GREECE, ROME & CLASSICAL CIVILISATIONS

The re-invention of Rome at the end of the 1st century AD Edited by Aurora Raimondi Cominesi (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden), Nathalie de Haan (Radboud University), Eric M. Moormann (Radboud University) and Claire Stocks (Newcastle University)

An interdisciplinary volume on the emperor Domitian which re-evaluates his importance within Roman history and his reception thereafter. In life, the emperor Domitian marketed himself as a god; after his assassination, he was condemned to be forgotten. Nonetheless he oversaw a cultural revival on a scale not seen since Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. This collection of papers from international scholars offers an interdisciplinary approach to the emperor that begins with an overview of imperial Rome and ends with a reappraisal of Domitian and his legacy.

By Elizabeth Rees

A detailed examination of the growth of Christianity in southern Greece. This is the first book to be published in English that examines the growth of Christianity in southern Greece from New Testament times until the medieval period, taking into account both contemporary theological expertise and a detailed knowledge of the numerous and exciting current archaeological excavations. The archaeology of Christian sites in Greece is a new and unfolding discipline; this book will hopefully encourage scholars and students to take these studies further.

By Lise Hannestad

A study of the life, achievements and legacy of Selecus I. Seleucus was the last surviving of the successors of Alexander the Great and the one who conquered the largest part of Alexander’s empire. He was later given the surname ‘Nikator’, the Conqueror. This book is a study of his life and achievements, his time and his legacy. It is based on Greco-Roman and Babylonian written sources as well as on archaeological evidence, which has grown exponentially in recent years.

The Iron Age and Roman Town of Calleva By Michael Fulford (University of Reading)

A highly illustrated synthesis of 500 years of occupation of the Iron Age to Roman town of Calleva (Silchester). With its apparently complete town plan, Silchester is one of the bestknown towns in Roman Britain. In this highly accessible volume written for a popular audience, Silchester’s development from the establishment of the Iron Age settlement, through the phases of the Roman town, up to its decline and collapse in the Saxon period is detailed. Modern archaeological methods allow the exploration of a number of themes demonstrating change over time, and the role of the town as communications centre, economic hub and administrative centre of the tribal ‘county’ of the Atrebates.

The Roman Military in the Republic and Empire By Simon Elliott

A lavishly illustrated grand tour on the Roman military machine. In Romans at War ground-breaking research is presented in an accessible, entertaining, and sumptuously illustrated format, including a new consideration of the nature of late Roman military leaders; cutting-edge research on the Severan campaigns to conquer Scotland in the early 3rd century AD, and a new analysis of the nature of late Roman troops, both mounted and foot.

An Archaeological Survey of Roman Aldborough By Rose Ferraby (University of Cambridge) and Martin Millett 9University of Cambridge)

A major re-examination of a key northern town in Roman Britain. This book brings together for the first time the results of large-scale geophysical surveys of Isurium Brigantum with a re-evaluation of earlier antiquarian study and more recent archaeological fieldwork and excavations. It provides exciting new information about the topography of a key Roman town engaged with the supply of the northern frontier of Britain, and about its development and later landscape.

Amazons of the North By Leszek Gardela (National Museum of Denmark)

An in-depth, lavishly illustrated exploration into women’s role in the martial sphere of Viking culture.

The Viking Age (c. 750-1050 AD) is conventionally seen as a tumultuous time when hordes of fierce warriors from Scandinavia wreaked havoc across the European continent and when Norse merchants travelled to distant corners of the world in pursuit of slaves, silver, and exotic commodities. Until relatively recently, archaeologists and textual scholars had the tendency to weave a largely male-dominated image of this pivotal period in world history, dismissing or substantially downplaying women's roles in Norse society. Today, however, there is ample evidence to suggest that many of the most spectacular achievements of Viking Age Scandinavians - for instance in craftsmanship, exploration, cross-cultural trade, warfare and other spheres of life - would not have been possible without the active involvement of women. Extant textual sources as well as the perpetually expanding corpus of archaeological evidence thus demonstrate unequivocally that both within the walls of the household and in the wider public arena women’s voices were heard, respected and followed.

This pioneering and lavishly illustrated monograph provides an in-depth exploration of women's associations with the martial sphere of life in the Viking Age. The multifarious motivations and circumstances that led women to engage in armed conflict or other activities whereby weapons served as potent symbols of prestige and empowerment are illuminated and interpreted through an interdisciplinary approach to medieval literature and archaeological evidence from Scandinavia and the wider Viking world. Additional cross-cultural excursions into the lives and legends of female warriors in other past and present cultural milieus - from the Asiatic steppes to the savannas of Africa and European battlefields - lead to a nuanced understanding of the idea of the armed woman and its embodiments in Norse literature, myth and archaeological reality.

European Warfare and the Rise of the Early Modern State 1300-1490 By Alexander Querengässer (University of Leipzig)

Examines European Warfare and economic transformation in the late Middle Ages (1300 - 1490). Giving due weight to all regions of Europe (including the Empire, the Baltic, Balkans and Mediterranean), this book argues that the economic changes during the late Middle Ages are among the most fundamental in the military and political organisation of Europe until the rise of the constitutional state around 1800. Through a critical look at other developments of this age such as the infantry and artillery revolution and the decline of cavalry, the author concludes that the economic changes come closer to the original concept of a military revolution.

Renaissance, Reformation, Revolution By Colin Shepherd (University of Aberdeen)

Paints a picture of rural life within the landscapes of north-east Scotland between the 13th and 18th centuries. Colin Shepherd paints a picture of rural life within the landscapes of northeast Scotland between the 13th and 18th centuries, using documentary, cartographic and archaeological evidence. He shows how the landscape was ordered by topographic and environmental constraints that resulted in great variation across the region and considers the evidence for the way late medieval lifestyles developed and blended sustainably within their environments to create a patchwork of cultural and agricultural diversity.

The Evidence from Yorkshire to 1400 By Brian Gittos and Moira Gittos

A detailed examination of more than 200 examples of surviving monumental effigies. This innovative study examines and analyses the wealth of evidence provided by the monumental effigies of Yorkshire, from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, including some of very high sculptural merit. More than 200 examples survive from the historic county in varying states of preservation. Together, they present a picture of the people able to afford them, at a time when the county was frequently at the forefront of national politics and administration, during the Scottish wars.

The Sacred and Secular Power of Embroidery By Alexandra Lester-Makin

Presents the first detailed analyses of all 43 known embroideries believed to have been made in Britain in the early medieval period. This latest volume in the Ancient Textiles series presents the first detailed analyses of all 43 embroideries believed to have been made in the British Isles and Ireland in the early medieval period. New research carried out on those embroideries that are accessible today, involving the collection of technical data, stitch analysis, observations of condition and wear-marks and microscopic photography, supplements a survey of existing published and archival sources.

Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia By Neil Price

Examines the evidence for Old Norse sorcery, its meaning, function, and practioners. The new edition of this award-winning book examines the evidence for Old Norse sorcery, looking at its meaning and function, practice and practitioners, and the complicated constructions of gender and sexual identity with which these were underpinned. What emerges is a fundamentally new image of the world in which the Vikings understood themselves to move, in which magic and its implications permeated every aspect of a society permanently geared for war.

Battle Tactics and Fighting Techniques of the Wars of the Roses By Tom Lewis

Explores the battle techniques of the medieval period. We don't know exactly how medieval soldiers fought their battles. This book shows, for the first time, the techniques that may have been used by soldiers. It also breaks new ground in establishing medieval battle numbers as highly exaggerated, and that we need to look again at the accounts of actions such as the famous Battle of Towton, which this work uses as a basic for its overall study.