A year dominated by the Columbus quincentenary affects the range of
books on archaeology. Archaeology, like any dis-cipline, obeys the commercial
imperatives aroused by our penchant for big events and anniversaries. I
found those that do not focus on events in the Americas since 1492 an odd
mixture. There is no underlying theme such as environmental archaeology
or ‘New Archaeology’ to unite this season’s student books. The only discernible
simil-arity is that, perhaps surprisingly, most of the books are well written
and will prove extremely useful for both serious and general students of
One of the most important publications to have appeared in the past
year is, without doubt, Klaus Randsborg’s The First Millennium AD in Europe
and the Mediterranean. He outlines the rise of medieval western Europe from
the ruins of the classical world in an intelligent and readable account.
Combining historical records and archaeological investigation, Randsborg
traces the origins, development and significance of towns, factories, mosaics,
coinage and burials to reveal the interplay between empire, town and countryside
in the Europe of the first millennium.
Covering with equal clarity the small- and large-scale forces at work,
the book leads the reader from Colchester to Caesaria, and from the Merovingian
kingdoms to the eastern frontier with Parthia. Clear trends emerge from
the mass of detail, such as the declining economic influence of Italy in
favour of localised production. This weakened the political and economic
relationships that characterised the early empire.
Randsborg’s achievement is that he marshals a wealth of data to offer
a penetrating analysis of the dynamics of culture change during a period
that saw the creation of Europe as we recognise it today. This is a particularly
valuable book for students.
Although dealing with much the same period, Shrines and Sacrifice by
Anne Woodward concentrates on exploring the world of Iron Age and Roman
religious beliefs. She investigates the practices of cults, as well as their
natural surroundings and their place in society. Woodward presents a graphic
account of ancient beliefs as she traces them through architectural remains,
burial goods and art from the Iron Age Celtic period through Roman to Romano-British
She tends to use jargon occasionally, and the text is often unnecessarily
dense, but overall, Shrines and Sacrifice defines clearly its major themes
of sacrifice, burial practice, the development of the church, and the symbolism
of Christianity. Very well illustrated, this is a good introduction to an
important field of archaeological research.
One ancient site that never seems to evade the attention of the publishing
world for long is Stonehenge. Julian Richards adds another volume to the
burgeoning literature on this arguably most famous of archaeological sites.
But, barring extensive new excavations or dramatic theoretical insights,
there is little of substance that can be said about Stonehenge that has
not been said before. So in Stonehenge, Richards has adopted a different
First, he reviews the general development of Neolithic and Bronze Age
society; he then adds the perspective of the site’s surrounding landscape
to look at local developments in detail. This is a promising idea but, as
nearly half the book is taken up with the obligatory recap of antiquarian
and previous archaeological investigations, he does not develop it fully.
Nevertheless, Stonehenge serves as a basic introduction. It is clearly,
if somewhat idiosyncratically, illustrated.
An entirely different kind of publication is Sacred and Profane, edited
by Paul Garwood and others. Students should find this a provocative and
stimulating collection of papers on a theme that is becoming increasingly
important in undergraduate teaching. Its 15 contributions span topics such
as what cave burial sites in Italy reveal about the ideology of the people
who employed them, Beaker funerary practice in Britain, and the varied
roles that axes, monuments, animals and ritual narcotics played in the social,
religious and political life of Europe from the Neolithic to the Iron Age.
There is a well-defined focus and quality to these contributions that transcends
their wide geographical range. This volume would be a valuable sourcebook
for both specialist and generalist.
Another massive sourcebook is Thera and the Aegean World, Volume One:
Archaeology, edited by David Hardy. One of three volumes – the others are
Earth Sciences and Chronology – this lavish publication emanates from the
Third International Congress on Santorini in 1989.
The rich Bronze Age culture of the island of Thera, set in the middle
of the Aegean, was destroyed and buried by a gigantic volcanic explosion
around 1500 BC. This volume contains 41 contributions that deal with every
conceivable aspect of the island’s prehistory. It deals with the production
and symbolism of ceramic pithoi, includes a battery of art-historical analyses
of the beautifully preserved frescoes, as well as studies on stone tools,
lead weights, the uses of volcanic ash and Aegean harbours. This is a landmark
publication from one of the world’s most important archaeological sites.
The sheer breadth of expert coverage makes it an invaluable resource for
Equally impressive, although on a less lavish scale, is Classic Maya
Political History, edited by T. Patrick Culbert. This is a timely and topical
account of our current state of knowledge about the Classic Maya civilisation
of Mesoamerica. It is particularly useful to students because it provides
a contrasting view of Mayan culture to that produced by investigations based
on economic and ecological approaches. Instead the contributors discuss
the recent dramatic advances in deciphering hieroglyphics. It shows that
the mass of Mayan written texts are historical records, relating to the
careers of ancient Mayan rulers. From Classic Maya Political History, we
gain a deeper and more complete picture of one of the non-Western world’s
most sophisticated civilisations.
Finally, Archaeology: Down to Earth by David Hurst Thomas is an unusual
book that offers a refreshingly personal and enlightening perspective for
students. Thomas attempts – successfully – to communicate his passion for
archaeology as practised in the US, and increasingly elsewhere. We are treated
to an idiosyncratic choice of topics that are outlined with verve and skill.
He covers chronology, the basic assumptions of archaeology, an outline of
structuralism and ideas on how to redress the balance between ecological
determinism and the increasingly fashionable cognitive approach.
This is an interesting, easy-to-read example of a specialist rising
above the detail by using his own style and preferences to impart knowledge
in a serious but entertaining fashion.
Nick Saunders is course tutor in archaeology at the University of Southampton.
* * *
The First Millennium AD in Europe and the Mediterranean by Klaus Randsborg,
Cambridge University Press, pp 230, £11.95 pbk
Shrines and Sacrifice by Anne Woodward, Batsford/English Heritage,
pp 143, £14.99
Stonehenge by Julian Richards, Batsford/English Heritage, pp 141, £12.95
Sacred and Profane edited by Paul Garwood and others, Oxbow, pp 171, £18
Thera and the Aegean World, Volume One: Archaeology edited by David
Hardy and others, The Thera Foundation, pp 511, £52
Classic Maya Political History edited by T. Patrick Culbert, Cambridge
University Press, pp 396, £37.50
Archaeology: Down to Earth by David Hurst Thomas, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich,
pp 332, $29.50