We, as modern humans, tend to look at ancient art with a 21st-century mindset. It is all too easy to stare (in…
Every time an archaeologist looks at non-élite everyday data, this is heralded as something special, unusual, praise-worthy, and in the case of…
In a medieval, and indeed modern Rome, one building above all dominates the city: the Colosseum. Erected on a swamp in the…
The Human Past is the latest blockbuster from Thames and Hudson. After the huge success of the Renfrew/Bahn Archaeology: Theories, Methods and…
In 1204, the Venetians, leading the Fourth Crusade, decided to postpone their attack on the infidel, and turned aside to sack the…
‘This book is a quest for evidence of shamanism’ write co-authors Professors Miranda and Stephen Aldhouse-Green. And yet, before their quest even…
This book is beautiful. Indeed, author Benoy Behl describes his work as a ‘labour of love’. With over 200 illustrations, 189 of…
Many believe that Rome was glorious, and that Rome brought civilisation – law, architecture, literature, a better lifestyle – into the Barbarian…
And now for the reviewers ultimate challenge: how to review a book written in two languages, neither of which the reviewer understands.…
A s the recent elections have shown, there are few items more controversial than the war in Iraq. Do we see it…
The Jomon must be one of the most perverse cultures in the world: it does not fit into any of the usual…
After 30 long years in negotiation with the authorities, the photographer Reza was finally granted permission to visit and photograph inside a…
Collapse: how societies choose to fail or survive, by Jared Diamond (Penguin hardback, £20) is the sort of book that archaeologists should…