|
The Quest for the
Lost Roman Legions
Discovering The Varus
Battlefield
by J. A. S. (Tony) Clunn
Independent, scholarly, and a bit old fashioned
In 9A.D., the 17th,
18th&19th Roman legions and their auxiliary troops under command of Publius Quinctilius Varus vanished in the boggy wilds
of Germania. They died singly and by the hundreds over several days in a carefully planned ambush led by Arminius — a Roman-trained
German warrior adopted and subsequently knighted by the Romans, but determined to stop Rome’s advance east beyond the Rhine
River. By the time it was over, some 25,000 men, women, and children were dead and the course of European history had been
forever altered. “Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!” Emperor Augustus agonized aloud when he learned of the devastating
loss.
As the decades slipped past, the location of one of the western world’s most important battlefields was lost to history
for twomillenia.
Fueled by an unshakeable curiosity and burning interest in the story, a British Major named J. A. S.
(Tony) Clunn delved into the nooks and crannies of times past. By sheer persistence and good luck, he turned the foundation
of German national history on its ear. Convinced the running battle took place north of Osnabruck, Germany, Clunn set
out
to prove his point. His discovery of a large number of Roman coins in the late 1980s, followed by a flood of thousands of
other artifacts (including weapons and human
remains) ended the mystery once and for all. Today, a multi-million dollar
state-of-the-art museum houses and interprets these priceless historical treasures on the very site Varus’s legions were lost.
It
is a masterful retelling of Clunn’s search to discover the Varus battlefield. His well-placed, carefully conceived, and vivid
writing style makes for a compelling read from the first page to the last, as he alternates between his incredible modern
quest and the ancient tale of the Roman occupation of Germany that ultimately ended so tragically in the peat bogs of Kalkriese.
The
Quest for the Lost Roman Legions
About the Author: Tony Clunn joined the army at age 15, and at 17 joined the 3rd Royal
Tank Regiment. He retired in the late 1990s with the rank of Major. He is employed by the British Army in Osnabruck and serves
as a consultant at Kalkriese. In 1996, Clunn was presented
with the Member of the Royal Order of the British Empire by
Queen Elizabeth II; The German Order of Merit in 1997; and the German Medal of Honor in 1999.
After 22 years of Regimental
service he took a Queen’s commission for a further ten years and now líves with his familiy near the battle site.
AUTHOR
BOOK SIGNING TOUR OF USA: SPRING 2005
Check our website for dates and locations! www.savasbeatie.com
Distribution Specifications
April 2005.
ISBN 1-932714-08-1
336 pages, 24 photos, 3 maps
index. HC, d.j., 6 x 9
Price: $37.50
Introductions
by Derek Williams (noted Roman historian); Dr. Wolfgang Schlüter (Resident Osnabrück Archaeologist), and Christian Jaletzke
(Director of the Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land Ltd, Museum and Park, Kalkriese)
Rights Available
English-language
co-edition outside North America. Worldwide foreign language editions (except German and Dutch), foreign paper and book clubs;
serializations.
|
