Summary
Historian Michael Taylor analyzes a key battle scene from Netflix’sBarbarians, praising it for its historical accuracy. First released on Netflix in 2020,Barbariansis a German series that chronicles the Roman Empire’s occupation of Germania, and the rebellion this sparks from some key tribes. TheNetflix show, which was created Andreas Heckmann, Arne Nolting, and Jan Martin Scharf, earned mostly positive reviews from critics and currently sports an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In a recent video forInsider, Taylor analyzes a scene fromBarbariansseason 1, episode 6, depicting the events of the Battle of Teutoberg Forest.
The historian reveals that the series gets a lot right when it comes to this crucial defeat for the Romans, specifically praising the show for its depiction of Roman armor. Check out selections of Taylor’s analysis below, as well as his score for the show out of 10:
“So this is based on the battle of Teutoberg [Forest]. This took place in 9AD and was an ambush by a Germanic confederacy of three Roman Legions that were moving through the Teutoberg forest. It’s one of the heaviest losses that the Romans suffer during the Imperial period. Three legions wiped out over the course of three days.
“Soldiers fighting back-to-back here certainly would not be ideal. It’s something you only do if you’re caught sort of unprepared in an ambush…
“I’m going to give it an eight [out of 10]. The military equipment actually looks quite good. The Lorica Segmentata armor is actually first attested at this battlefield. It’s the first time we’ve recovered it archaeologically. That kind of cool face mask we see the officer wearing also reflects a find that we found at the Kalkriese site.”
How Barbarians Has Been Received
Will The Show Return For Season 3?
Barbarians, orBarbaren, as it is known in Germany, emerged to a generally positive critical reception in 2020. Season 1 consisted of six episodes, with the finale depicting the Battle of Teutoberg Forest, as featured in the video above. Critics, for the most part, agreed that the show featured strong storytelling to go along with its epic action, in addition to remaining rooted in real history. TheRotten Tomatoesaudience score for season 1 was also strong at 83%.
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After season 1 earned strong viewership figures, it was confirmed thatBarbariansseason 2would move forward. The show returned for its sophomore outing in 2022, but it didn’t see the same level of success. Season 2 evidently didn’t find its way to too many critics as there is no critics' score for the latest season on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score also took a notable hit and sits at 46%, though, unfortunately, at least some of this appears to be due to review bombing for the inclusion of more diverse cast members.
WhileBarbariansdoesn’t appear to have been officially cancelled, it doesn’t seem like season 3 will be coming anytime soon. Series starLaurence Rupp responded to a fan on Instagramasking about season 3, writing: “Unfortunately there will be no third season soon.” While the future ofBarbariansremains up in the air, Taylor’s analysis of the show certainly suggests it offers a compelling dramatization of some important real-world historical events.
Barbarians
Cast
Barbarians is a German war drama series created for Netflix, with the story set during the Germanic occupation of Rome near the beginning of the new calendar, 9 AD. With pressure from the Roman Empire mounting and the Germanic tribes being forced into poverty, a rebellion is launched with the help of a Germanic-born Roman soldier named Arminius.
