Looking for sanctuary in the Roman Empire, the Goths were betrayed and then they sacked Rome.
The Mongols pioneered a style of warfare that still inspires strategists. Skilled horsemen, their speed and tactics shook their adversaries into confusion. Watch as the great Genghis Khan develops his skills until he is unstoppable.
Mongol leader Genghis Khan (1162-1227) rose from humble beginnings to establish the largest land empire in history. After uniting the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China. His descendents expanded the empire even further, advancing to such far-off places as Poland, Vietnam, Syria and Korea. At their peak, the Mongols controlled between 11 and 12 million contiguous square miles, an area about the size of Africa. Many people were slaughtered in the course of Genghis Khan’s invasions, but he also granted religious freedom to his subjects, abolished torture, encouraged trade and created the first international postal system. Genghis Khan died in 1227 during a military campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. His final resting place remains unknown.
The Huns, under Attila, attack the Roman Empire.
From out of the north the Vikins raid from Arabia to the New World.
The Vandals ransack Gaul and sweep into Spain.
The most brutal of the barbaian hordes, the Lombards.
The Saxons rampage along the British coast.
Witness the birth of a barbaian empire.
The Roman Empire seemed destined to conquer the world. Their relentless march was tested time and again against the unorthodox weaponry of the Celtic and Germanic Barbarian hordes. Join Peter Woodward and his Conquest team as they explore the weapons and strategies employed by the Barbarians to stand and triumph against the Roman tide.
This program begins by tracing the development of cutting edges from obsidian flakes to the the latest high tech ceramic. Then the process of making swords and the design trade offs for their various purposes are examined in detail. Finally, the design and manufacture of axes and knives are contrasted with the more challenging demands of swordsmithing.
