Terry Jones' Barbarians

Renowned as a member of Monty Python, Terry Jones also proved himself to be an unorthodox connoisseur of history with Terry Jones' Medieval Lives. Now, Professor Jones shows us once again that history can be fun.

Terry Jones' Barbarians takes a completely fresh approach to Roman history. No one nowadays would try to tell the story of the British Empire from the point of view of the British, but the story of the Roman Empire is still always told from the perspective of Rome. Well, not any more! This is the story of the Roman Empire as seen by the Britons, Gauls, Germans, Hellenes, Persians, and Africans. And suddenly, the Romans don't look all that familiar. In place of the propaganda pushed on us by the Romans, we'll see these people as they really were. The Vandals didn't vandalize—the Romans did. The Goths didn't sack Rome—the Romans did. Traversing the landscape of the Roman Empire, Terry Jones brings wit, irreverence, and the very latest scholarship to transform a history that seemed well past its sell-date. Terry Jones is most famous as a member of Monty Python; he has also directed a number of feature films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Life of Brian. Alan Ereira is an award-winning television producer and writer.