Prehistoric Britain /

What a grand surprise! Here is an important study of prehistoric Britain written in clear English! So many works in this field offer little useful information but much obscure theorizing in condescending language. The 15 essays in this collection utilize theories but overflow with exciting new ideas while still paying appropriate deference to older studies. Knowledge of the 35,000 years of human experience in the British Isles before the arrival of the Romans has recently exploded. Dramatic discoveries like that of the Amesbury Archer and of Seahenge gain headlines, but there have also been major advances in dating technology, social relations, agricultural practices, climate change, pottery analysis, and the shift from monumental to domestic architecture. This book does not concentrate on megalithic achievements or representational art, but includes just about everything else. Students of prehistory and most serious readers will find this assembly to be an attractive, even indispensable guide to a fascinating lost world. One can truly learn a lot from this work. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. E. J. Kealey College of the Holy Cross