Description
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 the
Trade Review
Praise 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 News
Table 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
