odds.

Dreaming the Eagle stunningly recreates the roots of a story so powerful its impact has lasted through the ages.

“[Scott’s] characters are so true to life that they all but jump off the page, and the story is alive with the love, deceit, wisdom and heroics of humanity. Read it and enjoy!”
   JEAN M. AUEL

“Manda Scott has created a fictional universe all of her own, but close enough to our reality for it both to warm and break our hearts. Breathtakingly good, it reveals the best and worst in all of us.”
    VAL McDERMID

“A stunning feat of the imagination and an absolute must-read for lovers of historical fiction.”
    STEVEN PRESSFIELD, AUTHOR OF TIDES OF WAR AND GATES OF FIRE

“Definitely not a tired old retelling of a legend, this novel is beautifully written and lovingly told, filled with drama and passion.... Highly recommended.”
   LIBRARY JOURNAL

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Start to a Wonderful Series.......2007-08-29

Manda Scott gives us an exciting and heart-wrenching beginning to her Boudica series with "Dreaming the Eagle." These characters are real and believable and true Celts portrayed with archaeological detail and immense emotional depth. The dreamers and warriors who inhabit their world with bravery and wonder are amazing characters you won't soon forget. The whole series is as wonderful as this first book and your love for Breaca, Airmid, Ban, and Caradoc will only grow as you travel through their difficult times and uplifting relationships with them.

Great Book.......2007-06-01

I'll admit, not many 13-year-olds are going to be reading this book, especially considering that it is an adult book, but it is an amazing piece of literature!

True, the plot may be slightly difficult to understand, at least for me, but it is really, really good. It took me about three months to read, and usually a book of that size takes me a week, max, but that was because, for it to really pull me into it, i needed some time, as in an uninterupted hour or more, to read it. (Sorry for the run-on sentence!)

Some of the content may be considered "for adults only" by many people, such as when, towards the end of the book Breaca sleeps with a man to whom she is not married, but we all know enough about that by the time we turn 13, and if we don't, then we need to learn.

Altogether, I say that this is a book well worth the price and time it takes to read and I say we should all propose a toast of long life to Manda Scott for writing this beautiful series!

Great idea, not such great writing.......2005-11-07

I really loved the premise for this book. What could be better than the life story of a warrior queen who defended her people from the Romans? I expected this book to be somewhat like the Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie, and so I was excited to read it.

Unfortunately the book proved to be a disappointment.

This book, quite frankly, is boring. Nothing that happens in it is described in a way to be exciting and the culture of Breaca (Boudica of the title) is never really explained, the author just seems to expect the reader to know a lot about pre-roman British culture.

Which of course the average reader does not.

Because of this the book is confusing and vague at times and just plain boring at others. Other complaints: way too much time is spent talking about how much all the characters love their horses, and the romance is never really explored that well.

I still may read the next book in this series, but only if I can get it cheaply. Over all, if you want a good book about a warrior woman fighting back against Rome, read The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie.

Historical novels don't have to be this boring.......2005-10-24

I was given this book for my birthday and since I like historical novels, I thought I might enjoy it. Oh, well! I was incredibly bored for the first 400 pages. The main focus seemed to be more about the attachment of Ban to his mare than anything else. The story finally got going right at the end. Maybe the author or the publisher realized they better get readers interested again or no one would buy the sequel. If you're willing to wade through four hundred pages of plodding plot, a dubious interpretation of the life and times of a celtic villager 2000 years ago, plus characters who all seem very similar and unrealistically mature for their teenage years, this is the book for you. Ms. Scott's writing itself is polished and enjoyable to read, but I think she should have written a fantasy novel, which she seems good at, instead of trying to pass this half-baked story off as historical. There are much better novels written about this period in time.

Good Historical Fiction.......2005-07-03

Many people have written reviews for this book saying that it isn't historically accurate. I personally don't know much about pre-Roman Britain. I'm pretty sure *most* people don't know much about pre-Roman Britain, and I think that's one of the things Manda Scott is trying to prove with this series of books. Much of the culture was an oral history, and has since been lost. Perhaps not everything Scott does is historically accurate, but to me, everything seems plausible.

In any case, most of what is known about pre-Roman Britain is conjecture, and Scott weaves a good story out of the assumptions and beliefs she has.

As the first book in a projected series of four, Dreaming the Eagle sets up the basis of the rest of the books. Everything that happens in this story is fiction, as no one knows much about Boudica before the Romans began writing about her. The Romans, for the most part, aren't even in this book. It's more about the tribal relations existing in Britain at the time. Yes, there is a great deal of mysticism that seems to draw a lot on a mixture of Celtic myth and Native American folklore, which may or may not be realistic.

The story itself I really like. It's slower than some and takes a while to get moving, as it is mainly an introduction. But it's very well-written and promises a great deal of character development in the future of the series. I particularly like Ban, who also has a major role in the sequel, and Caradoc, who seems to be the "typical hero" but really isn't.

Overall, the book is easy to read, and certainly holds a person's interest.

Average customer rating:

Still One of England's Heroines
Review of Boudicca
Getting through the first part of the book is worth it for the rest.
a few interesting observations, otherwise tainted
A Scholarly Work of History and Archaeology

Boudicca: The Warrior Queen
M. J. Trow
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0750933860

Book Description

This vivid and bloodthirsty tale explores the true story of the woman who took on the might of the greatest power of the ancient world and nearly drove it out of part of its empire.

Customer Reviews:

Still One of England's Heroines.......2006-07-22

Between AD 61 and AD 63 Boudicca led the Iceni in a glorious but bloody war against the Romans. The Iceni had submitted their kingdom in East Anglia to the all conquering forces of the Roman legions under the rule of Claudius as long ago as AD43.

IN AD 61 Boudicca's husband Prasutagus, King of the Iceni, died. In a dispute that followed Boudicca was publicly flogged and her two daughter's raped.

The tribe were insulted and rose in a revolt led by their queen Boudicca. The uprising was so successful that the might of the Roman army was almost defeated, but the finely honed military skills of the Legion's finally brought the revolt to an end and roman rule was established.

If the revolt by the Iceni had been successful, perhaps the Romans would have been driven out of Britain for ever.

Boudicca's name lives on and she is still one of Britain's greatest heroines.

Review of Boudicca.......2006-07-19

I found the book very informitave not dry yet sensitive
to the plight of Celtic Britan. The working backwords is paramount as the only sources for the
Boudiccdan revolt were Roman and extracting and interplating
information from the prejudices of Roman society had towards
women is extreamly valuable. Also the knowledge of the Roman emperiors of the period has caused interest in these
personalities which will promt more research on my part.
Extreamly inlightening reading.

Getting through the first part of the book is worth it for the rest........2006-05-18

Although the first third of Trow's scholarly work on Boudicca is somewhat dry, it does set the stage for the facinating other two thirds. Because what little written record there is comes to us from Boudicca's enemies, it is necessary for the author to examin the times in which she lived and the religion she practiced.

Only the uneducated would not already realize that Christian holidays are based on more ancient Pagan holidays celebrated by the peoples missionaries converted. To say that the author has an axe to grind because he mentions this fact is a bit of an overstatement. The book is full of factual information where fact can be discerned and the information regarding Pagan religions is accurate.

It is unfortunate that what information we have about this ancient woman does not appear in history books of general disscemination such as school text books. The fact that a woman put up such a valliant fight to drive the Romans out of Britain should be more common knowledge.

a few interesting observations, otherwise tainted.......2006-01-23

The author, M.J. Trow reminded me of too many college professors and instructors. Their expertise is often ordinary, their objectivity highly suspect. Historians should strive to excise their personal ideology and biases or at least hide them well enough to preserve their own credibility.

For example, this book had no less than 5 hostile references to Christianity, although the era was pagan and the major players in the story were pagan. Christianity was nothing more than a peculiar little Jewish sect at the time, and yet Trow can barely contain his disdain for it. Christians "stole" the date of Christmas (p. 82), "invented the devil" (p. 83), consider women "the embodiment of evil" (p. 195) and "corrupted the Jewish god, Yahweh" (p. 213).

Trow's understanding of Boudicca is necessarily limited as is every other historians' because the only sources we have that discuss her are Roman. However, Trow's understanding of Christianity is woefully ignorant.

Beware of academics with an ax to grind, their credibility is the first to go.

A Scholarly Work of History and Archaeology.......2005-06-18

Despite this book's title, the author's focus is mainly on ancient Britain and its peoples in the face of Roman invasion. The author is very careful in pointing out what is known, what is legend, what is not known and what can never be known about Boudicca and the people of Britain during that period. The sources of the information presented are clearly stated as are the shortcomings of those sources. The author writes clearly and much of the text is very detailed. A reader expecting to read about details in the life of Boudicca will be disappointed. However, a reader seriously interested in history and archaeology will find much valuable information here. A few maps to illustrate the geographical locations of the various tribes and where important events took place would have been very useful.

Average customer rating:

Woman of Victory

Boudica: Iron Age Warrior Queen
Richard Hingley , and Christina Unwin
Manufacturer: Hambledon & London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1852854383
Release Date: 2005-04-14

Book Description

Boudica, queen of the Iceni, led a famous revolt against Roman rule in Britain in AD 61, sacking London, Colchester and St. Albans and throwing the province into chaos. Although then defeated by the governor, Suetonius Paulinus, her rebellion sent a shock wave across the empire. Who was this woman who defied Rome? Boudica is an account of what we know about the real woman from classical literature and the archaeological evidence. It also traces her extraordinary posthumous career as the earliest famous woman in British history. Since the Renaissance she has been seen as harridan, patriot, freedom fighter and feminist, written about in plays and novels, painted and sculpted, and recruited to many causes.

Customer Reviews:

Woman of Victory.......2007-04-07

This book could not be given enough stars. It takes a fascinating episode in history, the revolt of the Queen of the Iceni of Britain in AD 60-61, and looks at it from historical, archaeological, literal, and mythical points of view. It shows how Boudica has went from simply the best-remembered of many contemporary British female warlords to variously being portrayed as a sadistic villian, a feminist hero, and a champion of British nationalism and politics. Overall, the book examines the real Boudica's role in history and her subsequent impact on modern Britain in a manner that is both informative and enjoyable to read. Extremely highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Boudica Britannia
Miranda Aldhouse-Green
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1405811005

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