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Secret History

Lost Legions of Varus

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Websites

This website contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

The Kalkriese Dig
www.geschichte.uni-osnabrueck.de/projekt/index.html
Shows the actual site where Varus' remains were uncovered. Unfortunately it's in German but the site contains many excellent pictures, maps, coins, plans and stratigraphic drawings; in addition most of the sections are cross-referenced with useful articles so it's very much worth a look.

Arminius and the Cherusci
www.runestone.org/armin.html
A detailed account of the history of the Cherusci and Arminius. The account here differs from the programme, even suggesting that Varus was tipped off about Arminius' impending rebellion but trusted the Romanised German. The account continues with the Germanicus expedition six years later, and looks at how Arminius' tactical brilliance on this campaign was hindered by tribal in-fighting and the warrior's eventual demise.

An Illustrated History of the Roman Empire
www.roman-empire.net
Comprehensive site on all things Roman with interactive maps of Rome, Roman Italy and the Empire and chapters on everything from society, the founding of Rome, the Republic and early emperors to the decline and fall and the establishment of Constantinople. The Army page contains good photos of soldiers of all ranks, and other pages on legionary equipment and the layout of camps are also good.

The British Museum
www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/world/rome/rome.html
Excellent museum that houses artefacts from Roman Britain and the Empire. The site has a navigation aid called compass which allows you to search for specific items in the collection. Under Roman Army you can see the bronze bust of Germanicus, the general who found the bones of the lost legions, a bronze military diploma and a statuette of a legionary.

Roman Architecture
http://harpy.uccs.edu/roman/html/romarch.html
Site containing photos of all types of Roman architecture varying from famous sites in Rome like Trojan's Markets and the Forum to views of the ruins at Pompeii. There is also a page concerned with key Roman construction techniques - walls, vaults and columns.

Archaeological Field Reports
www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/3086/roman.html
Contains field reports from Roman archaeological sites all over the world. In Italy, for example, there are twelve reports ranging from digs at the villa of the Roman poet Horace, the reconstruction of a ship at Lake Nemi and an excellent site showing photos, drawings, archeometric tables and explanations of the amphorae uncovered at Monte Testaccio in Rome.

Migration Map of German Tribes
www.rootsweb.com/~wggerman/map/germantribes.htm
A map of Europe charting the invasions of the Huns, Vandals and Visigoths into the Roman Empire, four hundred years after Arminius' bid for freedom.

The Ermine Street Guard
www.esg.ndirect.co.uk/
The Guard is the leading UK society dedicated to researching the Roman Army and the reconstruction of Roman armour and equipment. Browse the website for photos and details of the Guard's public demonstrations, which occasionally feature Roman cavalry and the firing of ballista.

Books

Tacitus: The Agricola and the Germania by Cornelius Tacitus (Penguin Books, 1970) £6.99
Classic history of Rome's British and German campaigns written by the most eminent Roman historian of the period, in this case 70 years later. Although Roman at heart, Tacitus was surprisingly even-handed in his descriptions and the incidental detail provided by this witty, passionate and wry historian is fascinating. The Germania, too, contains an exhaustive description of all the German tribes and customs.

The Roman Army at War 100 BC - AD 200 by Adrian K Goldsworthy (Clarendon Press, 1998) £16.99
The author examines the way the Roman army waged war and attempts to paint a terrifying picture of what actually happened during a battle looking at tactics, leadership and morale.

Everyday Life in Ancient Rome by Lionel Casson (The John Hopkins University Press, 1999) £12.50
An evocative study of the average Roman; when he got up, when he ate, how he earned a living and why a career in the army was greatly sought after, in spite of the dangers.

The Roman Army by Peter Connolly (MacDonald Educational Ltd, 1975) US Edition only, available through online bookshops.
Well-illustrated book on all aspects of the Roman Army, recruitment, marching and camping, frontier defences, siege tactics and military engineering.

Roman Army: Wars of the Empire by Graham Sumner (Brassey's UK, 2000) £12.99
Contrary to popular belief, Ancient Roman warriors served in a wide variety of armour and equipment. As this book shows, the development of Roman arms and armour mirrored the influence of foreign example on the Roman legionary, until ultimately he differed little in dress from his adversaries.

Germanic Warrior by Simon Macdowall (Osprey, 2000) £9.99
The Germanic warrior was perhaps the most important player in the process of evolution from classical to feudal society. This volume offers an overview of the motivations, lifestyles and evolution of these people, looking at how individual soldiers lived and fought. It focuses particularly on the men who made up the retinues of the Germanic warlords, who carved kingdoms out of the carcass of the West Roman Empire.

Encyclopaedia of Guerrilla Warfare by Ian Beckett (ABC Clio, 2000) £14.99.
Provides a long-term perspective on the conflicts, wars, revolts, theories, movements, countries, and personalities involved throughout the transition from traditional guerrilla warfare to modern insurgency.

America and Guerrilla Warfare by Anthony James Joes (University Press of Kentucky, 2000) £23.95
Looks at America's 200-year involvement in guerrilla warfare by studying numerous campaigns, including those staged by Confederate units during the civil war and the American experience in Vietnam. The author presents the combination of elements that can lead a nation to success in guerrilla warfare, or doom it to failure.

Biographies

Alexander the Great by John Warry (Osprey, January 2001) £11.99
Examines the principal battles of Alexander's campaigns in detail. The battles of Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, Hydaspes and the siege of Tyre are investigated as well as Alexander's winning strategies, in particular the combination of armoured infantry phalanx with cavalry.

Caesar: A history of the art of war among the Romans down to the end of the Roman Empire by Theodore Ayrault Dodge (De Capo Press, 1997) £30
Looks at the Gallic campaigns that established Julius Caesar as one of the greatest military commanders of all time.

The Reign of Richard the Lion Heart by Ralph V Turner and Richard R Heiser (Longman, 2000) £16.99
Described as a ground-breaking new study that considers Richard's reign from a perspective that is as much French as English. Viewing the king himself as a great military commander, the book also shows him as a more competent administrator than previously acknowledged.

The Letters of Henry VIII, 1526-1529 by Tim Coates (Stationery Office Books, March 2001) £6.99
From 1527 to 1530 Henry VIII's control of English affairs forged the most fundamental changes in the history of the country. His relationship with Anne Boleyn; the powerful interplay of the kings in Europe, the holy Roman Emperor in Spain and the Pope in Rome; his campaign to divorce Katherine, his wife of 20 years; the belittling of Cardinal Wolsey and eventually his break from the Church of Rome, are all the subject of this collection of letters.

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte by Robert B Asprey (Little Brown, 2000) £25
Seeks to present Napoleon's life within the appropriate military context.

Trotsky: The eternal revolutionary by Dmitri Volkogonov (HarperCollins, 1997) £14.99
This biography describes Trotsky's career as a revolutionary before World War I and his roles successively as chief organiser of the October Revolution, military hero of the Russian civil war and outspoken critic of the Stalinist style of leadership.

Mao Zedong by Delia Davin (Sutton Publishing, 1997) £4.99
Biography of the first chairman of the People's Republic of China, one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party, and the architect of the Cultural Revolution. The Great Leap Forward, which he initiated was, however, a disaster resulting in millions of deaths. Mao used the Cultural Revolution to re-impose his authority, his critics were persecuted and a personality cult was fostered.

Ho Chi Minh by William J Duiker (Hyperion, April 2001) £25
Comprehensive biography that reveals details of Ho's role in planning the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Tet Offensive, and other crucial engagements, plus the extent of his involvement in the horrific land-reform campaigns of the 1950s.

Introduction

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Leading lights

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