Europe before Rome : a site-by-site tour of the stone, bronze, and iron ages /

Archaeologist Price (emer., Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison) deftly covers a very wide range of significant European archaeological sites, and for each does an extraordinary job of situating them in space, reviewing their discovery, and summarizing the important contributions they make to understanding the past. He does this with abundant illustrations of the countryside, the excavations themselves, artifacts, and reconstructions based on the sites. Backed up with an informative, authoritative, and detailed text, Price's book rises well above the coffee-table category to become almost a stand-alone text in European prehistory, though college-level courses would probably supplement it with additional material. Nevertheless, the volume will have wide appeal, finding readers in college and university libraries and more generally in public libraries, large and small. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and academic libraries. R. B. Clay emeritus, University of Kentucky

In this richly illustrated, elegantly written guide to European prehistory, archeologist Price, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Images of the Past), takes us on a remarkable journey from the very earliest prehuman cultures to the Iron Age of warfare, empires, and human strife. He describes evidence that two million years ago, the first migrants from Africa-Homo antecessor-arrived in Europe. Sites at Atapuerca, Spain, indicate that Homo antecessor ate meat "and sometimes... each other," and that they fashioned hand axes out of stone. After following Homo's continuing evolution, Price guides readers on a whirlwind tour of European human history, examining the raw materials and technological and cultural artifacts that provide deep insights into that history. For example, archeological digs in Crete, Greece, and Rome beginning around 3000 B.C.E. reveal mobile, wealthy, and martial societies where weapons and warfare were pre-eminent; the Bronze Age was marked by conflict as larger societies sought to acquire land, slaves, and wealth from their neighbors. Focusing on dozens of specific sites at particular times (e.g., Pincevent, France, 12,000 years ago), Price's lush survey of major archeological sites in Europe provides a rich and engrossing introduction to what he calls an "extraordinary heritage." 288 illus., 219 b&w.(Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Price (archaeology, emeritus, Univ. of Wisconsin; Images of the Past) takes readers on a grand tour of prehistoric Europe. He does an exemplary job of examining the history of humans in Europe, beginning with the appearance of Homo antecessor and leading up to a time just before Rome conquered the majority of the European landmass. He does this in a chronological manner, using the sites and artifacts in an entirely uncontrived way. The results reveal how technology and innovation-especially from the Stone to the Iron Age-propelled humanity forward. Price points out that while archaeology is unable to unlock all of the ways of our progenitors, it does divulge many key aspects of how they lived. He makes us understand that even our most humble discoveries and accomplishments, taken cumulatively, are dramatic and call to mind Isaac Newton's phrase that we, indeed, stand on the shoulders of giants. VERDICT A great book for the lay reader as well as for specialists. The numerous illustrations, tables, and maps throughout the book are an excellent complement to the text.-Brian Renvall, Mesalands Community Coll., Tucumcari, NM (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.