School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-8-Using well-documented original sources and archaeological research, Hinds tells the story of people not always given a voice, expanding the ancient world beyond Rome, Greece, Egypt, and China. Calling people Barbarians, however, foreshadows an issue of perspective in a number of the volumes. "Barbarian," as explained in the introduction to each volume, derives from the Greek for people who did not understand their language and thus were viewed as uncivilized. Unfortunately, though the introduction claims that these people were civilized in their own ways, the lives of the subjects are revealed mainly in relation to the Greco-Roman world, and more focus is put on the battles and conflicts fought with the Romans, Greeks, or Persians than on what kinds of lives these "Barbarians" led. The exception is Vikings, which takes much from the Norse sagas and other sources to create a fascinating, accurate look at these people at the height of their power. The texts are interspersed with historical paintings, photos of period sculptures and other objects, as well as artists' renderings. Whole-page boxes detail specifics such as religion, archaeological discoveries, and fighting techniques. Each volume includes sources for all quotes, which make these books great choices for research, and they're accessible enough to grab general readers.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
