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Archaeology, heritage, United Kingdom

My Top Five Archaeology Books

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With a British Bias…And Why I Chose Them…

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases and as such some of the links in this blog are affiliate links. This means if you clink on the link and purchase, I get a small commission, at no extra cost to you. The items I have linked are always ones that I myself have enjoyed/read – all opinions remain my own.

Books, they are my friends, they transport me into different worlds, past and present, real and imaginary. So imagine my difficulty in choosing just five to tell you about! Thus this will be the first in a short series of my top five book posts. Moving on…this particular post is centered around my favourite general books related to archaeology in the UK. Please note that the opinions in this blog are purely my own and are listed in no particular order.

1. ‘A Little History of Archaeology’ Brian Fagan

More often than not when studying archaeology at University, there is always one paper that is required – the history of archaeology. For some this can be the ‘dull as dishwater’ topic, the one you dread every week but for myself I always found it fascinating. Archaeology is such a strange discipline, it borrows from just about every other subject to become something unique, constantly evolving.

Brian Fagan’s book takes the reader on an adventure in archaeology around the world, from it’s very beginnings with antiquarians and collectors to the present day science based enquiry. There are tales of wandering antiquarians in the American Southwest at a time when Apache tribes were on the warpath to the Mesolithic finds trawled up from the North Sea. Ever wondered about how radiocarbon dating became a thing? Or why we have the ‘three age system’? The answers and more are all here.

Fagan writes in an engaging style with a hint of adventure and is more than a match for those ‘dull as dishwater’ lectures. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to everyone interested in archaeology.

A History of Archaeology by Brian Fagan

2. ‘Ancestors’ Professor Alice Roberts

Subtitled ‘The Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials’ Alice Roberts takes the reader on an interesting journey into the past via the dead. Regardless of our views on whether the dead should be disturbed/excavated, there are situations when this is inevitable and in this book Roberts picks apart these burials to tell the human story of British prehistory.

‘Burials are like time capsules – each one, a physical biography, written into a skeleton.’

From the back of the book

For each of the burials she chooses (which range from the paleolithic – the red lady of Paviland – to the Iron Age and the Pocklington Chariot), Roberts gives a history of the discovery of each burial as well as the research past and present that has gone into each discovery. She also widely discusses the new science of genomics and how it is changing the way we view the past in Britain.

Alice Roberts writes in chatty style, having seen her on tv many times I could easily hear her voice narrating the story in my head. Through her writing the reader gets a clear sense of her curiosity and knowledge, her willingness to explore avenues to find answers. Even when she is warning of caution she does so with friendly caution. It is up to the reader to draw their own conclusions. This is in essence why this book makes it to my top five, Alice Roberts does not lecture, she leads you along a path of discovery and allows you to come to your own conclusions.

Ancestors by Professor Alice Roberts

3. ‘The Old Stones’ Edited by Andy Burnham

For those interested in the megaliths that are found through the United Kingdom this is the go to book. Coming off the back of the successful website ‘The Megalithic Portal‘ this book details all the fabulous sites listed online with extra short essays on topics such as astronomy, archaeoacoustics, stone axes and more, written by users and contributors to the website. There are maps, photos and drawing galore as well as a well written introduction to the Neolithic and Bronze Age in the UK. It is the kind of book that you can dip into as and when you need to.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an adventure back through time, who has ever stood and stared at a stone circle and wondered why or for those who want to just make a walk in the countryside more interesting.

The Old Stone edited by Andy Burnham

4. ‘Mick’s Archaeology’ Mick Aston

For fans of the tv show ‘Time Team’ Mick Aston will be a familiar face, his shaggy hair and stripey jumpers are things of legend, and although no longer with us his legacy in archaeology remains strong. This book is for those who want to know more about Mick, his beginnings in archaeology (in Cornwall), the reasons behind Time Team, his love of teaching, landscape archaeology and all things monastic.

I met Mick on several occasions, twice with Time Team and once at tea whilst at a friends house in Cornwall. He was a lovely man with a genuine interest in everything around him. When you talked to him he really listened and was always open to ideas, even if they didn’t necessarily align with his own.

I recommend this book for lots of reason, not only because Mick Aston is a man I admire and respect but also because of his ethos that archaeology belongs to everyone not just the academics. His belief in the importance of community archaeology permeates this book and is also an ideal I hold dear.

Mick’s Archaeology by Mick Aston

5. ‘Drawing on Archaeology’ Victor Ambrus

Victor Ambrus was another Time Team regular, his reconstruction drawings bringing the past to life in a way that was very human. Todays digital reconstructions are nice but there is always a sense of life in the hand drawn pictures by Ambrus. Many of the drawings in this book are from sites featured on Time Team but not all.

Victor Ambrus draws/paints a site and then places people in it, using the site as it may have been used, there are animals, trees, birds and more. Reminding us all that a site was not isolated, it was part of an environment both natural and human. Some of his drawings depict characters we all know from the past, such as Henry VIII or King Cnut. There are scenes of warfare, crime and punishment, prehistoric rituals, medieval feasting, Mesolithic life and many more. Each of the drawings are accompanied by a short commentary by Ambrus with the background to the picture. Throughout the book you are constantly reminded of the lives that came before. I particularly like to look out for the wee dog that always seems to be barking at something…

Drawing on Archaeology by Victor Ambrus

And there you have it…my top five books on archaeology, perhaps not the most conventional choices but they are the ones I have enjoyed reading the most and from which I have gained the most insight into what it means to be an archaeologist.

Background to my novels, Gallery, Sites From Other Places

Some Photos from Roman Baths in Bath (and why it inspired me to write “A Roman Moon”)

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Holidaying in the UK in winter can be rather satisfying.  Mainly because you don’t have to contend with the vast crowds which are usual in the warmer months at popular spots.  One such place was the Roman bath complex in Bath, here we were able to meander around the buildings and displays without being jostled by eager tourists trying to capture the perfect selfie.  This physical space allowed the imagination a chance to wander the halls of time.  A multitude of questions and possible scenarios playing out in my minds eye and so ‘A Roman Moon’ was born.

 

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The imposing stucture of Bath Abbey looms over the now open Great Bath – originally the Great Bath would have been roofed, most likely with an arched roof.

 

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Looking down on the Great Bath.

Bath complexes in the Roman period were not simply places to wash and clean the body but also places to meet, socialise, to be seen and make those all important contacts.  At the Roman town of Aquae Sulis (Bath) the baths rose to prominence from the late first century AD as a result of the natural hot springs which were a feature of the landscape and worshipped for many generations prior to the arrival of the Romans.

As with so many aspects of the Iron Age/Celtic landscape of the time, the natural springs here had its own diety who was recorded by the Romans with the name of Sulis.  The Romans were very good at adopting and blending local cultures with their own as part of their overall colonisation package. For the Romans the local goddess Sulis had much in common with one of their own – Minerva.  Thus the hot springs became dedicated to the amalgamated goddess of Sulis Minerva.

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The very roman looking head of a statue believed to be Sulis Minerva herself – most likely stood within the sacred space of the actual temple.

The success of Aquae Sulis (even the towns name pays homage to the goddess – ‘the waters of Sulis’) is down to it also being a place of pilgrimage.  People from all around would come to the town to make offerings or petitions to the goddess.  One such method to ensure the goddess knew what was required was to write a message on a sheet of lead.  For this purpose a trained scribe would be employed.  Once  the wording was just so the lead sheet was folded or rolled and then thrown into the sacred spring – a number of these have been recovered from the spring, mostly they were curses for relatively small wrong doings.

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A few examples of the inscribed lead sheets.

As well as the lead sheets, other gifts were found during excavations.  Thousands of coins (and even today people throw coins into the spring), jewellery, pewter dishes and cups usually inscribed with a dedication to Sulis Minerva.  The cups may have been used to drink the waters (as we continue to do so today) or as libation vessels.  The belief in the healing powers of the spring waters was an important part of the towns fame.

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Some of the jewellery finds from the spring.  It is interesting to note the continuity of ritual in this act of depositing important items into a watery context.  For more on this read here.

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And a few of the more everyday items found during excavations – people lived and worked here too.

Besides Sulis Minerva there were within the temple complex depictions of other deities.

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A relief carving of the goddess Luna – the disc of the moon can be seen behind her head and she holds a whip for driving her chariot across the sky.  This carving would have decorated one of the buildings in the temple precinct. 

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This massive pediment would have originally adorned the entrance to the temple of Sulis Minerva.  Although interpreted as a gorgon others have suggested it may in fact be Oceanus or even the sun god Sol (or Bel, ‘the shining one’ if you are looking for Celtic diety which is also the nickname of our heroines bodyguard and friend…). 

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This unassuming relief carving is believed to depict the triple goddess, a distinctly Celtic personification.  As to who and what this may be is a complicated discussion but foremost is the ability of the goddess to have many faces – to be one and the same.  Often the triple goddess in modern pagan/wiccan practice refers to the maiden, the mother and the crone however there is no way of telling if this was the case in the past.   An interesting take on this can be read here.

The rituals in Roman religion took place mostly outdoors, the temples buildings were often small affairs where only the priests or priestesses would be allowed to enter.  Public ceremonies would have been conducted outside in the surrounding precinct.  Within the precinct there would have been altars dedicated to the diety set up by individuals in anticpation of a divine favour or to give thanks, these would have been decorated in offerings of all kinds or with bowls of incense.

“The temple, in its original late first century form, was a purely classical building set on a high podium reached by a steep flight of steps.  Its porch was dominated by four massive Corinthian columns supporting an ornate pediment.  Behind lay a simple room, the cella, where only priests could enter to tend the flames kept burning around the life-sized cult statue of Sulis Minerva” (from ‘The Essential Roman Baths” – a guidebook).

The above is a selection of the numerous altar stones and memorials found in the Roman layers during excavations.

 

The complex at Aquae Sulis was quite extensive – with facilities for men and women to bath seperately which was rare and spoke volumes about the wealth of the town.  At the heart of the complex is the Great Bath, a rectangular swimming bath surrounded by a walkway with alcoves for people to sit and relax in.  The bath itself was and still is lined with 45 sheets of Mendip lead.

 

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A model of the bath and temple complex in its heyday. 

 

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The Great Bath – looking across to one of the alcoves.

 

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The East Bath – a rectangular tepid bath – the doors would have led to heated rooms known as tepidariums. 

 

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The remains of the extensive hypercaust system – ensuring visitors were kept warm and comfortable at all times.

 

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One of many mosaics which would have adorned the floors of the rooms within the complex.

 

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The arched overflow was part of the Roman engineering which kept the water flowing through the complex and still does today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The dark interior of the circular bath, here bathers would complete their visit to the steam rooms with a cold plunge to rinse off – note the coins littering the bottom of the pool. 

The complex at Aquae Sulis was quite extensive – with facilities for men and women to bath seperately which was rare and spoke volumes about the wealth of the town.  At the heart of the complex is the Great Bath, a rectangular swimming bath surrounded by a walkway with alcoves for people to sit and relax in.  The bath itself was and still is lined with 45 sheets of Mendip lead.

 

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A model of the bath and temple complex in its heyday. 

 

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The Great Bath – looking across to one of the alcoves.

 

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The East Bath – a rectangular tepid bath – the doors would have led to heated rooms known as tepidariums. 

 

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The remains of the extensive hypercaust system – ensuring visitors were kept warm and comfortable at all times.

 

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One of many mosaics which would have adorned the floors of the rooms within the complex.

 

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The arched overflow was part of the Roman engineering which kept the water flowing through the complex and still does today.

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The above shows a reconstruction picture of how the town may have looked at its height based upon what has been discovered through various archaeological excavations.  In “A Roman Moon” astute readers will note that I did away with the amphitheatre, replacing it with a Forum.  Why? Well, to begin with the evidence for an amphitheatre is at this stage is quite thin on the ground and I am sure that a town of such importance would have had a Forum.  In addition, you can also put it down to the authors whim, a bit of ‘literary licence’.

The river running beside the town is the Avon, known then as Afon which is Welsh for river (amusingly making the name of the River Avon, the River River)…

I hope you can see why the ancient town of Aquae Sulis inspired me to write ‘A Roman Moon’ – from the presence of Luna, the triple goddess and the sacred spring all play a part in Sarah’s story.

 

RM cover 1 (2)

 

The Roman Baths Official Website

Wikipedia – Roman Bath

 

Background to my novels

A little bit of self promotion…

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I do try to keep this blog as a place to air my interest in archaeology and the history, as well as a place to share with you some of the interesting places I have visited.  However, there is no getting away from the fact that all of these things have inspired me to write three novels (so far…).  Each of ‘The Adventures of Sarah Tremayne’ are set within a time and place which for many reasons has grabbed my attention.

The latest novel A Roman Moon is no different.  A couple of years ago I visited the town of Bath, it was not my first visit, but it was a visit that got my imagination fired up and I just knew Sarah had to go there.  But before that she needed a companion and where was she to meet that companion?  Well, as it happens she meets him in a place now known as Weston-Super-Mare.  This may seem an odd choice but my family history with this Victorian seaside town goes back a way.  It is the town where my parents met, where my grandmother lived for many years and where I visited many times.  The story of the hillfort at Worlebury, the small temple on Brean Down, the Roman road at Uphill and the possibility of a Roman period settlement beneath the old technical college all shouted at me to be included in the story.

And so A Roman Moon was given a context, a place and a time – then I needed a friend, a foe (or two) and a healthy dose of fear…

So, if you fancy given this third book a chance they are available in print or ebook form at the below links.  Thanks for reading!

Print book – Amazon

EBook  (or you can get it from your preferred ebook retailer)

PS – if you enjoyed reading any of my novels I would really appreciate a review

“Fear stalks the cobbled streets of Aquae Sulis. It is the third century AD and Aquae Sulis epitomises a Roman town on the edge of an Empire. But it is no ordinary town. At its heart lies the sacred spring venerated long before the Romans arrived. Here the native goddess, Sulis and the Roman goddess, Minerva have melded to become one. Worshipped by all, the goddess, the sacred spring and the Great Baths bring peace and prosperity to the town. That is, until a Brother of the Dark arrives and spies an opportunity to create chaos currying favour with his dark Master. Now fear, suspicion and death haunt the shadows. The goddess is under attack. Meanwhile in the twenty-first century, Sarah Tremayne is enjoying a weekend away at the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare with her Nan and Brad the Dog when ‘IT’ happens again. To return home Sarah must travel to the besieged town of Aquae Sulis, face the evil lurking in the darkness, defeat the Brotherhood (again) and not fall for her handsome bodyguard, Belator. All of which is easier said than done. Join Sarah on her third journey as a Daughter of the Moon (Mhyres-an-Loor) as she faces her biggest trial yet”.

 

Aquae Sulis
The Roman Baths in Bath (Aquae Sulis)