“It was a hot summer, the ground was dry, and as the troops marched, they raised a huge cloud of dust.” The march lasted all morning. In the afternoon, under a blazing sun, the units lined up around their banners, and in response to the provocative shouts of the barbarians, they answered with the deep roar of barritus, rhythmically striking their spears against their shields. A terrifying roar spread across the entire plain. And suddenly, the situation escalated.

The famous Italian historian Alessandro Barbero narrates the battle of Adrianople, everything that preceded it as well as its consequences. An undertaking that was by no means easy: Adrianople was no less decisive than Waterloo or Stalingrad. August 9, 378 AD, the Day of the Barbarians left an indelible mark on world history.

In the Balkans, the edge of the Eastern Roman Empire, the long-standing conflict between the barbarians and the Romans reached its peak. The Goths, a people chased from a land ravaged by war. The Danube River, a fragile and poorly guarded border. A corrupt empire, a disastrous defeat.

The book is framed by the exquisite illustrations, 22 images and two maps, by the great Italian artist Sergio Toppi.