Book reviews

The Prehistoric Society provides reviews of recently published books on all areas of prehistory. We handpick experts on relevant fields to produce thoughtful reviews that summarise content and present individual perspectives on new publications.

We also accept proposals for reviews. Please get in touch with our Reviews Editor via reviews@prehistoricsociety.org if you’d like to discuss an idea for a review. Guidelines for reviews can be found below.

Download Book Review Guidelines (Word docx, 146 KB)
On the ocean: The Mediterranean and the Atlantic from prehistory to AD 1500
B. Cunliffe
Reviewed by Jon Henderson (Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Nottingham)
The chambered tombs of the Isle of Man: A study by Audrey Henshall, 1969-1978
Edited by F. lynch and P. Davey
Reviewed by Vicki Cummings (School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, University of Central Lancashire)
The story of Alderley: Living with the Edge
Edited by A.J. N Prag
Reviewed by Mel Giles (University of Manchester)
Yarnton: Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement and landscape
G. Hey, C. Bell, C. Dennis and M. Robinson
Reviewed by Mike Parker Pearson (UCL Institute of Archaeology)
Engaging with the dead. Exploring changing human beliefs about death, mortality and the human body
Edited by J. Bradbury and C. Scarre
Reviewed by Natasha Powers (Allen Archaeology Ltd)
Scythians: Warriors of ancient Siberia
St John Simpson and S. Pankova
Reviewed by Liliana Janik & Simon Kaner (University of Cambridge & Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and University of East Anglia)
Ancient ivory: Masterpieces of the Assyrian Empire
G. Herrmann
Reviewed by Marian H. Feldman (The Johns Hopkins University)
Children, death and burial: Archaeological discourses
Edited by E. Murphoy and M. Le Roy
Reviewed by Sophie Newman (University of Sheffield)
Moving on in Neolithic studies: Understanding mobile lives
Edited by J. Leary and T. Kador
Reviewed by J. Pollard (University of Southampton)
The diversity of hunter gatherer pasts
Edited by B. Finlayson and G. Warren
Reviewed by Clive Gamble (Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins, University of Southampton)
Brochs and the Empire: The impact of Rome on Iron Age Scotland as seen in the Leckie broch excavations
E.W. Mackie
Reviewed by N. Sharples (University of Cardiff)
Economic zooarchaeology: Studies in hunting, herding and early agriculture
P. Rowley-Conwy, D. Serjeantson, and P. Halstead
Reviewed by J.S. Gaastra (Inst of Archaeology, UCL)
Hillforts and the Durotriges: A geophysical survey of Iron Age Dorset
D. Stewart and M. Russell
Reviewed by G. Lock (University of Oxford)
Made for trade: A new view of Icenian coinage
John Talbot
Reviewed by D. Holman (Independent numismatist)
The Oxford handbook of zooarchaeology
Edited by U. Albarella, with M. Rizzetto, H. Russ, K. Vickers and S. Viner-Daniels
Reviewed by L. Higbee (Wessex Archaeology)
Written in Stone
Edited by R. Shaffrey
Reviewed by Roy Loveday (Honorary Research Fellow, University of Leicester)
Assembling Çatalhöyük. Themes in contemporary archaeology, Volume 1
Edited by I. Hodder and A. Marciniak
Reviewed by Daniela Hofmann (University of Hamburg)
Osseous projectile weaponry: towards an understanding of Pleistocene cultural variability
Edited by M.C. Langley
Reviewed by Ben Elliott (University of York)
Social change in Aegean prehistory
Edited by C. Wiersma and S. Voutsaki
Reviewed by Yannis Galanakis (University of Cambridge)
Early humans
N. Ashton
Reviewed by Andrew Shaw (University of Southampton)