‘The Enemies of Rome’ shows the underdogs’ view of the empire
The dust jacket illustration of the U.S. edition of Stephen Kershaw’s new book “The Enemies of Rome: The Barbarian Rebellion Against the Roman Empire” – unnamed by Pegasus Books – is a detail from Lionel Royer’s 1896 painting “Germanicus Before the Remains of the Legions of Varus,” which is an odd choice on one level. Surely for a book about ancient Rome’s centuries-long struggle with a succession of alien invaders, Royer’s far more famous 1899 painting “Vercingetorix Throws Down his
