A Mosaic of Recollections: Memoirs of an archaeologist

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 423

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REVIEW BY STEPHEN R COSH

David Neal’s autobiography is a candid – sometimes perhaps too candid – account of his personal life and almost 70 years involvement in archaeology, lavishly illustrated.

From humble beginnings, David’s interest in archaeology and talent for art led him in 1959 to produce a 1:10 scale tessera-by-tessera painting of a mosaic from Verulamium, the first of many. This was the start of a long career in archaeology and archaeological illustration. The book is written in an anecdotal style, very different from the author’s numerous reports of his excavations, many articles, and the massive five-volume corpus of Romano-British mosaics, a collaboration with the present reviewer. Throughout its pages, he acknowledges the debt of gratitude owed to the many archaeologists and others who helped and inspired him, especially in the early days. Reading it leaves one with the impression that three lifetimes of experience have been crammed into one, and a sense of wonderment at the sheer quantity and range of his accomplishments.

A Mosaic of Recollections: Memoirs of an archaeologist
David S Neal
Archaeopress (£35)
ISBN 978-1803279350