History Books

Book SynopsisThere are few more historic and evocative places in the world. Caesar was cremated there. Charles V and Mussolini rode by it in triumph. There Napoleon celebrated his festival of liberty. In this radical reappraisal David Watkin teaches us to see the Forum with new eyes and helps us to rediscover its rich history. This is as stimulating to the armchair traveller as it is useful as a guide to the Forum itself. 'With verve, authority and no little humour, Watkin tells the detailed and complex story of this great but mutilated landmark ... it is an almost impossible task, superbly done' Peter Jones, BBC History Magazine 'In this sprightly volume ... the distinguished architectural historian David Watkin charts the shifting fortunes of the site ... he has an engagingly romantic feeling for the place... deploying a good deal of sharp wit, he reveals how the relatively recent obsession with recovering the Forum's classical past has led to much unhappy destruction and much less scarcely happy invention' Matthew Sturgis, Country LifeTrade ReviewThis charming and erudite book not only reveals much about the history of its subject; it stands as a humanist reproach to the scientific philistinism of our times. -- Allan Massie * Literary Review *An excellent, handy new book... More successfully than any author before him, Watkin makes his reader aware of the multilayered, fascinating history of the site -- Masolino D'Amico * TLS *Professor Watkin has an engagingly romantic feeling for the place ... Deploying a good deal of sharp wit, he reveals how the relatively recent obsession with recovering the Forum's classical past has led to much unhappy destruction -- Matthew Sturgis * Country Life *Watkin provides a challenging new perspective on Rome's ancient heart. -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *David Watkin's short, polemical, brilliant history...the painstaking explanation of the true history and origins of all visible fabric, in clear, authoritative but enjoyable and lively language that makes this an invaluable guide...read this: it will help to tell you who you are. -- Timothy Brittain-Catlin * The Tablet *Learned but lively... Informative... -- Christopher Hirst * Indepedent *

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Book SynopsisOver the last seven hundred years the United Kingdom has acquired a staggering array of treasures as a direct result of its military activities – from Joan of Arc’s ring to the Rock of Gibraltar to Hitler’s desk. Spoils of War describes these spoils and how they came to be acquired as well as telling the tales of some of the extraordinary (and extraordinarily incompetent) men and women, now mostly forgotten, who had a hand in the rise and fall of the British Empire. Along the way the book debunks a significant number of myths, exposes a major fraud perpetrated on a leading London museum, reveals previously unknown spoils of war and casts light on some very dark corners of Britain’s military history.Trade Review“Christopher Joll’s original and entertaining book focuses on some of the remarkable spoils of war seized during the age of empire by British soldiers, sailors and airmen. Each of these tangible trophies of victory, ranging from the priceless to the valueless, has a story which Joll recounts, and sometimes debunks, with style, humour and insight.” Michael Portillo (broadcaster and former Secretary of State for Defence)Table of ContentsForeword by the Duke of Wellington. Introduction. THE CAMPAIGNS: 1. Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453). 2. English Civil War (1642–1651) . 3. War Of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). 4. Seven Years’ War (1756–1763). 5. American War of Independence (1775–1783). 6. Anglo-French War (1778–1783). 7. French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802). 8. Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799). 9. War of the Third Coalition (1805). 10. West Indies Campaign (1804–1810). 11. Peninsular War (1807–1814). 12. Retreat from Moscow (1812). 13. British-American War of 1812 (1812–1815). 14. The 100 Days (1815). 15. First Anglo-Ashanti War (1823–1831). 16. Sindh Campaign (1843). 17. Crimean War (1853–1856). 18. Indian Mutiny (1857–1858). 19. Second Opium War (1856–1860). 20. Abyssinia Expedition (1867–1868). 21. Third Anglo-Ashanti War (1873–1874). 22. Anglo-Zulu War (1879). 23. Urabi Revolt (1879–1882). 24. Mahdist War (1881–1899). 25. Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885). 26. Boxer Rebellion & The Siege of Peking (1889–1901). 27. Second Boer War (1899–1902). 28. First World War (1914–1918). 29. Second World War (1939–1945). 30. Malayan Emergency (1948–1960). 31. Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation (1962–1966). 32. The Troubles, Ulster (1968–1998). 33. Falklands War (1982). About the author. Appendices. 1. Styles, titles, honorifics and regimental names. 2. Principal British campaigns. 3. Prize law, prize money and.prize auctions. 4. Sources and locations. Acknowledgements.

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Book SynopsisStonehenge is woven into the earliest Arthurian legends and has been analysed by everyone from archaeologists, to town planners, to the Druids who have made it their spiritual home. By refusing to adopt one theoretical position, Rosemary Hill provides the most wide-ranging and expansive history of the megalithic structure to date, from its creation in 3000 BC to the threat of the thunderous main roads that flank it today.Trade ReviewHer book is a treasure: stylish, thoughtful, miraculously condensed, and as full of knowledge as megalith is full of megalith * Sunday Times *She brings genuine originality to the cultural history of Stonehenge; nobody has until now considered it as literature, poetry and art, in this comprehensive way * Times Literary Supplement *A fascinating overview * Time Out *This is a fascinating account of how Stonehenge has been written up over the years ... this is a thoroughly researched history that's both entertaining and authoritative -- Lesley McDowell * Independent on Sunday *Clear, intelligent and often highly amusing, this study achieves something new in the voluminous literature on Stonehenge ... excellent. -- Christopher Hirst * Independent *Intelligent and often witty ... refreshingly unmocking. -- Andrew Holgate * Sunday Times *A thorough examination of England's most captivating World Heritage Site. -- Julian Fleming * Sunday Business Post *Superbly researched and thoroughly entertaining account of the monument's history -- Simon Shaw * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisIn May of 1895 Oscar Wilde, the century's most dazzling man of letters, was sentenced to two years with hard labour for 'acts of gross indecency with another male person.' On his release he moved to France, where he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol: an indictment of the prison system and the death penalty, an anguished plea for prison reform, and a passionate expression of sympathy for his fellow prisoners, those 'souls in pain'. The Ballad of Reading Gaol was a success from its first publication, and to this day some of its lines are among the most famous in the English language. Peter Hay's powerful images are retained in this new edition which contains an Afterword by Peter Stoneley, drawing on unpublished material in the prison archives.

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Book SynopsisThe very first book in the world to be illustrated with photographs was produced in Reading between 1844 and 1846. In 1843, William Henry Fox Talbot set up the first commercial studios to mass-produce photographs from negatives and he chose the Berkshire town of Reading as its location. The Reading Establishment, as it became known, marks a pivotal moment in the development of photography. Martin Andrews tells the story of these momentous events and places them in the context of the discovery and early history of photography. Told in a lively and engaging way, the story starts with a mystery. Who is the strange, foreign gentleman buying unusual substances in the chemist shops of Reading - is he a forger or a spy?

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Book SynopsisThe key theme of the Hall Book remains Borough Governance. The town's charters and rights were confirmed and extended in 1664 by the Charter of Charles II. The key theme of the Hall Book remains Borough Governance. The town's charters and rights were confirmed and extended in 1664 by the Charter of Charles II. James II's Charter of 1685 led to the Alderman becoming Mayor, the First Twelve becoming Aldermen and the Second Twelve becoming Councillors. James also sought to extend his powers with more rights to interfere, as with other cities and boroughs across the country. The Quo Warranto issued in April 1688 and the removal of six Aldermen resulted in an un-sought for Charter later in 1688 but this may not have even been physically received in Grantham as the events of the Glorious Revolution intervened and governance was restored under the terms of the 1631 Charter of Charles I. The borough of Grantham was then governed in these terms until the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. Subsidiary themes include the precautions against plague in 1665; the issue and recall of the town's half-pennies in 1667-1674; references to non-conformity in 1668-69 and the lives of some of the Corporation members.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION The Hall Book The Town of Grantham in the Late Seventeenth Century The Corporation: Historical Background and Composition The Charter of 1664 Strained Relations within the Soke Responding to the Threat of Plague in 1665 The Borough's Half Pence The Church and Religious Dissent in Grantham The Grammar School The Borough and its Members of Parliament The Charters of 1685 and 1688 Borough Governance, 1689-1704 The Red Lyon Saga, 1662-1704 Other Corporate Responsibilities Conclusions THE TEXT The Hall Book of Grantham, 1662-1704 APPENDICES Courts and Assemblies, 1662-1704 List of Aldermen, Comburgesses and Second Twelvemen, 1662-1704 Index

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Book SynopsisSome ten thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers moving through a landscape newly emerged from the grip of the last Ice Age reached four islands on the western seaboard. The shores they landed on were deserted. After making camp, they struck out to hunt and explore. We know this because the evidence of their presence has been preserved down the millennia - in traces of flint and quartz, in charred fragments of grain and animal bone, in great heaped piles of ancient shellfish. The islands were Rum, Eigg, Canna and Muck - four distinctive shapes rising from the waters of the Inner Hebrides between Ardnamurchan and Skye. Collectively, they are known as the Small Isles. From those first moments on, people have been working these islands and using their resources, adapting each landscape to suit the changing needs of the communities they served. In this definitive new book, archaeologist John Hunter searches for the stories of the Small Isles in the evidence that survives - from the fragmentary physical remains of dwellings, defences, places of worship and monuments, to the records of early antiquarians, historians and travellers. This is a journey to rediscover communities that were erased by the mass migrations of the nineteenth century, and the rise of the Victorian sporting estate. Within a few generations cultural identity on the islands disappeared and a new order developed. Placenames were changed, buildings and structures abandoned, and traditions forgotten. The Small Isles became islands without memories. This comprehensive guide - illustrated with a wealth of photographs, maps and drawings - takes readers on a tour of both place and time. Crisscrossing the landscapes of four fascinating and evocative islands, it reveals traces of a forgotten past in everything that has been left behind.Trade Review‘lucidly written and beautifully produced ... a wonderful introduction to this often overlooked group of islands’ * Current Archaeology *

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Book SynopsisThe author has acquired a vast wealth of knowledge, data and experience in boat angling, sport and wreck diving over a period of almost 50 years and has written various wreck books, including two volumes about shipwrecks off the north-east coast of England. However, this book is far superior. No other single publication has so much information about the shipwrecks and crews that were lost over this huge region of the North Sea from Whitby to Berwick and up to 40 miles offshore. There are 285 wrecks in total, including 22 located in an area known ominously as the 'Graveyard', about 30 miles off the River Tyne, that has never previously been written about, plus dozens of almost certainly virgin wrecks that are just waiting to be explored! The book is absolutely jam-packed with valuable information and technical data including the ship's builders, past owners, dates and name changes and in many cases the captains' names. Precise WGS84 GPS positions are supplied for each wreck and these have been meticulously checked over several years to ensure they are correct and as accurate as humanly possible. Many of the wrecks are in depths of between 80 and 100 metres - well beyond the range of normal sport divers - but with new technological advances in equipment they offer exhilarating future projects. However, for the boat angler they will be paradise found! Where possible, the ship's previous service history has been supplied, followed by a detailed account of its final voyage/patrol and its demise. Some of the Board of Trade Wreck Reports, survivor and witness statements tell of harrowing and terrifying anecdotes. This is Ron Young's best book to date.Trade Review'Is this the Ultimate book on shipwrecks? After reading it I would unashamedly say yes! It is an extended, unique and comprehensive guide to 285 shipwrecks off the North-East coast of England. ... It is bigger and better and definitely more interesting. An excellent book superbly written and researched, and contains the history of each ship. A superb reference book for the diver, the deep sea wreck fisherman, the historian and, most important of all, the casual reader. ... I can only say now an absolute bargain, and congratulations to the author for a superb book. Recommended.' The Nautical Magazine 'He has amassed huge detail on wrecks from 1850 to the present day, whether sunk by mines, U-boats or accidents, and nobody knows more about the wrecks in that area than the veteran diver.' The Sunday Post '...the details contained in this book are as accurate and as complete as it is humanly possible to achive. Unlike any other book I have read, where there was a loss of life - he also lists the names of those who died. Now that is thorough! In summary, I regard this work as a triumph of meticulous research and would suggest it is probably the 'only' reference material any wreck diver frequenting the north east of England will ever need and is, therefore, thoroughly recommended.' Sport Diver, Ned Middleton 'While the book is primarily aimed at amateur wreck divers, the potted history of each ship is well done and each is fascinating in its own right. Another excellent source book for maritime historians.' Work Boat World 'An excellent well composed book which compiles Ron Young's two previous volumes. A wealth of information is included on all 258 shipwrecks along the north-east coast from Whitby to Berwick including the date loss, the depth, precise GPS positions and a five star rating devised by the author. Meticulously researched, this fascinating volume is recommended to divers, researchers and historians. ... Highly recommended' Sea Breezes

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Book SynopsisThe breadth of National Museums Scotland's collections, together with the support of The Glenmorangie Company, puts National Museums in a unique position to reveal the role of silver in the development of the first kingdoms of Scotland. It was silver, not gold, which was the most important and powerful precious metal in Scotland for over six hundred years and, as well as showcasing beautiful objects, the book builds on the Glenmorangie Research Project to gives fresh insights into this formative period of Scottish history. Based on the exhibition Scotland's Early Silver which was at the National Museum of Scotland and is now on tour.Trade Review' ... The book is very well written in clear and plain English and it conveys ideas and stories in short, well-structured, chapters that are appropriately illustrated to a high quality. ... It is a book to be relished and looked at in comfort and the images in particular reward closer study.’ -- Jim Mearns * Scottish Archaeological Journal 40 (2018) *' … It is not possible to do this book justice in this review. This is partly because it is so succinctly written with a kernel of vital information in almost every sentence. It discusses many new discoveries, presents new research and provides numerous thought-provoking interpretations which change our perception of Scottish history in the ancient and medieval periods. … Finally, this book is a masterclass in how to present new material within a coherent and accessible narrative which can appeal both to the scholar and the layman … ' Britannia ' … The book is very well written in clear and plain English and it conveys ideas and stories in short, well-structured chapters that are appropriately illustrated to a high quality.' Scottish Archaeological JournalTable of ContentsForeword by Dr Gordon Rintoul CBE, National Museums Scotland Foreword by Marc Hoellinger, The Glenmorangie Company Introduction: Silver, not gold SCOTLAND'S EARLY SILVER Ch. 1 Sources of silver Ch. 2 Scotland's earliest silver AD75-160 Ch. 3 Bribery beyond Britannia AD140-230 Ch. 4 Silver for changing times AD250-350 Ch. 5. Pieces of silver: making sense of the Traprain Treasure AD350-450 Ch. 6 changing silver for a new world AD300-500 Ch. 7 Managing silver, managing change: Early Medieval hacksilver hoarding AD400-600 Ch. 8 New power symbols: massive silver chains AD300-500 Ch. 9 Holding it together: silver and brooches AD400-800 Ch. 10 New sources and new ideas AD800-1000 Ch. 11 Conclusion: a thousand years of silver Bibliography Exhibited objects Index Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisPresents a period much closer to home, with a departure towards various images taken of Britain in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. This title also presents a domestic revolution, from a photographer whose international fame covering a country on the other side of the world is put in the context of his equally incisive work at home.

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Book SynopsisDramatic Highland landscapes, heroic histories, tartan and bagpipes are among the defining images of Scotland for many people around the world. From the Romantic movement of the 18th and early 19th centuries to Queen Victoria’s Highland idyll at Balmoral, Wild and Majestic considers the origins of these ideas and explores how romantic interpretations of the cultural traditions of the Scottish Highlands and Islands became enduring symbols of wider Scottish identity. This book accompanied a landmark exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland in 2019. It charts Scotland’s journey into the global imagination and invites you to think again about the meaning and relevance of ideas that continue to define Scotland today.Trade Review' … beautifully produced and magnificently illustrated … it is also a book that tells its story very well indeed.' Undiscovered ScotlandTable of ContentsRomantic visions of Scotland Symbols of Scotland Scotland after Culloden A romantic vision of Scotland Royal favour A tour of Scotland The Gothic revival The Highland idea Legacy Acknowledgements Further reading

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Book SynopsisIn this study of the reign of James II of Scotland, the king is viewed in the context of the Stewart monarchy, from his struggles to overcome his early adversity and the legacy of his father's style of kingship, to the serious political crises of his reign. The relations between the king and his subjects, and the complex balance of power in medieval Scotland are examined, particularly the significant crisis precipitated by James II's attack on the Black Douglases, the greatest of all late medieval magnate families. The changing nature of political involvement among the nobility and the role of Parliament in influencing events are explored, as are the efforts of the king to recover and promote royal authority in the final years of his reign. The role of James II in the wider European context is also studied with a view to shedding light on contemporary perceptions of the Stewart monarchy both at home and abroad. The study is based on contemporary chronicle and official sources, and consideration is also given to later, highly coloured views of James II, which have influenced popular views of the king to the present day.

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Book SynopsisDr Isabel Grant (1887-1983) was a pioneer who, early in life, was intrigued by the lives and ways of living of her fellow Highlanders. She eventually pursued this by collecting objects - farming, fishing, crofting and domestic - from across the Scottish Highlands and presenting them to the public, initially as an exhibition in Inverness in 1930, then in Iona, and later in a dedicated museum Am Fasgadh ('the Shelter'). The tenacity shown by Dr Grant in pursuit of an idea that first struck her while on a childhood visit to Sweden is revealed in her own words. In the face of indifference, little money, sexism and the erratic Scottish climate, Dr Grant succeeded in presenting items which told of the working and home lives of the people she so admired. Am Fasgadh continues today as the popular Highland Folk Museum at Kingussie and Newtonmore, Inverness-shire, Scotland.Trade Review'Dr I F Grant (1887-1983) was a very remarkable historian and ethnographer, whose achievements were insufficiently appreciated in her lifetime, and who even now is not recognised as among the great contributors to Scottish life and culture in the interwar and postwar years - up there with the likes of Edwin Muir, Hugh MacDiarmid and Neil Gunn ... it is good that the NMS has published this autobiographical memoir as some recompense for the shabby snobbery to which she was so often subjected in her lifetime.' Chris Smout in Scottish Local HistoryTable of ContentsForeword by Hugh CheapeEarly InfluencesThe 1920sThe Inverness ExhibitionIonaAn Historical OutlinePrinciples of CollectingCollecting in the IslandsArdnamurchan, Arisaig and Kyle of LochalshApplecross and the SeaThe North-West and Highland BuildingsWest and EastPerthshire and AngusWorkers in Wood and IronOther CraftsCraftsmen's Tools and Household PlenishingsLightingTransportThe Social PatternLagganKingussieGlossary

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Book SynopsisAt its inception, the ‘Little Black Dress’ was radically modern: a masculine-inspired, anti-traditionalist female attire. Yet it has remained a wardrobe staple for almost a century, each new silhouette redressing gendered boundaries of fashion to reflect evolving ideals of beauty and sexuality. In attempting to reconcile the historical study of fashion in the West with the reality of a global fashion system of production, distribution and consumption, and the urgent demand for the industry to be more aware of its footfalls in our culture, Little Black Dress: A Radical Fashion widens the lens through which we interpret the colour black. In this book, international scholars, curators and fashion writers explore how black’s paradoxical meanings have made the LBD simultaneously expressive of respect and rebellion, sophistication and dissident sexualities, piety and perversion. Bridging tradition and innovation, fashion and anti-fashion, the LBD emerges as a radical fashion for the 21st century.Table of ContentsForeword by Dr Christopher Breward / Well-mannered Black?: Fashion, Femininity and Feminism by Georgina Ripley / Spiritual Black by Lynne Hume / Sublime Black: Perfection of Line and Technical Wizardry by Iain R Webb / Black Will Take Any Other Hue by Makoto Ishizeki / LBD(SM) by Fiona Jardine / Fashion, Technology and the LBD by Pamela A Parmal / The Transmodern Little Black Dress by Georgina Ripley / Bibliography / Index

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Book Synopsis In telling the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie, this book, unusually, places his ancestry, birth and life against the Scoto-Polish and pan-European backgrounds of his parents’ families. With over one hundred and fifty illustrations, including seventy portraits, the selection shows those rarely or never-before included in other works, while the captions are extensive and detailed. The cover shows a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie that was in a private collection and unknown to the general public until 2018. The third distinguishing factor is that the book presents the full story of the prince’s only child, Charlotte, Duchess of Albany (Robert Burns’ ‘Bonnie Lass of Albany’); her mother, the tragic Scottish Jacobite Clementina Walkinshaw; and Charlotte Stuart’s children, describing their fates during and after the French Revolution. First published by Amberley in 2010, this edition of Bonnie Prince Charlie has been rewritten and updated. It features on the cover a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie that was in a private collection and unknown to the general public until 2018 when it was purchased by the Pininski Foundation. Trade Review' … Pininski writes well and presents a colorful, detailed narrative of Charles's life. … Pininski's flowing narrative is enhanced by the wealth of illustrations ... They make for a handsome volume that should appeal to a broad audience.' Scotia 'This beautifully crafted and curated biography captures not only the rebellion and exile but delves deep into the upbringing that shaped Bonnie Prince Charlie and the lives of his family and descendants afterwards. … this would be a stunning gift for anyone keen on a comprehensive history of the doomed Stuart line.' Scottish FieldTable of ContentsGuide to Polish Pronunciation / Preface / Foreword / Charles Edward Stuart and his Family / Ch. 1 Lost Kingdoms: The Prince's Forebears 1683-1719 / Ch. 2 Papa Wagner: The Prince's Parents 1717-1719 / Ch. 3 the Road Home: Upbringing in Rome 1719-1745 / Ch. 4 the Rising: Glenfinnan to Culloden 1745 - 1746 / Ch. 5 Drumossie Moor: Disaster, Flight and Exile 1746 / Ch. 6 Expulsion from France: Love and Banishment 1746-1749 / Ch. 7 Flight from Carlsbourg: Plots and Parenthood 174901760 / ch. 8 Lochaber no more: Marriage, Separation, Reconciliation 1760-1859 / Ch. 9 the Prince's Heirs: Secret Family and Exile 1776-1859 // Genealogical Table / Appendix 1 / Appendix 3 / References / Postscript / Suggested Further Reading / Acknowledgements / Bibliography / Index of People

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Book SynopsisUntil 1912 Morocco had never suffered foreign domination, and its mountainous interior was as closed to foreigners as Tibet. Walter Harris, though, was an exception. He lived in the country for more than thirty-five years, and as The Times correspondent observed every aspect of its life. He describes the unfettered Sultanate in all its dark, melodramatic splendour. He was an intimate of at least three ruling Sultans and a man capable of befriending his kidnapper. It was said that only three Christians had ever visited the walled city of Chechaouen: one was poisoned, one came for an hour disguised as a Rabbi...the other was Walter Harris.Trade Review"This book is brilliant - sharp, melodramatic & extremely funny" Rough Guide to Morocco

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Book SynopsisConditioned by a childhood surrounded by the rivalries of the Stewart family, and by eighteen years of enforced exile in England, James I was to prove a king very different from his elderly and conservative forerunners. This major study draws on a wide range of sources, assessing James I’s impact on his kingdom. Michael Brown examines James’s creation of a new, prestigious monarchy based on a series of bloody victories over his rivals and symbolised by lavish spending at court. He concludes that, despite the apparent power and glamour, James I’s ‘golden age’ had shallow roots; after a life of drastically swinging fortunes, James I was to meet his end in a violent coup, a victim of his own methods. But whether as lawgiver, tyrant or martyr, James I has cast a long shadow over the history of Scotland.Trade Review'This is an important book, and not only because it is the first full-length biography of James I for nearly sixty years. It is a clearly written and innovative political study, drawn from a deep knowledge of the contemporary documents and chronicles. It gives a challenging, not to say unattractive, picture of a royal thug' - Books in Scotland

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Book SynopsisPickers came from near and far year after year – and from a variety of backgrounds – for the berry-picking season. For local people, adults and children, it was an opportunity to supplement the family income; Glasgow folk combined it with a holiday. For the Scottish Traveller community it was an annual opportunity to meet up with friends and family, and forge new relationships. Roger Leitch encouraged many of those local berry pickers to share their recollections for this book – which is published at a time of political change with challenges for the soft fruit cultivation business. He also interviewed workers in other seasonal employments such as potato picking and ghillieing.Trade Review' … Fascinating material is presented throughout … The focus on the wide range of oral testimonies presented, mostly from a particular region of Scotland that has thus far not received in-depth attention in the wider historiography, means that the book offers important insights for the historical agenda.' Scottish Archives Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction: Caroline Milligan 1. Fieldwork and the Ethnologist 2. Seasonal Rural Employment 3. Life at the Tatties 4. Berryopolis 5. The Growth of the Raspberry Industry in Scotland by G. M. Hodge 6. Life Away From Home 7. At Home Notes Glossary Contributors Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis unique and disturbing work concerns the events of 1997, a tragic year in the history of post-communist Albania. After the world's most isolated country emerged from Stalinist dictatorship and opened to capitalism, many people fell prey to fraudsters who invited them to invest in so-called 'pyramid schemes'. At the start of 1997, these pyramids crumbled one after another causing wide-spread demonstrations and protests. The conflict became increasingly violent, leading to the collapse of the state and of the country's institutions. Prisons were opened, crowds stormed arms depots, and the country was abandoned to anarchy and gang rule. Lubonja has chosen to tell this incredible story through a narrative technique that operates on two levels: a third-person narrator, who describes the large-scale events that made international headlines, and the narrative of Fatos Qorri, the author's alter ego, who describes his own dramatic experiences in a personal diary. The book begins with the synopsis of a novel entitled "The Sugar Boat" that Fatos Qorri intends to write about the spread of a small pyramid scheme luring people to invest supposedly in a sugar business. However, as the major pyramids collapse, real events overtake anything he has imagined and Fatos Qorri finds himself in the midst of a real-life tragedy.

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Book SynopsisHow did Syria's revolution lose its way? Drawing on the author's firsthand knowledge of the country's complex religious and ethnic communities, this book illuminates the darker recesses of Syria's history, politics, and society. With the unique perspective of an Arabic-speaking British woman, Diana Darke became deeply embedded in all levels of Syrian society when she bought and restored a house in a mixed Sunni/Shi'a neighborhood of the walled Old City of Damascus. In September 2012, as fighting intensified and millions were forced to flee their homes, she offered her house as a sanctuary to friends. By following her experiences and struggles with the realities of life on the ground inside Syria, the reader will arrive at a clearer understanding of why the country remains locked in conflict and why most ordinary Syrians are caught between a repressive government and a splintering opposition.Trade Review'...written with the pace of a novel and the colour of the best travel writing... much more than a personal memoir: it is an eclectic but learned encyclopedia of Syrian history, of the Arabs and their language and traditions, of Islamic art and architecture, and more.' - Times Literary Supplement '...glows with...an understanding of and affection for the peoples of Syria.' - The Irish Times 'Darke's powerful, moving new book - elegantly contrasts a property dream with Syria's ongoing violent reality - Her sensitive, knowing story captures a rare view of Syria and the stakes of the conflict from an up-close observer deeply versed in its culture.' - New Republic

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Book SynopsisScotland's unique geography and topography provided a useful base for Allied military preparations during the Cold War, a 40-year nuclear stand-off between the USA and the Soviet Union ending with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.This book accompanies an exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland (13 July-26 January 24) which explores Scotland's critical position on the front line.Scots played active roles as soldiers, within intelligence services and as part of voluntary civil defences. Also drawn on is Scotland's rich history of Cold War-era protest.The physical legacy of the Cold War is revealed too the ruined bases, forgotten bunkers and decommissioned nuclear power stations still evident across the Scottish landscape.

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Book SynopsisNew Hall is one of the oldest inhabited moated houses in England. Built of local sandstone and warm Midlands brick, it sits in what was once the vast hunting forests of Sutton Chase, in the ancient county of Warwickshire. Sir Nicholas Pevsner, the great 20th century British architectural historian, describes New Hall's plaster ceilings, Solar (known as the Great Chamber), the seventeenth century staircase and various other additions as 'a major mansion in a moat'. The house was added to and adorned by subsequent owners, including the Earls of Warwick, whose fortunes rose and fell in the social, political and economic upheavals over the centuries; it is this story, told for the first time, that is England's history in miniature. This is a house that has lasted almost a millennium and the light bouncing off the lily-filled moat, its diamond-shard mullioned windows, their rippling ancient glass, the elegant hubris of the Victorian cupola-ed, castellated wing, are now enjoyed by guests of the wonderful, luxury hotel it is today. Written by Kate Holt, an internationally acclaimed photojournalist, with a foreword by Dr David Owen, OBE, a member of the last private family to own New Hall, this is a book that will engage, delight and inform.

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Book SynopsisMark Girouard has, he claims, scarcely ever thrown away a letter that he has received, and here he selects and reproduces 29 of them, ranging from his early childhood during the war to recent years, and uses them to characterise and memorialise their authors who range from the grand, the distinguished and the once or still famous, to the entirely ordinary, and from minor British gentry to Belgian monks, from American businessmen to African street traders. In the process a selective autobiography emerges as he discusses his relationship with this diverse crowd, and at the same time he paints a riveting picture of Bohemian cultural life in post-war Britain and Ireland. And the point of it all is that friendship has nothing at all to do with fame, success or wealth, but entirely with that sudden click of reciprocity, or pleasure in companionship, that makes life worth living. So the reader can savour walks with John Betjeman through the ruins of blitzed London, or with Denys Lasdun through the concrete dramas of the National Theatre; be regaled with stories about the Gorbals by Ruby Milton, champion child dancer from Glasgow; eat disgusting rook pie off Bourbon gold plate with the Duke of Wellington; be touched by the surprising love life of Sir John Summerson, loftiest of scholars; grieve at the decline of Mariga Guiness, gifted, drunken and loveable queen of the Irish Georgians; and hear how a Chelsea landlady modelled half-naked for the figure of Fame riding her chariot on top of the arch at Hyde Park Corner, and myriad other life stories, poignant, moving and compelling in turn.

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Book SynopsisBehind the Throne is, above all, a history of family life.They ate, entertained their friends and worried about money. Henry VIII kept tripping over his dogs. George II threw his son out of the house. James I had to cut back on the drink bills.The great difference is that royal families had more help with their lives than most.Charles I maintained a household of 2,000. Victoria's medical establishment alone consisted of thirty doctors, three dentists and a chiropodist. Even today, Elizabeth II keeps a full-time staff of 1,200. A royal household was a community, a vast machine. Everyone, from James I's Master of the Horse down to William IV's Assistant Table Decker, was there to smooth the sovereign's path through life while simultaneously confirming their status.Here, Adrian Tinniswood uncovers the reality of five centuries of life at the English court, taking you on a remarkable journey, exploring life as it was lived by clerks and courtiers and clowns and crowned heads. Behind the Throne is a true domestic history of the royal household, a reconstruction of life behind the throne. 'The most interesting and informative book on British royalty for many years' Literary ReviewTrade ReviewThis is the most interesting and informative book on British royalty for many years. -- Sarah Bradford * Literary Review *Behind the Throne, erudite and amusing, bulges with colourful scenes… glorious… a fun, elegant narrative. -- Melanie Reid * The Times *This book is a cracking read, packed full of stories which Tinniswood relates with verve and wit… Buy this book for Christmas and give it to all your non-republican friends. -- Jane Ridley * Spectator *Entertaining… superb… history needs anecdote to make us relate to it, something Tinniswood [does] brilliantly. * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *Adrian Tinniswood’s handsomely produced Behind the Throne is full of such pleasing details, as it takes us on a fascinating snoop into the studies, kitchens and bedrooms of various monarchs from Elizabeth I to the present queen… Tinniswood gets [the tone] just right, never overly deferential, but humorous and distantly respectful… Behind the Throne is a wonderfully entertaining account of life through five centuries of royal households. -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *Adrian Tinniswood's juicy new domestic history of the royal household… [is] delicious – as piquant as the green salad with which Edward VIII liked to eat his cold grouse. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Devoted watchers of The Crown will especially enjoy the nimble analysis of both the narcissistic Edward VIII’s brief reign and Princess Margaret’s doomed romance… this enlightening narrative allows the royal family mystique to disappear just a little. * Publishers Weekly *An intimate and entertaining look at the private lives of monarchs from Elizabeth I to the current occupants of Buckingham Palace… Deft, zesty social history. * Kirkus *If Downton Abbey showcases a well-oiled machine of domestic efficiency in an English estate, you might think the servants surrounding British monarchs would be held to an even higher standard of discretion and excellence. And, as historian Tinniswood warns, you’d be entirely wrong. The reality, as he explores in this diverting book covering the domestic life at court from Elizabeth to Elizabeth, is both much messier and incredibly interesting… This rare glimpse into royal households reveals the priorities and peculiarities of kings and queens. * Booklist *Tinniswood retells some of the best-known and best-loved episodes in British royal history… with elegance and wit… [and] based on extensive research. -- Linda Porter * BBC History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisLudlow, England's iconic market town, has a new concise history, from its Anglo Saxon roots to today. Times of plague, tremendous wealth, royal connections, local quarrels and the Civil War.

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Book SynopsisThe essential reference on Japanese customs and etiquette told from the inside. Japan?s image in the world, and self-image, is tied up in a tumultuous history, from turbulent medieval ages, to the stable Tokugawa era, to catastrophic world war, to global economic powerhouse, and to a period of stagnation leading into the shattering earthquake of 2011. As the New York Times reported on the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor disaster: ?Maybe we can learn something from Japan. . . . The selflessness, stoicism and discipline in Japan these days are epitomized by those workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.? This book, told from the inside by a distinguished Japanese ambassador, explains the value set and culture that underpins modern Japan. As the Western model of capitalism appears to struggle with civil disorder and crime, there is much to be learned from the cultural systems of these steadfast islanders.

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Book SynopsisAs Scotland’s fourth largest city, Dundee has long been known for its ‘Three Js’ of jute, jam and journalism. Now a thriving university city, Dundee is a UNESCO City of Design, and a shortlisted UK City of Culture. Year round, Dundee is alive with festivals, events and art, not to mention a rich history, including five castles and Antarctic research ship RRS Discovery to its name. In this first ever comprehensive guide to the city, Dundee historian Norman Watson explores key streets and buildings, mapping changes over the years and into Dundee’s bright future. Using his award winning story-telling style, the people behind Dundee’s trades and customs are shown as the city developed from a centre of manufacturing into the vibrant cultural hub we see today. Featuring full colour photographs and maps, this is the perfect guide for both locals and visitors keen to explore Dundee.Trade Review.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 10 Foreword – Lord Provost Bob Duncan 11 Introduction 12 Chapter One The High Street 15 Chapter Two Nethergate and Overgate 39 Chapter Three Ward Road and Surrounds 59 Chapter Four The Central Waterfront 77 Chapter Five The Law 95 Chapter Six Cowgate and Routes North-East 99 Chapter Seven West Port and Hawkhill 109 Chapter Eight Perth Road 113 Chapter Nine Ferries and Bridges 123 Chapter Ten Historic Suburbs 129 Chapter Eleven The Kingsway 143 Chapter Twelve Eastern Dundee 151 Chapter Thirteen Museums and Galleries 157 Chapter Fourteen Parks and Gardens 167 Chapter Fifteen Sport in Dundee 177 Chapter Sixteen Dundee’s Castles 182 Bibliography 187 Index 189

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Book SynopsisThe world-famous Burrell Collection reopens to the world in the spring of 2021 after a multi-million pound refurbishment. This new guidebook functions as both a memento and a tool for visitors as they peruse the galleries, which house tapestries, stained glass, Chinese art, French paintings, medieval sculpture and much more. It contains key objects and gallery highlights, offering visitors who require it more in depth information about the fantastic collection Sir William Burrell gave to his home city, Glasgow, in 1944. The opening essays illuminate the background story to this huge collection of over 9,000 objects, and touch on the building's history and recent redevelopment. The guidebook reflects the scope of the new galleries, helping to orient visitors further.

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Book SynopsisIn A History of Diplomacy, historian Jeremy Black challenges the conventional account of the development of diplomacy, devoting more attention to non-Western traditions and to the medieval West than is usually the case. By the nineteenth century a system of diplomacy was increasingly formalized. Black charts the course and evolution of 'diplomacy' in all its incarnations, concluding with the ideological diplomatic conflicts of the twentieth century and the situation today. The role of modern inter- and non-governmental organizations - from the United Nations and NATO to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch - in diplomatic relations is assessed, and the challenges facing diplomacy in the future are identified and investigated. A History of Diplomacy presents a detailed and engaging study into the ever-changing phenomenon of diplomacy: its aims, its achievements, its successes and failures, against a historical and cultural background. An essential read for students and scholars of history and politics, it will also be of interest to anyone intrigued by the forces that have shaped international relations throughout history.Trade Review'An ambitious, innovative and remarkably wide-ranging survey by a historian of formidable breadth.' - BBC History Magazine 'thought-provoking and usefully targeted to the questions of today.' - TLS '[a] spirited defence of traditional diplomacy ... a history of the profession, but with an alternative focus, looking at modern diplomacy's non-Western traditions and its roots in the medieval West. It provides fascinating details along the way about the development of embassies, envoys, and give-and-take or 19th century statesmanship. It almost made me want to rejoin the trade - except in a time capsule.' - Eamon Delaney, Irish Times 'Using illuminating, sometimes fascinating examples and an easy-going style, he describes the development of embassies and the self-taught skills of their envoys all the way up to the zenith of statesmanship, the nineteenth century ... beyond merely demonstrating the forces that have shaped international relations today, Professor Black delivers a clarion call for today's diplomats to not forsake their traditional skills and functions in favour of easy sound bites.' - Diplomat magazine 'Jeremy Black's book provides a highly effective tour d'horizon of the practice of diplomacy to date, as well as indicating its future longetivity.' - International Affairs 'Jeremy Black brings together a wide ranging body of knowledge to produce a powerful defence of the traditional academic discipline of Diplomatic History. In so doing he also demonstrates the continuing importance and relevance of diplomacy in the changing conditions of the modern world.' - Professor John Clark, University of Buckingham

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Book Synopsis“If my fellow-traveller had lived, he intended to have put together in book form such information as we had gathered about Southern Arabia. Now, as he died four days after our return from our last journey there, I have had to undertake the task myself. It has been very sad to me, but I have been helped by knowing that, however imperfect this book may be, what is written here will surely be a help to those who, by following in our footsteps, will be able to get beyond them, and to whom I so heartily wish success and a Happy Home-coming, the best wish a traveller may have.” So Mabel Bent (Mrs J. Theodore Bent) begins her Preface to Southern Arabia, one of the classic travel books written in English about this ever-fascinating region, in which she details the couple’s travels over a ten-year period. A testimony to the book’s high regard is that, since publication in 1900, it has rarely been out-of-print. Mabel Bent continues in her Preface to inform the reader that her volume is drawn in part from the note-books of her husband, her fellow-traveller, the redoubtable J. Theodore Bent (1852-97), and also “…from the ‘Chronicles’ that I always wrote during our journeys”. After more than a hundred years, and for the first time, these personal Chronicles on ‘South Arabia’ are published in World Enough, and Time: The Chronicles of Mabel Bent. Vol. III and are of significant interest to Arabists and those enthusiasts who will want to have Mabel’s on-the-spot account of their adventures and archaeological and ethnographical discoveries. Also included in this present volume is Mabel Bent’s previously unpublished Chronicle of their long journey through Persia, from south to north in 1889. Contents: Bahrein and Persia, 1889: The Hadhramaut, 1893–5; Socotra and the lands of the Fadhli and Yafai, 1896–7. Personal letters, documents, maps, and Mabel Bent’s own photographs contribute to this important insight into the lives of two of the great British travellers of the nineteenth century.Table of ContentsBahrein and Persia, 1889: The Hadhramaut, 1893-5; Socotra and the lands of the Fadhli and Yafai, 1896-7. Personal letters, documents, maps, and Mabel Bent's own photographs contribute to this important insight into the lives of two of the great British travellers of the nineteenth century.

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Book Synopsis“Then we went to the other bath. Here I found I was being again taken to the men’s place, so I said, ‘I’m not going in here’. But a great outcry was raised and loud exclamations of invitation and constant assurances that there was nobody naked, so when T said fiercely, ‘Come in and don’t make a fuss. They all wish it’, I entered a large hall with the raised divans peopled by gentry in cloaks and turbans of towels. There was fortunately no one in the hot bath as it deserved a careful examination. The wide platform round the tanks was inlaid with beautiful marbles and there were recesses with pumps, etc., also inlaid…” (Bursa, February 1888)On August 2nd 1877, the English explorer and archaeologist James Theodore Bent married an extraordinary Irishwoman, Mabel Virginia Anna Hall-Dare, the second of the four daughters born to Mr Robert Westley Hall-Dare of Co. Wexford and Essex. Mabel was 31, Theodore 25, and within a few months they had embarked on their pattern of annual travels that continued until his early death in 1897. Their trips began fairly close to home, visiting northern Italy, but by 1883 they were in the Eastern Mediterranean (in modern Greece and Turkey), searching out the antiquities, landscapes and lifestyles of a region that was to captivate them for the next fifteen years. Their researches led to a number of highly regarded monographs, papers and articles (such as Theodore’s 'The Cyclades, or Life Among the Insular Greeks', 1885, and the many publications of their various discoveries in locations such as ‘Rugged Cilicia’, the island of Thassos, and elsewhere) that were to place the couple securely amongst the foremost British travellers of the latter half of the 19th century.The publication, therefore, of Mabel Bent’s personal notebooks from the archive of the Joint Library of the Hellenic and Roman Societies, London, represents the discovery of a lost and notable milestone for scholars and travel enthusiasts of all kinds. This series of volumes begins with Mabel’s account of the couple’s adventures around the Aegean and beyond, extracted from her fifteen-year sequence of notebooks and presented chronologically. Specifically, we follow Mabel and Theodore to the Greek mainland and the islands known now as the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, as well as the northern Aegean islands; their journeys along the Turkish littoral lead them from bustling Istanbul to provincial Mersin in the far south-west. Contents include: Chapter 1) 1883-1884: The Cyclades – Mabel’s own accounts of the couple’s two tours of the Cyclades. Theodore relied on these Chronicles for the writing up of his classic travelogue ‘The Cyclades; or Life Among the Insular Greeks’ of 1885; Chapter 2) 1885: The Dodecanese – including Rhodes, Tilos and Karpathos; Chapter 3) 1886: The Eastern Aegean – including Samos, Patmos, Kalymnos and Astypalea; Chapter 4) 1887: The Northern Aegean – including Meteora, Thessaloniki, Thassos and Samothraki; Chapter 5) 1888: The Turkish Coast – from Istanbul to Kastellorizo; Chapter 6) 1890: ‘Rough Cilicia’ – extensive explorations around south-west Turkey.

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Book SynopsisThis volume is a basic introduction to rock art studies. It marks the starting point of the new methodology for rock art analysis, based on typology and style, first developed by the author at the Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici. This book demonstrates the beginnings of a new discipline, the systematic study of world rock art. This edition is a revised and updated version of Anarti’s classic text, first published in English in 1993. Additions have been made and a major new category of rock art has been included.

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Book Synopsis38 papers on Aegean Bronze Age pottery in honour of Jeremy Rutter. They range from specific site reports, to technical reports, and issues of chronology, to analysis of the social and religious functions of particular vessel types, and studies of trade and cultural contacts.Trade ReviewThis Festschrift is remarkably rich in content, a volume full of insightful papers which illustrate well the many new directions of research in Aegean pottery studies. This is a proper tribute to Jeremy B. Rutter. -- Judit Haas-Lebegyev Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.02.41Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Jeremy Bentham Rutter: Bibliography ; Memorandum on the Occasion of Jeremy B. Rutter’s Retirement from Dartmouth College ; David A. Aston: The LH IIIA2–IIIB Transition: The Gurob and Saqqara Evidence Reassessed ; Mario Benzi: Daskalio (Vathy), Kalymnos: A Late Bronze I Sacred Cave in the East Aegean ; Philip P. Betancourt: The Diagonal Line Class Juglets: New Evidence from Hagios Charalambos ; T.M. Brogan, Ch. Sofianou, and J.E. Morrison: In Search of the Upper Story of LM I House A.1 at Papadiokampos: An Integrated Architectural and Ceramic Perspective ; William Cavanagh and Christopher Mee: Minding the Gaps in Early Helladic Laconia ; Anna Lucia D’Agata: Subminoan: A Neglected Phase of the Cretan Pottery Sequence ; Jeannette Forsén: Spoons to Fill the Cups ; Elizabeth French: The Stirrup Jar: Does the West House Evidence Help or Complicate the Problems? ; Walter GauSS, Michael Lindblom, and Rudolfine Smetana: The Middle Helladic Large Building Complex at Kolonna. A Preliminary View ; Giampaolo Graziadio: Cretan Perfumed Oils at Enkomi (Cyprus) in the 13th Century B.C.? ; Seán Hemingway: Early Helladic Vases from Zygouries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Cultural Ambassadors of an Early Age ; Stefan Hiller: Palm and Altar ; N. Hirschfeld: The Cypriot Ceramic Cargo of the Uluburun Shipwreck ; Reinhard Jung: Mycenaean Vending Cups in Syria? Thoughts about the Unpainted Mycenaean Pottery from Tell Kazel ; V. La Rosa: Preliminary Remarks about the Pottery from the So-called Grande Frana at Phaistos ; Michael Lindblom and Sturt W. Manning: The Chronology of the Lerna Shaft Graves ; Bartłomiej Lis and Štěpán Rückl: Our Storerooms Are Full. Impressed Pithoi from Late Bronze/Early Iron Age East Lokris and Phokis and their Socio-economic Significance ; Joseph Maran: Contested Pasts—The Society of the 12th c. B.C.E. Argolid and the Memory of the Mycenaean Palatial Period ; P. A. Mountjoy: An Update on the Provenance by Neutron Activation Analysis of Near Eastern Mycenaean IIIC Pottery Groups with Particular Reference to Cyprus ; John K. Papadopoulos, Brian N. Damiata, and John M. Marston: Once More with Feeling: Jeremy Rutter’s Plea for the Abandonment of the Term Submycenaean Revisited ; A. Philippa-Touchais and G. Touchais: Fragments of the Pottery Equipment of an Early Middle Helladic Household from Aspis, Argos ; Daniel J. Pullen: Picking out Pots in Patterns: Feasting in Early Helladic Greece ; Florian Ruppenstein: Early Helladic Peak Sanctuaries in Attica? ; Robert Schon: Vox Clamantis in Campo: Further Thoughts on Ceramics and Site Survey ; Maria C. Shaw: A Decorated Minoan Pyxis from House X at Kommos ; Cynthia W. Shelmerdine: The ‘Friendly Krater’ from Iklaina ; Susan Sherratt: Learning to Learn from Bronze Age Pots: A Perspective on Forty Years of Aegean Ceramic Studies in the Work of J.B. Rutter ; R. Angus K. Smith: A Unique Late Minoan III Ring-shaped Vase from the Myrsini Aspropilia Cemetery ; Sharon R. Stocker and Jack L. Davis: The Cyclades and Pylos: An Early Bronze Age Stone Pyxis from Ali Chodza ; Philipp W. Stockhammer: An Aegean Glance at Megiddo ; Patrick M. Thomas: Mycenaean Tablewares and the Curious Careers of the Angular Kylix and Shallow Angular Basin ; A. Van de Moortel: The Phaistos Palace and the Kamares Cave: A Special Relationship ; Melissa Vetters: Seats of Power? Making the Most of Miniatures—The Role of Terracotta Throne Models in Disseminating Mycenaean Religious Ideology ; Salvatore Vitale: The Late Helladic IIIA2 Pottery from Mitrou and its Implications for the Chronology of the Mycenaean Mainland ; Martha Heath Wiencke: “Ceremonial Lerna” ; Malcolm H. Wiener: Conical Cups: From Mystery to History ; James C. Wright and Mary K. Dabney: Interpreting Quantitative Analyses of Mycenaean Pottery ; Assaf Yasur-Landau, Eric H. Cline, and Inbal Samet: Our Cups Overfloweth: “Kabri Goblets” and Canaanite Feasts in the Middle Bronze Age Levant

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Book SynopsisThese two barrows in the parish of Tixall, north of Stafford, were excavated by the Stoke‐on‐Trent Museum Archaeological Society between the years 1986 and 1994. They are approximately one kilometre apart with King’s Low still extant but Queen’s Low badly damaged by ploughing. The results are important because little excavation of round barrows has been carried out in this area of North Staffordshire and these add considerably to the local corpus of knowledge concerning Early Bronze Age burial practices and various categories of material culture including Collared Urns and a single faience bead at each site.Table of ContentsPreface; 1 Introduction and background; 2 The excavations; 3 People and the environment; 4 The material culture; 5 King’s Low and Queen’s Low: a wider discussion; Appendices; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAlthough the copper axes with central shaft-hole from south-eastern Europe have a long history of research, they have not been studied on a transnational basis since the 1960s. What has also been missing, is trying to use as many methods as possible to better understand their production, use and context. A database was compiled to find answers to questions regarding patterns of distribution, context, fragmentation and deformation. Aspects of production were considered through experimental archaeology, metallographic analysis and a re-discovered axe blank with missing shaft-hole. The typology was re-evaluated and modified to ensure comparability across modern national boundaries. The integration of these approaches yielded some interesting results. The great variability in shape clearly shows that a variety of production techniques were used, but it is difficult to relate these to specific geographic areas. In fact the typology as well as the practice of marking the axes indicate that traditional archaeological ‘cultures’ rarely correspond to axe types and marking practices. Instead there were different spheres of influence, some more localised and others much larger than specific ceramic traditions. These different levels of belonging show that it was a period of complex cultural patterns and interactions. The axes were part of these networks of daily life on many different levels from the utilitarian to the ritualised placement in burial contexts.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 2 Methodology ; 3 Theoretical Perspectives ; 4 Context and Background of the Copper Hammer-Axes and Axe-Adzes from South-Eastern Europe ; 5 History of Research ; 6 Copper Age Metallurgy and Shaft-Hole Axes from South-Eastern Europe – Evidence, Problems and Potential ; 7 The Experiments ; 8 Metallography ; 9 A New Typology for the Copper Hammer-Axes and Axe-Adzes ; 10 Patterns and Trends in the Copper Axe Assemblage ; 11 The Copper Axes and Living Practices during the Copper Age in South-Eastern Europe – Considerations and Conclusions ; Appendix I - Typology ; Appendix II – Axe Marks ; Appendix III – GIS Distribution Maps ; Appendix IV - Cluster Distribution Maps (from Krause 2003) ; Bibliography

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