The Cambridge Companion to Thucydides

Review by Diana Bentley Nearly two and a half millennia after it was written, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War not only remains vibrantly alive and regularly referred to in discussions of modern conflict and politics, but is a rich subject of scholarly study and debate. Although left unfinished, Thucydides’…

Great Kingdoms of Africa

Review by Nigel Fletcher-Jones This volume brings together eight historians of Africa under the editorship of John Parker (formerly at SOAS, University of London) to discuss the origins and structure of kingdoms through time and across the continent – from ancient Egypt and Nubia (the earliest known African kingdoms) to…

Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions: Volume 3.3

Review by Andrew Robinson The Indus civilisation – which flourished c.2500-1900 BC – was about twice the size of its equivalent in Egypt or neighbouring Mesopotamia. In its own way, it was as extraordinary as those civilisations, with its technically sophisticated cities such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, utopian absence of…

Ramesses II, Egypt’s ultimate pharaoh?

REVIEW BY SG Ramesses II is known as ‘the Great’, yet there are far fewer volumes dedicated to his reign than to earlier New Kingdom kings, such as Akhenaten and, of course, Tutankhamun. So this is a timely publication – ‘a readable, up-to-date survey of Ramesses II’, with particular emphasis…

Ancient Egyptian Architecture In 15 Monuments

REVIEW BY JPP This relatively slim volume (with only 109 pages) is full of insightful analysis, tracing the development of architecture throughout the entire span of ancient Egyptian civilisation, from the Predynastic Period to the Graeco-Roman era. The author has selected 15 examples of buildings to illustrate major changesin architectural…

Walking Among Pharaohs: George Reisner and the dawn of modern egyptology

REVIEW BY CATHIE BRYAN Harvard-based Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian examines the life, career, and legacy of George Reisner (1867-1942), and considers his place in Egyptological and archaeological history. He argues that Reisner’s contribution ‘cannot be overstated’, and is not sufficiently acknowledged in discussions of the ‘founding figures’ of archaeology. This…

What Killed King Tutankhamum, Autopsy #4, the Hippo Heresy

REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW This brief book by W Benson Harer discusses the controversial question of what caused the death of Tutankhamun, with the author strongly supporting the view that the king was killed by a hippopotamus. Within the publication is a chapter by Peter Sheldrick, a physician who has…

The Hinterland of Hadrian’s Wall and Derbyshire

REVIEW BY MARTIN HENIG The Hinterland of Hadrian’s Wall and Derbyshire is the last of 11 ‘fascicules’ produced under the auspices of the British Academy’s Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani, which aims to catalogue all the sculptures of Roman Britain. This project has taken almost half a century to complete, and…

Grounded: a journey into the landscapes of our ancestors

REVIEW BY JOE FLATMAN Grounded is a book that will divide opinion. Rarely as a reviewer have I read something that I was so unsure about at the end. It is a highly personal travelogue through the archaeology of south and east England, primarily in East Anglia and, to a…

The Ness of Brodgar: Time and Place

REVIEW BY CH The Ness of Brodgar in Orkney is home to a remarkable range of Neolithic buildings, uncovered over the last 20 years. We reviewed the excavation team’s guidebook in 2018 (CA 338) but since then the story has advanced dramatically, and an updated version reflecting recent developments (and…

The Viking Age in Scotland: Studies in Scottish Scandinavian Archaeology

REVIEW SHANE MCLEOD This handsomely produced book acts as a 20-year celebration of the earlier Vikings in Scotland: an archaeological study by James Graham-Campbell and Colleen Batey, and as a continuation of that still indispensable work. Both of those authors contribute to the present work, along with established experts such as…

The Young Alexander: the making of Alexander the Great

Review by Matthew Symonds When we think of Alexander the Great, it is his exploits as an adult that spring to mind. He is the audacious leader who landed an army in Asia at the age of 21 in a bid to bring down the Achaemenid empire. Breathtaking victories and…

Beer: a global journey through the past and present

Review by Max Nelson Arthur presents a global history of beer inspired by his two-year stay with the Gamo people of Ethiopia. He begins with a brief introduction examining beer in terms of technology (as fermented malted cereal processed with various additives), health (as a nutritious food safer than water),…

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