The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe by Barry Cunliffe (PDF)

Description

When a melting Swiss glacier recently revealed the body of a hunter millennia old, the world sat up and took notice. Here, in his well-preserved arrows, tools, and leather garments (not to mention his own remains) was a rare glimpse of life in prehistoric Europe, and it captured the publicimagination. Elsewhere more obvious remnants of the pre-classical past have long been objects of fascination: the megaliths of northwestern Europe, the palaces of Crete, the mysterious cave paintings of France. Now archeologist Barry Cunliffe and a team of distinguished experts shed light on thisastonishing, long-silent world in a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated account. Ranging from the earliest settlements through the emergence of Minoan civilization to the barbarian world at the end of the Roman Empire, The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe provides a fascinating look at how successive cultures adapted to the landscape of Europe. In synthesizing thediverse findings of archeology, the authors capture the sweeping movements of peoples, the spread of agriculture, the growth of metal working, and the rise and fall of cultures. They provide intriguing insight on the Minoan and the Mycenean past underlying classical Greek history, and on thedisasters that destroyed Minoan civilization. They explore the increasingly sophisticated societies of northern Europe, revealing surprisingly far-reaching trade between different areas. The peoples of Bronze Age Denmark, for instance, sent amber to Germany in return for scarce metal, while newtechnologies spread widely across the continent. The book continues through the end of the Roman Empire, exploring the barbarian world beyond Rome’s northern frontier. For centuries, we knew little of the European civilizations that preceded classical Greece or arose outside of the Roman Empire, beyond ancient myths and the writings of Roman observers. Now the most recent discoveries of archeology have been synthesized into one exciting volume. Featuringhundreds of stunning photographs (many in full color), this book provides the most complete account available of the prehistory of European civilization.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From School Library Journal YA?Forty-five color plates, numerous black-and-white photographs, and a quantity of clearly drawn maps and illustrations enliven this thorough examination of ancient Europe. The earliest humans discussed date from around 700,000 years ago. The book ends with the migrations that marked the beginning of Medieval Europe around A.D. 600. In between are chapters on pre-agricultural peoples; the development of agriculture; advances in metal working; the emergence of complex, urban-oriented groups; the rise and fall of the Greek and Roman cultures; and the advent of post-Roman Europe. The 11 authors, all associated with universities in Great Britain, dispel many stereotypes about early humans with the latest archaeological and anthropological information on early technology, communal life, and development of trade. Throughout the account, they are careful to state which conclusions are more concrete and which are more speculative. Also found throughout is a pattern of linking developments in human culture to geographic and environmental factors. The book ends with an extensive index and a well-organized narrative outlining “Further Reading.” This section is, in itself, interesting reading. YAs with advanced reading skills who want to steep themselves in a scholarly investigation of one region’s earliest human developments will find this volume satisfying and enlightening.?Carolyn E. Gecan, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VACopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist In comparison with the lavishly illustrated People of the Stone Age , Oxford’s volume is less visually stunning but no less fascinating. Although confined to Europe (People embraced the world and ended with the agricultural revolution), its longer chronology, from the replacement of Neanderthals by, or their evolution into, modern humans 40,000 years ago to the fall of Rome, emcompasses the various ages, including the Paleolithic. To augment the scholarship, there are many glossy, informative illustrations. The writers, all affiliated with British universities, examine self-contained subjects with a degree of accessibility that should appeal to all archaeological tastes. Whether one gravitates to the fabled Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations or to the interaction between barbarian and Roman expansions, each of the 13chapters incorporates the gamut of the profession’s tools, such as paleoclimatology concerning the retreat of the glaciers or analysis of artifact distribution (buildings, graves, statuettes, pottery, metals, etc.). The resulting text bespeaks long-term use. Gilbert Taylor Review ‘Professor Barry Cunliffe takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the development of Western culture, from the very earliest Palaeolithic man to the Barbarian civilisations of Europe in AD 700. This volume is extensively and beautifully illustrated. This is a very large book, and a review does little justice to the immense scholarship presented, just as it would be churlish to suggest the slightest criticism. It is a definitive study.’ Richard Pearson, Oxford Times’This is an ‘absolutely fabulous’ book. It should be in every school library and, at the price, there is no reason why not. The book is beautifully illustrated. Students of all ages will find something of appeal in this excellent book. Secondary pupils from about thirteen could start to read the text as well and for sixth formers it provides a synoptic overview of the period.’ James Smith, Teaching History 76 (June 1994)’Uncluttered by the usual rash of in-text reference, this book reads more like an epic. Highly recommended.’ Ancient, No. 39, June 1994’Barry Cunliffe has brought together a selection of scholars, who in the main have achieved a well synthesised discussion of the latest evidence in the interpretation of European pre-history and proto-history … this is a contribution that any level of reader will find makes an enjoyable way to cover almost two million years of European development.’ Times Higher Education Supplement’the book succeeds in bringing together material from a variety of contexts in space and time into a single volume … Its message is only too relevant for the present in emphasising the environmental, ethnic and cultural diversity that goes beyond the modern borders of nation states and provides an antidote to the nationalist archaeology propagated by the nation state.’ Ray Laurence, University of Reading, European Review of History, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1994’this deserves to become a standard basic text … this volume is possibly the best introductory text now available on prehistoric Europe, and a first stop before students move on to texts such as Prehistoric Europe, and a good itnroduction for the interested lay reader.’ J.D. Hill, University of Cambridge, Antiquity, Volume 68, Number 260, September 1994’… offers general chapters of high quality on Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece … there is excellent ‘Further Reading,’ Greece and Rome”As well as the beauty of the book itself, the information it contains is priceless. This volume should be necessary reading, if not a major text, for all students of history, archaeology and anthropology at every level.” SCENE (Southwestern Ontario), 28/7/94 About the Author Barry Cuncliffe is Professor of European Archaelogy at Oxford University. He is the author of more than forty books and is a member of the Council for British Archeology. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Over the years I have studied Prehistory and been frustrated to find so few books in libraries. This book is the kind of books local libraries should have. I wish this 1994 book was revised. Not an easy task since so many authors are involved and there are many other books available. Archaeology is advancing like technology. It is explosive. This book is not going to be out of date for a while. Cunliffe is prolific.I am specially happy about historic periods of the Mediterranean covered archaeologically.

⭐If you’re a working Celticist or Proto-Indo-Europeanist, Prof. Barry Cunliffe’s books are already on your shelf. If you’re considering these fields, studying for them or just have a rooting interest, they should be. Prof. Cunliffe is the top man in the world in these areas. His material is solid and reliable, and on top of that the book makes for good recreational reading. It just doesn’t get better.

⭐This book is almost the standard text on prehistoric Europe and a great place to start for anyone interested in Europe from the Paleolithic to the Roman Empire. The only issue with the book is that it is now nearly 20 years old and more recent archaeological discoveries and theories are not included.

⭐One of the best books on the Bronze/Iron Age in Europe. I found it in the library and just HAD to have it. Wll use it for research and museum information.

⭐Very informative. As common to many British writers it is excruciatingly detailed.

⭐Very satisfied with this book. It is comprehensive and the photography and illustrations are wonderful.

⭐What distinguishes this book most is its careful discussion of environmental changes taking place as human society developed. Robert’s _The Holocene_ is the only book that does a better job with the environmental history of pre-historic Europe.Cunliffe’s collection suffers, however, from a chauvinism that has unfortunately dominated the study of pre-history for decades. He completely ignores the work of Marija Gimbutas, for example, and gives Alexander Marshack only one sentence. Marshack analyzed dozens of curiously marked and carved bones from the Pleistocine and concluded that they were lunar-calibrated time and record keeping devices. As it is impossible to prove this conclusion, the hyper-cautious editor merely alludes to it glancingly.However, the fact that Gimbutas and others excavated tens of thousands of goddess statuettes in Europe in the middle of this book’s time frame receives no mention at all– whhile one of the few statues of a man from this same time period is afforded a photograph and caption describing it as “reminiscent of Rodan’s _Thinker_”. Ignoring such a huge body of physical evidence makes no sense — especially not if the editor is trying to stick close to easily provable conclusions, such as that pre-historic Europe worshipped a female diety. One is forced to conclude the editor chose to create history rather than report it.Unfortunately, to my mind, this revisionism calls into question the scholarship overall.

⭐I am on my second reading of this book as it contains too much info to absorb the first time around. Very good coverage of paleolithic environment and the impact on prehistoric peoples. However, there is virtually no mention of women throughout the entire book. There is almost a complete lack of description of female burials and burial objects, and lack of any attempt to document the role of women in prehistoric times.

⭐Very good item quickly sent

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