[20] Lionel Knight, in a review for the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commented that Robinson "writes with an elegant clarity which comes from a masterly overview of the subject".
[22] Chase felt that it was "commendable" that Robinson acknowledged the "social context in which archaeological knowledge is produced" because this was often omitted from popular writings on ancient civilizations.
[23] Settergren described it as "a gorgeous coffee table book" and praised the "heavy, photo-quality glossy paper" with "liberally populated" pictures, maps, timelines and artwork.
[25] The Persians also had a "serious" omission in failing to "[explore] the frontiers among numerous ethnic and religious diverse communities that inhabit the region" and "[refrains] from using some of the excellent sources available in Farsi".
[27] Choice gave Egypt a score of 4 stars and commented that Christina Riggs "[achieved] the objectives of the publisher's Lost Civilizations series" and the book was "perfect" for those "seeking a brief introduction" as well as being "essential" for "all public and academic [...] libraries".
[30] Funk described the book as a "beautifully illustrated volume" which provides a "short overview of mainly Northern and Central European "barbarian" cultures", written for the "general reader" and accessible for college students.
[31] Ultimately, Smart felt the book "does not provide as useful a survey of the barbarian world as is needed" but instead "presents an enjoyable collection of sketches" and "highlights important archaeological sites and finds".
[35] He called the book "fascinating" and praised its exploration of the "modern cultural heritage of the notion of "the Gothic"", as well as the "knowledge and accuracy" shown by the author that is evidenced by his references.