Little else is certain. Wells gives a masterful account of the events surrounding this resounding defeat, and suggests it is reason the culture of Europe differs sharply on the east and west sides of the Rhine. About 1,400 years later...more The Battle that Stopped Rome? Tell THAT to Caratacus!: One fact is certain: nine years after the birth of Christ, the Roman Empire was halted in its eastward expansion in northern Europe when the Germans destroyed three legions in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest.

Little else is certain. Wells gives a masterful account of the events surrounding this resounding defeat, and suggests it is reason the culture of Europe differs sharply on the east and west sides of the Rhine. About 1,400 years later, the Germans were crushed in the Battle of Grunwald; perhaps this is why the culture of East Europe and Russia differs sharply from central and western Europe.

It's tempting to attribute the success or failure of nations and empires to "great men" or "great battles," as if the outcome of a poker game hinges on the turn of one card rather than years of knowledge, skill, experience and daring. Real life is usually not so neat. Wells assumes the Roman legions, who were returning from a summer pacification campaign in Germany, blundered into a clever ambush.

But what if the legions had already been seriously weakened by running battles, similar to the British troops as they withdrew from Lexington and Concord in 1775? The British won 90 percent or more of the battles during the US War of Independence; but they over-reached in the campaign that led to their defeat at Yorktown. The Romans may have encountered their own "Yorktown" in the Teutoburg Forest, rather than a Cannae.

This book presents enough background detail to give readers any number of scenarios for the battle itself, and subsequent history. Wells offers one reasonable scenario; any intelligent reader will find enough material to suggest many alternatives. He claims, "It was a blow from which the empire never recovered." It's a pity he can't tell that to Caratacus when Rome conquered England in 43 AD.

Suppose the revolt led by Boadicea in 61 AD had succeeded in liberating England -- would this have been another turning point in history? This is the danger of the "Great Man" approach to history; Wells bases his book on the Roman commander, Publius Quinctilius Varus and the German leader, Arminius. He overlooks the broader social trends -- was the Roman defeat in Germany inevitable, which produced the invasion of England a generation later as a consolation prize? Or was the conqest of England inevitable, to plunder the resources needed to maintain a defensive position along the Rhine?

In brief . . . . . this book is fascinating, because it details a significant event in world history and allows every reader plenty of their own "what if" scenarios.

It's a great read....less