The Twelve Caesars Matthew Dennison Atlantic Books, £9.99 ISBN 978-1848876859 The legends surrounding the first 12 rulers of the Roman Empire are legion. Called capricious, murderous, even mad by (not entirely disinterested) contemporary sources, their reputations lend colour to an already dramatic period of history. But what were Julius Caesar, Caligula, and Nero really like? [...]

Death and Dying in the Neolithic Near East Karina Croucher Oxford University Press, £80.00 ISBN 978-0199693955 The Neolithic was a time of seismic change in human development, when sedentary farming took over from a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle. How a society treats its dead reflects the beliefs of the living, so can this transition be seen [...]

How to be a Viking: The Norse warrior’s unofficial manual John Haywood Thames & Hudson, £12.95 ISBN 978-0500251942 If you’ve ever wondered how to choose the right sword, or how best to organise your army into an effective swine-wedge (who hasn’t?), this book is the one for you. From what to expect on sea voyages [...]

Greeks & Parthians in Mesopotamia and Beyond: 331 BC-224 AD Wolfram Grajetzki Bristol Classical Press, £16.99 ISBN: 978-0715639474 Who were the Parthians? The Parthians are one of the forgotten peoples of history. When Alexander destroyed the Persian Empire in the 330s, Greek influence spread over the Persian world, and the Persians tend to be forgotten [...]

Living with Myths Paul Zanker and Björn C Ewald Oxford University Press, £150.00 ISBN 978-0199228690 Similar mythological motifs were used to decorate both Roman homes and their tombs, but these were more than picturesque ornamentation, revealing their commissioners’ concerns and aspirations This generously illustrated book explores allegorical uses of myths to praise the deceased, as [...]

Egypt in England Chris Elliott English Heritage, £25.00 ISBN 978-1848020887 Although not as widespread as other imported styles such as Gothic and Classical, the art of Ancient Egypt has had a lasting influence on English architecture, often appearing in the most unexpected places – as this beautifully illustrated new book reveals. The first half comprises [...]

Earthquake Andrew Robinson Reaktion Books, £14.95 ISBN 978-1780230276 The Indian Ocean earthquake and Boxing Day 2004 tsunami, the 2010 earthquake on Haiti, and Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami are recent reminders of Nature’s destructive force. In this immensely readable book, packed with scientific and literary detail, Andrew Robinson looks at the historical and archaeological records [...]

The Idea of Order Richard Bradley Oxford University Press, £60.00 ISBN 978-0199608096 Why did circular houses dominate so much of Europe’s prehistoric landscape? And why, once they were eclipsed by the evolution of rectangular domestic buildings, did the circular archetype remain popular for ritual and ceremonial sites? Richard Bradley, Professor of Archaeology at Reading, begins [...]

Michael D Coe Thames and Hudson, £29.95 ISBN 978-0500970409 The 3rd to 13th centuries AD saw a great flourishing of Maya culture, marked by the construction of cities and temples of astonishing complexity and beauty. In this new publication, Michael D Coe, one of the foremost Mesoamericanists and Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, at Yale University, [...]

Ed. David Ekserdjian Royal Academy of Arts, £27.95 (hardback £40) ISBN 978-1907533297 How do you put together an exhibition that covers all regions of the world and all periods in history? Ask David Ekserdjian, curator of Bronze at the Royal Academy. He wanted to explore the medium of bronze, a metal that has come to epitomise [...]

Neil Christie Bloomsbury, £19.99 ISBN 978-0340759660 Accompanied by a helpful series of maps, this overview of the decline of Roman influence in the West is an extremely readable introduction to a complex, much-debated part of history, weaving together the latest archaeological evidence with historical material. Christie’s comments on the great diversity of religious beliefs under the [...]

Peter S Wells Princeton University Press, £24.95 ISBN 978-0691143385 As a professor of anthropology, Peter Wells’ interest in neuroscience and cognitive psychology brings a lot of interesting ideas to archaeology. Some might disagree with his rejection of the words ‘art’ and ‘artefact’ as too loaded with modern ‘mental baggage’, yet this bold approach is certainly [...]

Eds Rick J Schulting and Linda Fibiger Oxford University Press, £80.00 ISBN 978-0199573066   ‘Nasty, brutish, and short.’ Thomas Hobbes was not describing life in Neolithic Europe, but his words seem an apt description of the average experience of the period. Drawing on a two-day conference in 2008, this is the first comparative synthesis of [...]