Archaeology by period / region Books

Book Synopsis''So they took the blossoms of the oak, and the blossoms of the broom, and the blossoms of the meadow-sweet, and produced from them a maiden, the fairest and most graceful that man ever saw...'' In this superb collection of tales, Celtic mythology and Arthurian romance come together to form a fascinating, deep-seated and powerful interpretation of British history. The tales include the story of the shape-shifter, Gwydion, who created a woman out of flowers; a murdered husband turned into an eagle; Math the magician; a magical board, dragons witches and giants.These wondrous creatures live in the same world as kings and heroes, quests for honour, and stories of revenge, chivalry, honour and love. THE MABINOGIAN remains one of the greatest and most influential works of myth and legend ever created.Trade ReviewA magnificent achievement ... it is hard to think that in scholarship or as a piece of English prose the present translation will ever be bettered * THE WELSH REVIEW *Magisterial ... the authoritative translation, notable for its meticulous scholarship and a fine literary style * OXFORD COMPANION TO THE LITERATURE OF WALES *

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Book SynopsisAdrian Gilbert is the author and independent publishing consultant. In 1991 he set up Solos Press, a small publishers specialising in Christian Mysticism, Gnosticism and the Hermetic tradition of Egypt. He has been researching Ancient Egypt for over twenty years and regards the discoveries contained in The Orion Mystery as crucial to our understanding of the pyramid age.Robert Bauval was born in Egypt in 1948. A construction engineer, his interest in Egyptology is long standing, having lived in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East for much of his life. In the 1980s he developed a line of study linking the pyramids and the so-called Pyramid Texts with astronomy. He has published several papers on this subject and his findings have been presented at the British Museum. His is the co-author of three international bestsellers: The Orion Mystery and Keeper of Genesis and more recently The Secret Chamber.Trade ReviewThe book reads like a detective story, with the reader enthusiastically trying to outguess the writers * Literary Review *Keeper of Genesis is an exciting book, highly topical and deservedly a best-seller * Spectator *The trick is to keep reading. Start the book in the early evening and continue uninterrupted until you complete it in the small hours. The effect is wonderful... Your entire world view has been shifted a hundred yards to the right. You fall asleep thinking that nothing will ever be the same again * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisChris Stringer''s Homo Britannicus is the epic history of life in Britain, from man''s very first footsteps through to the present day. When did the first people arrive here? What did they look like? How did they survive? Who were the Neanderthals? Chris Stringer takes us back to when it was so tropical we lived here alongside hippos, elephants and sabre-toothed tigers or to times so cold we hunted reindeer and mammoth, and to others even colder when we were forced to flee a wall of ice. Here is the incredible truth about our ancestors'' journey over millennia - and a glimpse of the future to see how it might continue. ''A beautiful book on a fascinating subject, written by a world authority''  Richard Dawkins ''Superlative ... Pure stimulation from beginning to end''  Bill Bryson ''Every chapter contains something new, and throws up a fresh location that deserves to become famous''&nbsp

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Book SynopsisAn illustrated history of the best Roman sites and artefacts to be found in Britain, for anyone wanting to discover the Roman past.Trade Review'Wanting the perfect Roman day out? Novice or nerd, this is the book to take. Factual, friendly, punchy and practical, Denise and Mike have written the best guide to finding Britannia. It just begs you to get out there to look and learn!' -- Lindsey Davis, Top Ten bestselling author'An absolute must-buy for everyone interested in Roman Britain’ -- Ben Kane, Top Ten bestselling author

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Book SynopsisThe discovery of the resting place of the great Egyptian King Tutankhamun [Tut.ankh.Amen] in November 1922 by Howard Carter and the fifth Earl of Carnarvon was the greatest archaeological find the world had ever seen. Despite its plundering by thieves in antiquity, the burial of the king lay intact with its nest of coffins and funerary shrines, surrounded by a mass of burial equipment arranged in three peripheral chambers. Published in 1923, this is the first volume of Carter's trilogy, describing the years of frustration in search of the burial site, the triumph of its eventual discovery and the long, painstaking process of exploring and cataloguing its treasures. Containing over 100 images from the site itself, this volume also includes Carter's short article, The Tomb of the Bird,' which inadvertently spawned the legend of the great curse of Tutankhamun's tomb.Table of ContentsForeword The Tomb of the Bird Preface List of Plates Introduction: Biographical Sketch of the Late Lord Carnarvon by Lady Burghclere 1. The King and the Queen 2. The Valley and the Tomb 3. The Valley in Modern Times 4. Our Prefatory Work at Thebes 5. The Finding of the Tomb 6. A Preliminary Investigation 7. A Survey of the Antechamber 8. Clearing the Antechamber 9. Visitors and the Press 10. Work in the Laboratory 11. The Opening of the Sealed Door Appendix Index

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Book SynopsisArchaeology isn’t just for academics and television presenters – it’s for everyone. And it is all around us. Get your boots on and explore Britain’s national and local archaeology sites for yourself with this revised and updated, easy-to-read, fully illustrated guide.Follow our islands’ history in this step-by-step introduction. Discover what life was like from the earliest days of human habitation right through to the world wars. Then get out to visit the best sites and see what features each era left behind for us to find – and find out how to spot archaeology for yourself in the most surprising places.Be warned: you may never look at an empty field, a stone monument or an old building in the same way again!

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Book SynopsisFlint Knapping is a journey of archaeological discovery through the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Ages.

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Book SynopsisThis informed and richly illustrated guidebook brings the ancient city of Akhetaten alive with a keen archaeological eye, drawing on ongoing archaeological research and the knowledge and insight of Amarna’s modern-day communities and caretakers to explain key monuments and events, while offering invaluable practical advice for visiting the site. With over 140 illustrations, maps, and plans, Amarna is both an ideal introduction for visitors to Amarna and a window onto the extraordinary reign of Akhenaten. Huge open-air temples served the cult of Aten, while palaces were decorated with painted pavements and inlaid wall reliefs. Akhenaten created a new royal burial ground deep in a desert valley, and his officials built elaborate tombs decorated with scenes of the king and his city. As thousands of people moved to Akhetaten, it became the most important city in Egypt. But it was not to last. Akhenaten’s death brought the abandonment of his city and an end to one of the most startling episodes in Egyptian history. Today, Akhetaten is known as Amarna, a sprawling archaeological site in the province of Minya, halfway between Cairo and Luxor. With its beautifully decorated tombs and vast mud-brick ruins, it is the best-preserved pharaonic city in Egypt.Trade Review"Providing a handy reference guide to the chronology, geography and main players in the story, this book will allow visitors to bring with them the definitive guide to the site. At once scholarly and also entirely accessible, it will instantly become indispensable for enthusiasts, students and scholars of the period and the place. I look forward to my copy becoming increasingly dog-eared with each visit I make to the site in future."—Chris Naunton, author of Egyptologists' Notebooks"Part academic-reference, part field-guide, this book presents a dramatic and exciting story. . . Armana provides tremendous insight for Egyptologists and scholars into daily life in Egypt 3,000 years ago."—AramcoWorldTable of ContentsCONTENTSINTRODUCTION Who Was Who? Akhenaten’s Predecessors Akhenaten and His Family Secondary Royal Figures Coregents and Successors CHRONOLOGY SETTING THE SCENE Amenhotep III and Akhenaten’s Early Years Rise of the Solar Cult Akhenaten as King: Change on the Horizon Denouncing the Gods Amarna: Building a Vision A City of People Akhetaten What Kind of City? The Aten Cult Supplying the City Securing Akhetaten An Emerging City Akhenaten’s Amarna Years A Collapsing Dynasty A City Abandoned Rediscovering Amarna Discovering City Life How Can We Recover the Past? Viewing Akhetaten from Afar VISITING AMARNA Getting There and Around Accommodation Ticket Office and Opening Hours Amarna Visitor CentreFood, Drinks, Toilets, and Shopping Accessibility Tips for Visiting NORTH CITY AND PALACES Abandoned Dig House North Riverside Palace North Palace EASTERN CLIFFS AND DESERT Desert Altars The North TombsBoundary Stela U Royal Wadi and Tombs The Royal Tomb North Suburb CENTRAL CITY Great Aten Temple Royal Road Bridge to the King’s House Great Palace and Smenkhkare Hall Small Aten Temple Administrative QuartersSOUTHERN CITY AND TEMPLES An Ancient Villa Main City South Tombs Kom al-Nana FURTHER INFORMATION CONTRIBUTORS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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Book SynopsisPrehistory covers the period of some 4 million years before the start of written history, when our earliest ancestors, the Australopithecines, existed in Africa. But this is relatively recent compared to whole history of the earth of some 4.5 billion years. A key aspect of prehistory is that it provides a sense of scale, throwing recent ways of life into perspective. Humans and their ancestors lived in many different ways and the cultural variety we see now is just a tiny fraction of that which has existed over millions of years. Humans are part of the broader evolution of landscapes and communities of plants and animals, but Homo sapiens is also the only species to have made a real impact on planetary systems. To understand such an impact, we need a grasp of our longest term development and ways of life.In this new edition of his Very Short Introduction, Chris Gosden invites us to think seriously about who we are by considering who we have been. As he explains, many new discoveries have been made in archaeology over the last ten years, and a new framework for prehistory is emerging. A greater understanding of Chinese and central Asian prehistory has thrown Eurasian prehistory in quite a different light, with flows of the influence of culture over large areas now evident. This has eaten away at the traditional view of human progress around the invention of agriculture, the development of cities and (much later) the industrial revolution, and given us new geographies to think about. Chris Gosden explores the new landscape of our prehistory, and considers the way the different geographical locations weave together.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewA brilliant exposition of prehistory in all its variety - thoughtful and wide-ranging. * Barry Cunliffe *Challenging, authoritative and with a world vision, Chris Gosdens Prehistory provides the foundations for a twenty first century archaeology. There is no better place to start the journey into deep human history than this concise celebration of the importance of long term history by one of the worlds leading archaeologists. * Professor Clive Gamble, Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: When does prehistory start and end? 2: What use is prehistory? 3: In the beginning - African origins 4: The end of the beginning - the establishment of human groups in Europe and Asia 5: Continental fusion - the creation of connected communities across Europe and Asia 6: New worlds - the Americas, Australia and the Pacific 7: Final thoughts References Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe award-winning guide to everything we know about the Neanderthals, from their emergence to their extinction, now updated and expanded to feature the latest discoveries in the field of Neanderthal DNA.Trade Review'A beautifully synthesized portrait of a powerful people' - Nature'[A] compelling and engaging account … Prepare to have your prejudices shattered and your understanding of humanity challenged' - Clive Gamble, University of Southampton'Excellent and absorbing' - Current World ArchaeologyTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Long Underestimated Type of Human 2. The First Europeans: 1 million to 600,000 years ago 3. Defeating the Cold: 600,000 to 250,000 years ago 4. Meet the Neanderthals: 250,000 to 130,000 years ago 5. An End to Isolation: 130,000 to 60,000 years ago 6. Endgame: 60,000 to 25,000 years ago 7. Still With Us?

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Book SynopsisOur understanding of the British Palaeolithic and Mesolithic has changed dramatically over the last three decades, and yet not since H. J. Fleure's A Natural History of Man in Britain (1951) has the New Naturalist Library included a volume focused on the study of early humans and their environment.In this long overdue new book, distinguished archaeologist Nick Ashton uncovers the most recent findings, following the remarkable survival and discovery of bones, stone tools and footprints which allow us to paint a picture of the first human visitors to this remote peninsula of north-west Europe.As part of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project and subsequent research, Ashton is involved in an unrivalled collaborative effort involving archaeologists, palaeontologists, and earth scientists at different British institutes, including the Natural History Museum and the British Museum. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the book explores the latest discoveries such as footprints at HaTrade Review‘[An] insightful study’ Nature ‘Early Humans packs in a huge amount of data, yet its research anecdotes, clear style and light humour make it accessible to a wide readership – ideal for students and researchers, but equally to be enjoyed by anyone curious about our extraordinary story on the edge of the early human world.’ British Archaeology ‘Well-designed … the images and illustrations are crisp andcolourful … the professional, the amateur and the dilettante alike will find something of interest from Early Humans, and will learn a great deal about Britain’s Ice Age past.’ Antiquity Praise for the New Naturalist series: ‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times ‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent

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Book Synopsis**NOW A HIT STAGE PRODUCTION**Take a journey around the archaeological and cultural remains of Roman Britain with the award-winning author of Greek Myths. This is a book about the encounter with Roman Britain: about what the idea of ''Roman Britain'' has meant to those who came after Britain''s 400-year stint as province of Rome - from the medieval mythographer-historian Geoffrey of Monmouth to Edward Elgar and W.H. Auden. What does Roman Britain mean to us now? How were its physical remains rediscovered and made sense of? How has it been reimagined, in story and song and verse? Charlotte Higgins has traced these tales by setting out to discover the remains of Roman Britain for herself, sometimes on foot, sometimes in a splendid, though not particularly reliable, VW camper van. Via accounts of some of Britain''s most intriguing, and often unjustly overlooked ancient monuments, Under Another Sky invites us to see the British Trade ReviewWonderfully written and full of unexpected facts. Higgins brings Roman Britain into the present. -- Richard SennettBeautifully crafted… The beauty of this book is not just in the elegant prose and the precision with which she skewers her myths. It is in the sympathy that she shows for the myth-makers, the men and woman who so very much wanted their very own Roman Britain. -- Peter Stothard * The Times *Mesmerising… Sophisticated and passionate. She personalizes the story in a diaristic, almost poetic tone…her prose reminds me at times of W. G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn…similarly haunted by a sense of a past slipping away. -- Tim Whitmarsh * Guardian *Smart and up-to-date, sensitive but hard-headed, impeccably researched but gloriously poetic. The layering of themes, moods and topics is staggering. There's nothing like quite it. -- Tom Holland, author of 'Rubicon' and 'Persian Fire'Under Another Sky should be on every shelf in the UK. Part travelogue, part handbook and part revisionist history, it is a personal and vivid encounter with landscapes, artefacts and people… Beautifully considered and written. -- Ruth Padel * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisThis volume surveys the archaeology of Native North Americans from their arrival on the continent 15,000 years ago up to contact with European colonizers. Offering rich descriptions of monumental structures, domestic architecture, vibrant objects, and spiritual forces, Timothy R. Pauketat and Kenneth E. Sassaman show how indigenous people shaped both their history and North America''s many varied environments. They place the student in the past as they trace how Native Americans dealt with challenges such as climate change, the rise of social hierarchies and political power, and ethnic conflict. Written in a clear and engaging style with a compelling narrative, The Archaeology of Ancient North America presents the grand historical themes and intimate stories of ancient Americans in full, living color.Table of Contents1. Envisioning North America; 2. A social history of North American archaeologists and Native Americans; 3. Contact, colonialism, and convergence; 4. Ancient immigrants; 5. Sea change, see change; 6. Gender, kinship, and the commune: the Great Basin and greater Western Archaic; 7. Identity, ethnicity, and inequality: Holocene hunter-gatherers east of the Mississippi; 8. Animism, shamanism, and technology: life in the Arctic; 9. Building mounds, communities, histories; 10. The momentous late Woodland-Mississippian millennium; 11. Two worlds on the Great Plains; 12. The final centuries of the Northeast; 13. Divergence in the Far West; 14. Order and chaos in the Southwest: the Hohokam and Puebloan worlds; 15. Pots, peripheries, and Paquimé: the Southwest inside out; 16. 1984 BCE.

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Book Synopsis‘The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Moon: Coffin Texts Spells 154–160’ argues that Coffin Texts spells 154–160, recorded at around the beginning of the 2nd millennium bce, form the oldest composition about the moon in ancient Egypt and in the whole world. The detailed analysis of these spells, based on a new translation, reveals that the spells provide a chronologically ordered account of the phenomena that happen during a lunar month. It is argued that through a wide variety of mythological allusions, the separate texts – after an introduction which explains the origins of the month (spell 154) – describe the successive stages of the monthly cycle: the period of invisibility (spell 155), waxing (spell 156), events around the full moon (spell 157), waning (spell 158), the arrival of the last crescent at the eastern horizon (spell 159), and again the conjunction of the sun and the moon when a solar eclipse can occur (spell 160). After highlighting the possible lunar connotations of each spell, further chapters in the book investigate the origins of the composition, its different manuscripts preserved on coffins coming from Hermopolis and Asyut, and the survival of the spells in the later mortuary collection known as the Book of Going Forth by Day.Table of Contents1 – Introduction; 2 – The spells; 2.1 – Spell 154: the origins of the month; 2.2 – Spell 155: lunar invisibility; 2.3 – Spell 156: the waxing moon; 2.4 – Spell 157: the full moon; 2.5 – Spell 158: the waning moon; 2.6 – Spell 159: the moon at the eastern horizon; 2.7 – Spell 160: a solar eclipse; 3 – General Commentary; 3.1 – The major themes of the spells; 3.2 – Textual layers in the Book of the Moon; 3.3 – The text variants from Deir el-Bersha and Asyut; 3.4 – The survival of the spells in the Book of Going Forth by Day; 4 – Conclusion; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTales of Two Cities tells the story of Old Sarum and Salisbury, from the middle of the tenth century to the beginning of the twentieth. The volume brings together the most up-to-date thinking on the archaeological evidence for both medieval cities, and through analysis of the rich documentary record, charts the developments in the city settlements and their dependent suburbs. For the first time, the archaeological evidence for Old Sarum and its suburbs is brought together in synthesis to explore its rise in the eleventh century, its hey-day in the twelfth, and the rapid decline from the thirteenth century onwards. The ceramic, zooarchaeological and environmental evidence is assessed for both cities, alongside a comprehensive overview of the archaeological evidence for medieval Salisbury. How this new and visionary city took shape in the thirteenth century is analysed through chapters that examine its churches, its mills, its majestic marketplace and its innovative watercour

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Book Synopsis12,000 years ago the area that now forms the southern North Sea was dry land: a vast plain populated by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. By 5,500 BC the entire area had disappeared beneath the sea as a consequence of rising sea levels. Until now, this unique landscape remained hidden from view and almost entirely unknown. The North Sea Palaeolandscape Project, funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, have mapped 23,000 km2 of this “lost world” using seismic data collected for mineral exploration. "Mapping Doggerland" demonstrates that the North Sea covers one of the largest and best preserved prehistoric landscapes in Europe. In mapping this exceptional landscape the project has begun to provide an insight into the historic impact of the last great phase of global warming experienced by modern man and to assess the significance of the massive loss of European land that occurred as a consequence of climate change.Table of Contents1) Mapping Doggerland Vincent Gaffney and Kenneth Thomson ; 2) Coordinating Marine Survey Data Sources (Mark Bunch, Vincent Gaffney and Kenneth Thomson) ; 3) 3D Seismic Reflection Data, Associated Technologies and the Development of the Project Methodology (Kenneth Thomson and Vincent Gaffney) ; 4. Merging Technologies: The integration and visualisation of spatial data sets used in the project (Simon Fitch, Vincent Gaffney and Kenneth Thomson) ; 5) A Geomorphological Investigation of Submerged Depositional Features within the Outer Silver Pit, Southern North Sea (Simon Fitch, Vincent Gaffney and Kenneth Thomson ; 6) Salt Tectonics in the Southern North Sea: Controls on Late Pleistocene-Holocene Geomorphology (Simon Holford, Kenneth Thomson and Vincent Gaffney) ; 7) An Atlas of the Palaeolandscapes of the Southern North Sea (Simon Fitch, Vincent Gaffney, Kenneth Thomson with Kate Briggs, Mark Bunch and Simon Holford) ; 8) The Potential of the Organic Archive for Environmental Reconstruction: An Assessment of Selected Borehole Sediments from the Southern North Sea (David Smith, Simon Fitch, Ben Gearey, Tom Hill, Simon Holford, Andy Howard and Christina Jolliffe) ; 9) Heritage Management and the North Sea Palaeolandscapes Project (Simon Fitch, Vincent Gaffney and Kenneth Thomson).

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Book SynopsisThis book is concerned with the origins, uses and subsequent histories of monuments. It emphasises the time scales illustrated by these structures, and their implications for archaeological research. It is concerned with the archaeology of Western and Northern Europe, with an emphasis on structures in Britain and Ireland, and the period between the Mesolithic and the Viking Age.It begins with two famous groups of monuments and introduces the problem of multiple time scales. It also considers how they influence the display of those sites today – they belong to both the present and the past. Monuments played a role from the moment they were created, but approaches to their archaeology led in opposite directions. They might have been directed to a future that their builders could not control. These structures could be adapted, destroyed, or left to decay once their significance was lost. Another perspective was to claim them as relics of a forgotten past. In that case they had to be reinterpreted.The first part of this book considers the rarity of monumental structures among hunter-gatherers, and the choice of building materials for Neolithic houses and tombs. It emphasises the difference between structures whose erection ended the use of significant places, and those whose histories could extend into the future. It also discusses ‘megalithic astronomy’ and ancient notions of time. Part Two is concerned with the reuse of ancient monuments and asks whether they really were expressions of social memory. Did links with an ‘ancestral past’ have much factual basis? It contrasts developments during the Beaker phase with those of the early medieval period. The development of monumental architecture is compared with the composition of oral literature.Table of Contents1. Pasts, presents and futures: Bredarör and the Boyne Valley Part 1: Key considerations 2. The tyranny of typing 3. Material differences 4. Closing and opening 5. Time and the sky Part 2: Pasts in retrospect 6. Allusions and illusions 7. Associations and origins 8. Oral literature and the histories of monuments 9. Monumental times: Avebury and the Upper Kennet Valley

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Book SynopsisA collection of funerary texts from a variety of sources, dating from the fifteenth to the fourth century BC. It consists of spells, prayers and incantations, and contains the words of power to overcome obstacles in the afterlife. It offers insights into ancient Egypt.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive view of the ancient Greek world, its history and its achievements. The legacy of the Hellenistic world is vast--it ranges from architecture to philosophy, literature, and the visual arts to military strategy and science. This authoritative study covers the period from the eighth century BC, which witnessed the emergence of the Greek city-states, to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the establishment of the Greek monarchies some five centuries later.Chapters dealing with political and social history are interspersed with chapters on philosophy and the arts, including Homer, Greek myth, Aristotle, and Plato, Greek dramatists such as Sophocles and Aristophanes, and the flourishing of the visual and plastic arts.This volume, first published as part of The Oxford History of the Classical World, includes illustrations, maps, a Chronology of Events, and suggestions for Further Reading.Trade ReviewFrom reviews of The Oxford History of the Classical World: the book is truly excellent the standard of the contributions is extraordinarily high * Observer *this book has no equal and would be difficult to better * Books and Bookmen *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Greece: The History of the Archaic Period ; 2. Homer ; 3. Greek Myth and Hesiod ; 4. Lyric and Elegiac Poetry ; 5. Early Greek Philosophy ; 6. Greece: The History of the Classical Period ; 7. Greek Drama ; 8. Greek Historians ; 9. Life and Society in Classical Greece ; 10. Classical Greek Philosophy ; 11. Greek Religion ; 12. Greek Art and Architecture ; 13. The History of the Hellenistic Period ; 14. Hellenistic Culture and Literature ; 15. Hellenistic Philosophy and Science ; 16. Hellenistic and Graeco-Roman Art

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Book Synopsis''Of ways you may speak, but not the Perennial Way;By names you may name, but not the Perennial Name.''The best-loved of all the classical books of China and the most universally popular, the Daodejing or Classic of the Way and Life-Force is a work that defies definition. It encapsulates the main tenets of Daoism, and upholds a way of being as well as a philosophy and a religion. The dominant image is of the Way, the mysterious path through the whole cosmos modelled on the great Silver River or Milky Way that traverses the heavens. A life-giving stream, the Way gives rise to all things and holds them in her motherly embrace. It enables the individual, and society as a whole, to harmonize the disparate demands of daily life and achieve a more profound level of understanding.This new translation draws on the latest archaeological finds and brings out the word play and poetry of the original. Simple commentary accompanies the text, and the introduction provides further historical and inte

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Book SynopsisFor four centuries Britain was an integral part of the Roman Empire, a political system stretching from Turkey to Portugal and from the Red Sea to the Tyne and beyond. Its involvement with Rome started long before the Conquest launched by the Emperor Claudius in 43 AD, and it continued to be a part of the Roman world for some time after the final break with Roman rule. Bringing together archaeological investigation and historical scholarship, Peter Salway explores some of the key issues arising from this period in Britain''s history, discussing the question of identity at this time and analysing the importance of widespread literacy in Roman Britain. Covering the period from Julius Caesar''s first forays into Britain and Claudius'' subsequent conquest, as well as Britain under the later Roman Empire, Salway outlines the key events of this time period, providing a focus on society in Roman Britain, and offering a thoughtful consideration of the aftermath of Roman rule.In the new edition of this Very Short Introduction, Peter Salway makes a number of essential updates in light of recent research in the area. He looks at issues of ethnicity, ''Britishness'', and post-colonialism, provides alternative theories to the end of the Roman period in Britain, and draws parallels between the history of Roman Britain and a wide range of other periods, territories, and themes, including the modern experience of empires and national stereotypes. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewYou can't beat this fact-packed guide. * Kate Whiting, Northern Echo *This book is a concise, clear and readable history of Roman Britain across four centuries ... it has much to offer both the general reader and the expert. * Rupert Jackson, Classics for All *Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; List of maps ; 1. The beginnings of British history ; 2. The Roman conquest ; 3. Britain under the late empire ; 4. The end of Roman rule ; Further Reading ; Chronology ; Index

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Book SynopsisA warriors face the strong brows inlaid with red garnets, the nose and mouth gilded and its surface tinned a silvery colour this is how the Sutton Hoo helmet once appeared to those who saw it. This book explains how it was discovered together with other priceless treasures including a ship in the great mound at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk.

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Book SynopsisThe purpose of this book is to take what we think we know about the Roman Conquest of Britain from historical sources, and compare it with the archaeological evidence, which is often contradictory. Archaeologists and historians all too often work in complete isolation from each other and this book hopes to show the dangers of neglecting either form of evidence. In the process it challenges much received wisdom about the history of Roman Britain. Birgitta Hoffmann tackles the subject by taking a number of major events or episodes (such as Caesar's incursions, Claudius' invasion, Boudicca's revolt), presenting the accepted narrative as derived from historical sources, and then presenting the archaeological evidence for the same. The result of this innovative approach is a book full of surprising and controversial conclusions that will appeal to the general reader as well as those studying or teaching courses on ancient history or archaeology.

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Book SynopsisAs world powers realign their cultural, economic and political outlooks, there is no better time to consider how Afro-Eurasia's complex network of ancient trade routes which spanned the vastness of the steppe, vertiginous mountain ranges, fertile river plains and forbidding deserts across the continents and on to the seas beyond fostered economic activity and cultural, political and technological communication. From silk to slaves, fashion to music, religion to science the movement of interaction of goods, people and ideas was crucial to the flourishing of peoples and their cultures across this vast region. Edited by Susan Whitfield, an established authority on the subject, with contributions from over 80 leading scholars from across the globe, Silk Roads situates the ancient routes against the landscapes that defined them, to reveal the raw materials that they produced, the means of travel that were employed to traverse them and the communities that were shaped by them. OrganizedTrade Review'An extraordinary compendium of history and art … a marvel of a book … a brilliant survey that could not be put together in real time, a catalogue of an exhibition that could never be … This is a book to fundamentally jolt our endemic Eurocentricism and Western complacency … [a] one-volume museum' - V&A Magazine'The many magnificent illustrations make one long to go travelling' - Spectator, Martin Gayford’s Books of the Year'A superbly illustrated volume … the huge variety of the travellers and the merchandise along these complex trajectories is handsomely laid out in this delightful, informative and continually surprising work' - The Arts Desk, Books of the Year'A book to experience rather than read … simultaneously erudite and accessible' - Asian Review of Books'Stunning maps and artifacts combine with evocative landscapes as well as troubling tales of plunder, serving as a timely reminder of the rich rewards of meaningful communication and candid cultural exchange within and between the continents' - Traveller'Sections on Christian monasticism in Africa and Asia and the emergence of lapis lazuli make compelling reading. At a time when global politics and economy are hit by uncertainty, this book emphasises how movement and exchange fostered economic activity and cultural and political ideas' - The Art Society'Revealing on every level and will undoubtedly cast a spell upon the reader … this is one journey not to be missed' - The Lady'This beautiful publication honours the astonishing diversity in the way cultures advance and flourish not in spite of their differences, but because of them' - Antiques Diary'The value of this sumptuous book lies not in its decorative coffee-table desirability but because it serves to remind us that human difference and interaction is vitally necessary for progress. In an era marked by international wall-building and little compassion towards refugees and migrants, we would do well to remember this' - World of Interiors

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Book SynopsisThe Viking reputation is of bloodthirsty seafaring warriors, repeatedly plundering the British Isles and the North Atlantic throughout the early Middle Ages. Yet Vikings were also traders, settlers, and farmers, with a complex artistic and linguistic culture, whose expansion overseas led them to cross the Atlantic for the first time in European history. Highlighting the latest archaeological evidence, Julian Richards reveals the whole Viking world: their history, society and culture, and their expansion overseas for trade, colonization, and plunder. We also look at the Viking identity, through their artistic expression, rune stones, their ships, and their religion. The Viking story is also brought up to date, by examining their legacy from the medieval Icelandic sagas to 19th Century nationalism, Wagner, and the Nazis.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; 1. Vikings then and now ; 2. Early Scandinavian kingdoms ; 3. Pagans and Christians ; 4. Changes in the countryside ; 5. Towns and trade ; 6. Across the ocean: ships and seafaring ; 7. Expansion overseas ; 8. Vikings in England ; 9. Raiders and settlers around the Irish Sea ; 10. Vikings and Picts: genocide or assimilation? ; 11. Landnam in the North Atlantic ; 12. The edge of the world: Greenland and North America ; 13. Re-inventing the Vikings ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisBritain has been inhabited by humans for over half a million years, during which time there were a great many changes in lifestyles and in the surrounding landscape. This book, now in its second edition, examines the development of human societies in Britain from earliest times to the Roman conquest of AD 43, as revealed by archaeological evidence. Special attention is given to six themes which are traced through prehistory: subsistence, technology, ritual, trade, society, and population. Prehistoric Britain begins by introducing the background to prehistoric studies in Britain, presenting it in terms of the development of interest in the subject and the changes wrought by new techniques such as radiocarbon dating, and new theories, such as the emphasis on social archaeology. The central sections trace the development of society from the hunter-gatherer groups of the last Ice Age, through the adoption of farming, the introduction of metalworking, and on to theTrade ReviewPraise for the first edition:'Excellent and readable, and informed by a love of the land.' – Financial Times'A lively up-to-date introduction.' – Oxbow News'Darvill's book provides a pleasing introduction to the story of British prehistory.' – TLS'Tim Darvill has shown that there is always a place for a well-written account of the subject that makes effective use of modern approaches.' – British Archaeological NewsTable of Contents1. Right Here! Right Now! Prehistory in the Present 2. Before the Flood: Early Hunter-gatherer Societies to 13,000 BC 3. Tales from Topographic Oceans: Post-glacial Hunter-gatherers 13,000–4000 BC 4. Blood on the Tracks: Hunter-farmers 4000–3200 BC 5. Rise Up Like the Sun: Early Chiefdom Societies 3200–2000 BC 6. Dark Sides of the Moon: Agrarian Societies 2000–800 BC 7. Brothers in Arms: Tribes and Chiefdoms 800–100 BC 8. On the Threshold of a Dream: Living Beside the Roman Empire 100 BC–AD 50 9. Let it Be: Patterns of Society and Change. Bibliography and Further Reading

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Book SynopsisLindow Man, the famous Pete Marsh discovered in Cheshire in the 1980s, has been joined by new finds from Ireland and elsewhere. Who were these unfortunate people, and why were they killed?Trade Review'Professor Aldhouse-Green provides us with satisfyingly full answers … This archaeological detective story would interest any aspiring Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, or Agatha Christie herself' - Minerva'We can never know for certain how these bodies ended up with this very particular form of burial. All we can do is interrogate what is left. And that is what this book does so satisfyingly' - Val McDermid'With clear, probing analysis, the benefit of recent discoveries, forensic science and her own deep knowledge of late prehistoric cultures, Miranda Aldhouse-Green brings us face-to-face with the past. Archaeology does not get more up close and personal than this' - David Miles, Former Chief Archaeologist at English HeritageTable of ContentsForeword: Val McDermid • Introduction • 1. Discoveries & Discoverers • 2. The World of the Bog People: Space, Time and Society • 3. The Magic of Bog Preservation • 4. Crime Scene Investigation: the Application of Forensic Science • 5. Accident, Execution or Murder? • 6. Modus Operandi: Ways of Killing • 7. Instrumental Violence: Abuse with Purpose • 8. The Chosen Ones • 9. Natural Born Killers • 10. Bog Deaths & Human Sacrifice • Epilogue: Listening to the Dead: Bog Bodies Uncovered

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Book SynopsisThe Book of the Dead of Sobekmose, in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum, New York, is one of the most important surviving examples of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead genre. This title offers an English translation of a single, extensive, major text that can speak to us from beginning to end in the order in which it was composed.Trade Review'Absorbing' - Ancient Egypt Magazine'A major step forward in the understanding of these ancient texts both in terms of the literary quality and accuracy of the rendering of the text into English' - Timeless TravelsTable of ContentsForeword by Anne Pasternak • Preface: Translating an Ancient Text • Introduction • Book of the Dead of the Goldworker of Amun, Sobekmose • Reproduction of the Papyrus

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Book SynopsisFrom the dawn of history to the death of Cleopatra, ancient Egypt was home to larger-than-life personalities. Across one hundred lives, Toby Wilkinson explores the true character and diversity of human experience in the ancient world's greatest civilization. Some of those profiled are famous: pharaohs and queens such as Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Ramesses II and Tiye. Others are lesser known but equally engaging: Imhotep, architect of the first pyramid; Perniankhu, the court dwarf; and the royal sculptor Bak. Equally illuminating are the lives of commoners, so rarely given their own voice: ordinary men and women who include a doctor, a dentist, a housewife, a musician and a serial criminal.Table of Contents1. Foundations • 2. The Pyramid Age • 3. Civil War and Restoration • 4. A Golden Age • 5. The Great Heresy • 6. Imperial Egypt • 7. Twilight of the Gods • King-list and chronology, map, further reading

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Book SynopsisA gripping account of 200 years of archaeological research, excavation and thought, told through the life stories of 70 of the world's greatest pioneers and practitioners. Brian Fagan has assembled a team of some of the world's greatest living archaeologists to write knowledgeably and entertainingly about their distinguished predecessors. Full of fascinating anecdotes, personal accounts and unexpected insights, this comprehensively illustrated book encompasses more than two centuries of research and excavation round the globe. Controversial figures such as Heinrich Schliemann of Troy fame, and Aurel Stein, plunderer of ancient manuscripts from Central Asia, are reassessed. Little-known pioneers - for example, Max Uhle in Peru and Li Chi in China - are set beside the giants in the field: Lepsius, Mariette and Carter in Egypt; Koldewey, Doerpfeld and Woolley in the Near East; Stephens and Catherwood, discoverers of the Maya of Mexico; and Louis and Mary Leakey, who transformed Trade Review'A compelling range of brilliance, imagination and eccentricity, conveying not just a sense of what being an archaeologist involves, but of how much archaeology has achieved as a contribution to human understanding' - British Archaeology'Whether you are interested in the desert romance of Ur of the Chaldees or the recreation of Viking ships in Roskilde, this book is one to savour' - MinervaTable of ContentsIntroduction: Searching for the Past 1. The Antiquity of Humankind William Stukeley 1687–1765: Blending Romance and Science Christian Jürgensen Thomsen 1788–1865 & Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae 1821–85: The Three Age System Jacques Boucher de Perthes 1788–1868: Humanity’s High Antiquity Gabriel de Mortillet 1821–98: Classifying Human Cultural Evolution Oscar Montelius 1843–1921: Developing Accurate Chronologies Sanz de Sautuola 1831–88 & Henri Breuil 1877–1961: Finding the Earliest Art 2. Discoverers of Ancient Civilizations Johann Joachim Winckelmann 1717–68: Father of Classical Archaeology Giovanni Battista Belzoni 1778–1823: Exploring Ancient Egypt Karl Richard Lepsius 1810–84: Documenting the Pharaohs Auguste Mariette 1821–81: Protecting Egypt’s Heritage John Lloyd Stephens 1805–52 & Frederick Catherwood 1799–1854: Revealing Maya Civilization Austen Henry Layard 1817–94: Nimrud, Nineveh and Babylon Heinrich Schliemann 1822–90 & Sophia Schliemann 1852–1932: Searching for Homer’s World Alfred Maudslay 1850–1931: Exploring Maya Cities Robert Koldewey 1855–1925: Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon Arthur Evans 1851–1941: Excavator of Minoan Knossos Max Uhle 1856–1944: Explorer of the Peruvian Past Aurel Stein 1862–1943: Archaeology and Adventure in Central Asia Gertrude Bell 1868–1926: Desert Traveller in Arabia and Iraq Howard Carter 1874–1939: Finding Tutankhamun John Marshall 1876–1958: Indus Civilization Revealed Alfonso Caso 1896–1970 & Ignacio Bernal 1910–92: Unearthing Precolumbian Mexico Matthew Stirling 1896–1975: Discoverer of the Olmecs Gertrude Caton-Thompson 1888–1985: Great Zimbabwe and the African Past 3. The Art of Excavation Giuseppe Fiorelli 1823–96 & Amedeo Maiuri 1886–1963: Excavating and Preserving Pompeii Augustus Lane Fox Pitt Rivers 1827–1900: Pioneer of Archaeological Excavation William Matthew Flinders Petrie 1853–1942: Excavating and Dating Ancient Egypt Wilhelm Dörpfeld 1853–1940: Scientific Excavation at Troy Leonard Woolley 1880–1960: Excavator of Ur Alfred Kidder 1885–1963: The American Southwest Mortimer Wheeler 1890–1976 & Philip Barker 1920–2001: Maestros of Archaeological Excavation William Foxwell Albright 1891–1971: Father of ‘Biblical Archaeology’ Spyridon Marinatos 1901–74: Santorini: Akrotiri from beneath the Ashes Michael Katzev 1939–2001 & Richard Steffy 1924–2007: Underwater Archaeology as Science Ole Crumlin-Pedersen 1935–2011: Recreating Viking Ships 4. Decipherers of Ancient Scripts Jean-François Champollion 1790–1832: Breaking the Hieroglyphic Code Henry Creswicke Rawlinson 1810–95: Deciphering Cuneiform Michael Ventris 1922–56: Reading Linear B Tablets as Greek Eric Thompson 1898–1975, Tatiana Proskouriakoff 1909–85 & Yuri Knorosov 1922–99: Decoding Maya Hieroglyphs 5. Discovering World Prehistory Julio Tello 1880–1947: Father of Peruvian Archaeology Dorothy Garrod 1892–1968: Mount Carmel and Cro-Magnons Li Chi 1896–1979 & Pei Wenzhong 1904–82: The First Chinese Dynasties and Early Humans in East Asia Alexey Okladnikov 1908–81 & Sergey Semenov 1898–1978: Early Technology and Neanderthals in Russia Louis Leakey 1903–72 & Mary Leakey 1913–96: Human Origins in Africa Kathleen Kenyon 1906–78: Excavating Jericho Grahame Clark 1907–95: European and World Prehistory Robert Braidwood 1907–2003: Early Farming in the Near East Hannah Marie Wormington 1914–94 & Cynthia Irwin-Williams 1936–90: Female Pioneers in North American Archaeology James B. Griffin 1905–97: Archaeology of Eastern North America Jesse Jennings 1909–97: Archaeology of the Desert West Gordon Willey 1913–2002: The Consummate American Archaeologist J. Desmond Clark 1916–2002: The Broad Canvas of African Prehistory Roger Green 1932–2009: Studying the Early Polynesians 6. Thinking about the Past Vere Gordon Childe 1892–1957: Revolutions in Prehistory Glyn Daniel 1914–86 & Stuart Piggott 1910–96: Ancient Europeans, Megaliths and the Wider Audience André Leroi-Gourhan 1911–86: How Humans Make their Worlds David Clarke 1937–76 & Lewis Binford 1931–2011: Pioneers of the ‘New Archaeology’ Bruce Trigger 1937–2006: Archaeology, Anthropology and Human Society William T. Sanders 1926–2008: Culture and Environment in Mesoamerica

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Book SynopsisA unique overview of a part of Lowland Scotland, with its own, very different, archaeological record.

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Book SynopsisHuman remains can answer all sorts of questions about our ancestors - what sort of diet they ate, what age they lived to, what sort of living conditions they experienced and how they died. The Neolithic is the earliest period from which significant numbers of human burials survive in Britain. This book looks at the history of the study of such burials and how new scientific techniques have massively expanded what we know about our Neolithic ancestors. As well as the treatment of the dead, issues such as health and subsistence are considered, along with evidence of conflict and also the extent to which the people of Neolithic Britain can be considered a distinct population. This is the only book specifically dedicated to human remains from the Neolithic and fills an important gap left by other books on the period.

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Book SynopsisAn innovative approach to the study of an under-appreciated topic of the place of art in ancient religion and will be essential reading for researchers and students of the material and religious cultures of late antiquity across Eurasia.Table of ContentsIntroduction (Jaś Elsner and Rachel Wood) Chapter 1: The materiality of the divine: aniconism, iconoclasm, iconography (Salvatore Settis, with a response from Maria Lidova) Chapter 2: Bodies, bases, and borders: framing the divine in Greco-Roman antiquity (Verity Platt, with a response from Dominic Dalglish) Chapter 3: Kufa and Kells: the illuminated word as sign and presence in the 7th-9th centuries (Benjamin C. Tilghman and Umberto Bongianino, with an introduction by Katherine Cross) Chapter 4: The Jewish image of God in late antiquity (Martin Goodman, with a response from Jaś Elsner and Hindy Najman) Chapter 5: Empire and Faith: the heterotopian space of the Franks Casket (Catherine Karkov, with a response from Katherine Cross) Chapter 6: Buddhapada: The Enlightened Being and the Limits of Representation at Amarāvatī (Jaś Elsner, with a response from Alice Casalini) Chapter 7: From Serapis to Christ to the Caliph: faces as a re-appropriation of the past (Ivan Foletti and Katharina Meinecke, with an introduction by Nadia Ali) Chapter 8: Uses of decorated silver plate in Imperial Rome and Sasanian Iran (Richard Hobbs, with a response from Rachel Wood) Chapter 9: Material religion in comparative perspective: how different is BCE from CE? (Christoph Uehlinger, with a response from Stefanie Lenk) Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA pictorial history of the archaeological work in the Athenian Agora, the civic centre of classical Athens, illustrated with many archival photographs and primary documents. It focuses on some key moments in the Agora's history including the reconstruction of the Stoa of Attalos and the restoration of the Church of the Holy Apostles.Trade ReviewAgora Excavations 1931-2006: A Pictorial History is bound to become an indispensable source when it comes to teaching and studying the Athenian Agora and the surrounding city of Athens. It has been very carefully conceptualized, researched, and produced. Its principal value, to my view, lies not only in its documentary function but also in its role as an index to the practice of archaeology and to the difficult role of conciliating past and present in a continuously changing context. -- Bryn Mawr Classical Review Bryn Mawr Classical Review

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Book SynopsisLearning Archaeology is designed for undergraduate archaeology students, helping them develop interpretive skills in the classroom through problem-oriented, active learning exercises.This book brings together case studies drawn from real archaeological research so students can understand (and wrestle with) how archaeology is practiced, the kinds of questions that can be addressed with archaeological data (and its limits), and the often contested place of the discipline in the modern world. Experts working across the globe and on a variety of topics have written chapters addressing critical archaeological issues or questions using data and examples from their own research projects. Several chapters are co-authored by experienced practitioners working outside of the academy in archaeology and heritage-related fields, including Tribal or First Nations members. Importantly, each author or group of authors situates their archaeological problem within the social and political context of their practice. With ethical and socio-political considerations woven through each chapter, the book is structured into three sections, Excavation, Analytical Methods, and Archaeology in the Contemporary World and provides both a comprehensive view of archaeological method as well as an understanding the role that archaeological knowledge has in contemporary society.Learning Archaeology is for undergraduate archaeology students and suitable for use in introductory courses in archaeology.

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Book SynopsisThe Archaeology of Britain is the only concise and up-to-date introduction to the archaeological record of Britain from the reoccupation of the landmass by Homo sapiens during the later stages of the most recent Ice Age until last century. This fully revised third edition extends its coverage, and includes updates relating to the latest research and advances in scientific dating and other techniques. This includes the results of the latest analyses of ancient DNA, alongside new isotopic studies which enable insights into ancient diets.The chapters are written by experts in their respective fields. Each is geared to provide an authoritative but accessible introduction, supported by numerous illustrations of key sites and finds and a selective reference list to aid study in greater depth. It provides a one-stop textbook for the entire archaeology of Britain and reflects the most recent developments in archaeology both as a field subject and as an academic discipli

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Book SynopsisThis open access book examines the untold human history of the Amazon rainforest, from the arrival of the earliest humans to the present. A spate of recent discoveries in unexplored regions and technological breakthroughs have allowed us to peer through the forest canopy to the earth below, revealing an entirely new picture of Amazonian past, which overturns the long-held assumption of a virgin rainforest. This book demonstrates how Amazonia's current diversity of landscapes and people are deeply rooted in prehistory with lasting repercussions on today's rainforests. Among the major achievements of ancient Amazonian peoples were the domestication of globally important crops, including manioc, cacao, rice, yams and sweet potato, manufactured America's first ceramics, engineered the landscape for sustainable food production, built massive geometric ceremonial structures, and had distinctively complex, early urban polities that can rival any civilization of antiquity.

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Book SynopsisA detailed account suitable for students of Egyptology, enthusiasts and anyone with more than a passing interest in Ancient Egypt.

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Book Synopsis''Laura Thompson''s outstanding biography . . . is a pretty much perfect capturing of a life'' - Kate MosseIt has been 100 years since Agatha Christie wrote her first novel and created the formidable Hercule Poirot. In this biography, Laura Thompson describes the Edwardian world in which she grew up, explores the relationships she had, including those with her two husbands and daughter, and investigates the mysteries still surrounding Christie''s life - including her disappearance in 1926. Agatha Christie is a mystery and writing about her is a detection job in itself. But, with access to all of Christie''s letters, papers and writing notebooks, as well as interviews with her grandson, daughter, son-in-law and their living relations, Thompson is able to unravel not only the detailed workings of Christie''s detective fiction, but the truth behind her private life as well.First published in 2007 as ''Agatha Christie: An English Mystery'', this is a fuTrade ReviewThompson does a superlatives job at digging beneath the surface of this public but private woman... her prose here is elegantly turned and concise - and perfectly at the service of its enigmatic subject. * Crime Time *

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Book SynopsisIn Search of the Romans is a lively and informative introduction to ancient Rome. Making extensive use of ancient sources and copiously illustrated with photographs, drawings, maps and plans, now for the first time in colour, its opening two chapters guide the reader through the events of Roman history, from the foundation of the city to the fall of the empire. Subsequent chapters introduce the most important aspects of the Roman world: the army and the provinces, religion, society, and entertainment; the final two chapters focus on Pompeii and Herculaneum, the two cities destroyed by Vesuvius. New to this edition are sections on the Augustan principate, on the Roman army, on life in the provinces and on engineering innovations, while the existing text is revised throughout. The narrative includes descriptions of many individuals from the Roman world, drawn from a variety of social settings. Activity boxes and further reading lists throughout each chapter aid students'' understTrade ReviewSince its initial publication in 2012, I have recommended In Search of the Romans as my first choice for introductory courses on Roman civilization… this revised second edition makes smart changes and useful improvements, making it a necessary update for every classroom. -- Robert Gurval, Associate Professor of Classics, University of California, Los Angeles, USAThe real achievement of this book is how it covers a huge range of topics in such a detailed yet unintimidating manner. It doesn’t shy away from challenging concepts, and pushes the reader to engage with ancient material and think carefully about important questions. The presentation of the second edition is especially impressive. -- Rebecca Usherwood, Assistant Professor in Late Antique and Early Byzantine Studies, Trinity College Dublin, IrelandTable of ContentsPreface Introduction 1 From Kingdom to Republic 2 The Emperors 3 Running an Empire 4 Roman Religion 5 Roman Society 6 Roman Entertainment and Leisure 7 Pompeii 8 Herculaneum Appendices 1 Roman Currency Values 2 Roman Clothing 3 Roman Names 4 Roman Time Glossary Sources of Quotations Sources of Illustrations Index

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Book SynopsisThis is ancient Greece - but not as we know it. Few people today appreciate that Greek civilization was spread across the Middle East, and that there were Greek cities in the foothills of the Himalayas. This book tells the story of the Greeks outside Greece, such as Sappho, the poet from Lesbos; Archimedes, a native of Syracuse; and Herodotus, who was born in Asia Minor as a subject of the Persian Empire. From the earliest times of prehistoric Greek colonies around the Black Sea, through settlements in Spain and Italy, to the conquests of Alexander and the glories of the Hellenistic era, Philip Matyszak illuminates the Greek soldiers, statesmen, scientists and philosophers who, though they seldom - if ever - set foot on the Greek mainland, nevertheless laid the foundations of what we call 'Greek culture' today. Instead of following the well-worn path of describing Athenian democracy and Spartan militarism, this book offers a fresh look at what it meant to be Greek by telling the story of the Greeks abroad, from India to Spain.

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Book SynopsisWarrior tells the story of forgotten man, a man whose bones were found in an Anglo-Saxon graveyard at Bamburgh castle in Northumberland. It is the story of a violent time when Britain was defining itself in waves of religious fervour, scattered tribal expansion and terrible bloodshed; it is the story of the fighting class, men apart, defined in life and death by their experiences on the killing field; it is an intricate and riveting narrative of survival and adaptation set in the stunning political and physical landscapes of medieval England. Warrior is a classic of British history, a landmark of popular archaeology, and a must-read for anyone interested in the story of where we've come from.

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Book SynopsisMarine borers, particularly the shipworms, as destroyers of timber, par excellence, are well known from very ancient times. They attacked the wooden hulls of ships with such intensity that the weakened bottom planks broke up even due to a mild impact caused by hitting a rock or any floating objects inducing shipwrecks. Even the survival of sunken ships as wrecks depends on the mercy of wood-destroying organisms, which may turn these ‘port-holes’ to history into meaningless junks. The silent saboteurs, involved in several early shipwrecks, are the molluscan and crustacean borers, aided by bacteria and fungi. This paper presents an account of the marine wood-borers, together with a historical review of literature on their depredation on wooden ships, and on protective methods adopted from antiquity to modern times. The seriousness with which early mariners faced the problem of bio-deterioration and the fear the wood-borers created in their minds have been brought to light with, in some cases, excerpts from their journals and books. The anxiety and concern for protecting the ships from the ravages of wood-borers and for their own safety, as evidenced from their accounts, are discussed. Classification of various groups of marine wood-borers with notes on characters of systematic value and a complete list of species so far recorded in literature have been included under Appendix I and II. Methods employed to prevent damage to the boats included deep-charring, coating with pitch, coal-tar, whale oil and mustard oil with lime; scupper nailing (‘filling’); sheathing with animal skin, hair, tarred paper, wooden boards (untreated or soaked in coal tar, Ferrous sulphate, Copper sulphate or Lead monoxide); sheathing with metals (Lead or Copper sheets); plastic, neoprene coated ply-woods; and painting with Copper oxide, Pentachlorophenol or phenylarsenious oxide. None of these imparts complete protection. Recent archaeological investigations carried out in British waters, especially on ‘Mary Rose’, are also summarised. It is suggested that, though borers are instrumental in inducing ship-wrecks thereby enriching the materials for archaeological studies, excavations at known ship-wreck sites should be augmented to unearth valuable historical data, before they are lost to satisfy the insatiable appetite of these pests.Table of ContentsAbstract; Chapter 1. Introduction; Chapter 2. Historical Evidence; Chapter 3. Marine Wood-boring Organisms and their taxonomy; Chapter 4. Wood-borer distribution; Chapter 5. Recent Findings; Chapter 6. Conclusions; Appendix I; Appendix II; References

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