What do you think?
Rate this book
Europe Before Rome: A Site-by-Site Tour of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages
Werner Herzog's 2011 film Cave of Forgotten Dreams, about the painted caves at Chauvet, France brought a glimpse of Europe's extraordinary prehistory to a popular audience. But paleolithic cave paintings, stunning as they are, form just a part of a story that begins with the arrival of the first humans to Europe 1.3 million years ago, and culminates in the achievements of Greece and Rome.
In Europe before Rome, T. Douglas Price takes readers on a guided tour through dozens of the most important prehistoric sites on the continent, from very recent discoveries to some of the most famous and puzzling places in the world, like Chauvet, Stonehenge, and Knossos. This volume focuses on more than 60 sites, organized chronologically according to their archaeological time period and accompanied by 200 illustrations, including numerous color photographs, maps, and drawings. Our understanding of prehistoric European archaeology has been almost completely rewritten in the last 25 years with a series of major findings from virtually every time period, such as Otzi the Iceman, the discoveries at Atapuerca, and evidence of a much earlier eruption at Mt. Vesuvius. Many of the sites explored in the book offer the earliest European evidence we have of the typical features of human society--tool making, hunting, cooking, burial practices, agriculture, and warfare. Introductory prologues to each chapter provide context for the wider changes in human behavior and society in the time period, while the author's concluding remarks offer expert reflections on the enduring significance of these places.
Tracing the evolution of human society in Europe across more than a million years, Europe before Rome gives readers a vivid portrait of life for prehistoric man and woman.
In Europe before Rome, T. Douglas Price takes readers on a guided tour through dozens of the most important prehistoric sites on the continent, from very recent discoveries to some of the most famous and puzzling places in the world, like Chauvet, Stonehenge, and Knossos. This volume focuses on more than 60 sites, organized chronologically according to their archaeological time period and accompanied by 200 illustrations, including numerous color photographs, maps, and drawings. Our understanding of prehistoric European archaeology has been almost completely rewritten in the last 25 years with a series of major findings from virtually every time period, such as Otzi the Iceman, the discoveries at Atapuerca, and evidence of a much earlier eruption at Mt. Vesuvius. Many of the sites explored in the book offer the earliest European evidence we have of the typical features of human society--tool making, hunting, cooking, burial practices, agriculture, and warfare. Introductory prologues to each chapter provide context for the wider changes in human behavior and society in the time period, while the author's concluding remarks offer expert reflections on the enduring significance of these places.
Tracing the evolution of human society in Europe across more than a million years, Europe before Rome gives readers a vivid portrait of life for prehistoric man and woman.
424 pages, Hardcover
First published December 4, 2012
15 people are currently reading
432 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 16, 2013
This book was an "impulse pick-up" from the New Books shelves at my local library. That said, I'm glad I did.
A little about me... I'm a long-standing history buff, but no specialist. I did teach high school World History many years ago. My history specialties are military history and early Medieval Europe but I'm fairly eclectic and read about other periods and places too.
I found "Europe Before Rome" to be very well done, and actually something of a page-turner. You really could pick it up, open it to a random page and start reading.
What did I like?
I was struck by how current the book is. Much of my archaeology reading was when I was younger (late 70s up through mid 80s) and many of the discoveries in "Europe Before Rome" simply had not been made then. This is for a variety of reasons: better technologies, such as ground-penetrating radar, access to sites (one was along the border between East and West Germany), and in some cases simply luck. If Dr. Price had been writing it 40 years ago it would have been a very different book. In some cases, the change is quite substantial. For example, the earliest evidence of human settlement in Europe is 1.3 million years ago at the Sima del Elefante in Atapuerca, Spain. While the railroad cut that led to the Atapuerca site's discovery was made in the 1890s, the Sima del Elefant itself was only discovered in 2008.
The book is written at the right level for many of the readers who are likely to pick it up. Some of it might be tough sledding if you don't know anything about Stone Age or Bronze Age archaeology or European geography. There is no need to be a specialist however -- I certainly am not. At the same time, there's enough detail to understand what was found at each of the sites and how it fits into the broader story.
While it is subtitled as a "site-by-site tour", much of the books text is devoted to placing these sites into context and telling the story of European history before the Classical Age. The chapters are rather long (50-100 pages) and devoted to broad themes: "The First Europeans", "The Creative Explosion", "The First Farmers", "Bronze Age Warriors", "Centers of Power, Weapons of Iron". Each chapter is broken into sub-chapters that either address specific sites or themes ("The Last Hunters", "The Rise of Metals"). Some of the commentary in the discussion of the individual sites is devoted to explaining the significance of the site, in addition to explaining what was found and how it was found.
Overall, I found "Europe Before Rome" to be a well-organized, articulate introduction to a period of history that continues to influence us today, and where the state of the art is developing rapidly.
A little about me... I'm a long-standing history buff, but no specialist. I did teach high school World History many years ago. My history specialties are military history and early Medieval Europe but I'm fairly eclectic and read about other periods and places too.
I found "Europe Before Rome" to be very well done, and actually something of a page-turner. You really could pick it up, open it to a random page and start reading.
What did I like?
I was struck by how current the book is. Much of my archaeology reading was when I was younger (late 70s up through mid 80s) and many of the discoveries in "Europe Before Rome" simply had not been made then. This is for a variety of reasons: better technologies, such as ground-penetrating radar, access to sites (one was along the border between East and West Germany), and in some cases simply luck. If Dr. Price had been writing it 40 years ago it would have been a very different book. In some cases, the change is quite substantial. For example, the earliest evidence of human settlement in Europe is 1.3 million years ago at the Sima del Elefante in Atapuerca, Spain. While the railroad cut that led to the Atapuerca site's discovery was made in the 1890s, the Sima del Elefant itself was only discovered in 2008.
The book is written at the right level for many of the readers who are likely to pick it up. Some of it might be tough sledding if you don't know anything about Stone Age or Bronze Age archaeology or European geography. There is no need to be a specialist however -- I certainly am not. At the same time, there's enough detail to understand what was found at each of the sites and how it fits into the broader story.
While it is subtitled as a "site-by-site tour", much of the books text is devoted to placing these sites into context and telling the story of European history before the Classical Age. The chapters are rather long (50-100 pages) and devoted to broad themes: "The First Europeans", "The Creative Explosion", "The First Farmers", "Bronze Age Warriors", "Centers of Power, Weapons of Iron". Each chapter is broken into sub-chapters that either address specific sites or themes ("The Last Hunters", "The Rise of Metals"). Some of the commentary in the discussion of the individual sites is devoted to explaining the significance of the site, in addition to explaining what was found and how it was found.
Overall, I found "Europe Before Rome" to be a well-organized, articulate introduction to a period of history that continues to influence us today, and where the state of the art is developing rapidly.
January 24, 2014
T. Douglas Price is Weinstein Professor of European Archaeology Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Honorary Professor in the Department of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Aarhus, and is the author of Images of the Past, Europe’s First Farmers and Principles of Archaeology. Europe Before Rome is a site by site exploration of a number of stone, bronze and iron age sites throughout Europe.
Europe Before Rome begins with a history lesson on early hominids leading up to the prehistoric period and into the stone age. Price uses a number of sites for specific evidence, explaining some of the importance of these sites, but never going into too much detail. After this introductory chapter, there are main chapters on “The Creative Explosion,” “The First Farmers,” “Bronze Age Warriors” and “Centers of Power, Weapons of Iron”; photos are provided, as well as diagrams where possible.
Ultimately, Europe Before Rome is more of a text book on these many different sites. Price reveals the important discoveries of many of the sites, but not really in any detail on what affect these artifacts have had on history and their importance.
Originally written on March 14, 2013 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
Europe Before Rome begins with a history lesson on early hominids leading up to the prehistoric period and into the stone age. Price uses a number of sites for specific evidence, explaining some of the importance of these sites, but never going into too much detail. After this introductory chapter, there are main chapters on “The Creative Explosion,” “The First Farmers,” “Bronze Age Warriors” and “Centers of Power, Weapons of Iron”; photos are provided, as well as diagrams where possible.
Ultimately, Europe Before Rome is more of a text book on these many different sites. Price reveals the important discoveries of many of the sites, but not really in any detail on what affect these artifacts have had on history and their importance.
Originally written on March 14, 2013 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
August 27, 2013
This book synthesizes the most recent data and hypotheses/theories for europe's prehistory. Excellent use of photos, diagrams and maps. I would enjoy having this book as a reference as well as a source of images. I am not an expert in this field, but I like the fact that the author presents evidence and arguments without trying to promote any of them, leaving the decision up to the reader. Excellent and enjoyable read, but requires time and study. This book is not for those who want a quick read.
December 15, 2016
A very comprehensive, richly illustrated review of the latest knowledge of the human prehistory in Europe from the earliest times of around 1.3 million years ago till the rise of Roman Empire.
Notes:
One of the many species of apes in Africa, six to seven million years ago, began to walk constantly on two feet, as the climate warmed and dried and forests shrank and grasslands expanded. Some of their descendants turned into the earliest members of the genus Homo habilis around 2.5 mya and moved out of Africa shortly after 2 mya. These individuals arrived in Europe by at least 1.3 mya in a form known as Homo antecessor. The evidence from Atapuerca, Spain and other sites indicates that they were meat eaters, and sometimes cannibalistic, using handaxe stone tools.
By 500,000 years ago antecessor evolved in to heidelbergensis and humans were becoming better hunters. Neanderthals take over the line of human ancestry in Europe after 250,000 years ago and hold the stage there until the arrival of modern humans around 40,000 years ago.
The earliest controlled use of fire in Europe dates to about 400,000 years ago, when constructed fireplaces began to appear in Germany.
The homo sapiens brought new hunting equipment, such as the spear-thrower and the bow and arrow. They domesticated dogs and shaped new materials such as bone, wood, shell and ivory into more complex tools.
By 30,000 years ago, almost all the Neanderthals were extinct. A few refuge populations appear to have hung on in southern Iberia until perhaps 25,000 years ago.
Some 10,000 years ago the ice sheets retreated. Before then, during the Last Glacial Maximum the sea levels were as much as 120 metres below present, with an area called Doggerland connecting Britain with Belgium, Netherlands and Denmark, of the size of the state of California. Britain was cut off from the continent around 6,500 BC, with Doggerland becoming an island and eventually submerging after 5,000 BC.
Between 7,000 and 4,000 BC the agriculture gets introduced in the southeast corner of Europe. Small farming villages began to appear in Greece after 7,000 BC. By 4,000 BC, small farming villages had reached Britain and Scandinavia.
Bronze arrived in Europe after 3,000 BC. The Aegean area was the centre of this development. With the collapse of the Bronze Age civilisation of the Aegean, Greece fell into a Dark Age. The Etruscans were on the rise in Italy
The construction and elaboration of Stonehenge occurred between 3,100 and 1,600 BC.
Around 1,000 BC the iron age arrived. It started in Turkey shortly before 2,000 BC.
The Biskupin site was developed around 720 BC and was occupied by 150 years.
Notes:
One of the many species of apes in Africa, six to seven million years ago, began to walk constantly on two feet, as the climate warmed and dried and forests shrank and grasslands expanded. Some of their descendants turned into the earliest members of the genus Homo habilis around 2.5 mya and moved out of Africa shortly after 2 mya. These individuals arrived in Europe by at least 1.3 mya in a form known as Homo antecessor. The evidence from Atapuerca, Spain and other sites indicates that they were meat eaters, and sometimes cannibalistic, using handaxe stone tools.
By 500,000 years ago antecessor evolved in to heidelbergensis and humans were becoming better hunters. Neanderthals take over the line of human ancestry in Europe after 250,000 years ago and hold the stage there until the arrival of modern humans around 40,000 years ago.
The earliest controlled use of fire in Europe dates to about 400,000 years ago, when constructed fireplaces began to appear in Germany.
The homo sapiens brought new hunting equipment, such as the spear-thrower and the bow and arrow. They domesticated dogs and shaped new materials such as bone, wood, shell and ivory into more complex tools.
By 30,000 years ago, almost all the Neanderthals were extinct. A few refuge populations appear to have hung on in southern Iberia until perhaps 25,000 years ago.
Some 10,000 years ago the ice sheets retreated. Before then, during the Last Glacial Maximum the sea levels were as much as 120 metres below present, with an area called Doggerland connecting Britain with Belgium, Netherlands and Denmark, of the size of the state of California. Britain was cut off from the continent around 6,500 BC, with Doggerland becoming an island and eventually submerging after 5,000 BC.
Between 7,000 and 4,000 BC the agriculture gets introduced in the southeast corner of Europe. Small farming villages began to appear in Greece after 7,000 BC. By 4,000 BC, small farming villages had reached Britain and Scandinavia.
Bronze arrived in Europe after 3,000 BC. The Aegean area was the centre of this development. With the collapse of the Bronze Age civilisation of the Aegean, Greece fell into a Dark Age. The Etruscans were on the rise in Italy
The construction and elaboration of Stonehenge occurred between 3,100 and 1,600 BC.
Around 1,000 BC the iron age arrived. It started in Turkey shortly before 2,000 BC.
The Biskupin site was developed around 720 BC and was occupied by 150 years.
December 30, 2017
I didn't expect this guide through archaeological sites would be a page turner, but it was. I'm a newbie, and though I was familiar with some of the sites in the book, it was really helpful for me to put this in a larger and chronological order. I wish I had read this book 20 years ago, guiding me through museum and site visits. That wouldn't have been possible, since it was written in 2013, and several of the sites are also relatively new discoveries..
July 23, 2017
This was the 'text book' used by my pre-history class a few semesters ago. I loved it! I found myself reading more than what was assigned and looking up a ton of side information.
I enjoyed the way the book was written, organized, and the information and pictures that were included for each site.
I enjoyed the way the book was written, organized, and the information and pictures that were included for each site.
January 13, 2018
Very informative book. Definitely filled up some holes in my understanding of what was going on in Europe before Rome. The site by site tour with chronology was easy to follow. I was sorry, however, that he chose to exclude Ukraine from the survey apart from a brief mention here or there, and a one page summary on the Scythians. In particular, would have liked to have learned more about the mammoth bone houses that have been uncovered in Ukraine. Also would have liked to have gotten Price's take on the issue of the idea that the flooding that some scholars contend created the Black Sea, and how that might have affected agriculture in Europe as Brian Fagan maintains in _The Long Summer_.
June 20, 2019
This book was much more than the tagline "A site-by-site tour..." suggests. Each period is prefaced by an archaeological and anthropological introduction and capped by a "thoughts" section which ties all of the organic remnants and potherds together into a story of human cultural developments. Further, it is more than a "these are the steps leading to Rome as a culmination of everything before" sort of history worship: the author celebrates the human achievement of each culture in its place in time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in prehistory and the story of Europe before (and slightly contemporaneous with) Greece and Rome.
July 30, 2019
Very informative and lots of great photos! Solid overview of prehistoric archaeology in europe, and I like that it was structured by sites. My only quibble is that sometimes the author gets a little too bogged down in the details for a book meant for general audiences- I would have preferred more overarching analysis and less lists of finds at sites.
Also useful if, like me, you want to plan a road trip around europe based on prehistoric archaeological sites.
Also useful if, like me, you want to plan a road trip around europe based on prehistoric archaeological sites.
May 13, 2023
A good read indeed very systematically written and beautifully explained about the human evolution from homo antecessor to homo sapiens their eating habits starting from eating each other or anything to have particular eating habits or food choices, living in jungles all alone to living in caves and groups later cities, with the examples from various archeological sites, definitely an interesting read…
January 21, 2025
A fascinating voyage through Europe,'s past.
This excellent survey of significant archaeological sites around Europe is a great way to familiarize yourself with European antiquity stretching from the Paleolithic through the Celtic Iron Age. It will whet your appetite to learn mode about our enigmatic ancestors. Highly compelling.
This excellent survey of significant archaeological sites around Europe is a great way to familiarize yourself with European antiquity stretching from the Paleolithic through the Celtic Iron Age. It will whet your appetite to learn mode about our enigmatic ancestors. Highly compelling.
November 17, 2021
This is basically Time Team in book form and I really enjoyed reading it. The only nuisance was the usage of BC/AD instead of BCE/CE. - I wouldn't expect that from an academic and it always gives a text a fictional connotation.
August 12, 2022
I am definitely embarrassed about how long it took me to get through this behemoth, but it was worth it. I do not remember every little thing, but it was a good time.
September 11, 2016
Great detail to western and Central European sites. But isn't there an Eastern Europe? No mention of the Corded Ware Culture pan horizon. How can a book on European prehistory leave this out? And no mention of the Corded Ware Culture's ancestors the Yamnaya Culture( and related cultures)As the Yamnaya Culture is the home of Proto Indo-European languages, I feel this lack of information is real a deficient. Jennifer Vibbert
May 22, 2016
This volume, with its hundreds of glossy color photos, is just what it says it is: A survey of prehistoric Europe. But rather than a theoretical overview, it deals with a large number of very specific excavation sites, and what has been found in each, and what the finds mean. It is not a specialist's or scholarly book, but was written for the general public-- without talking down to the reader.
October 23, 2014
Brilliant!!!! The book basically summarises the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe and then describes specific archaeological finds to illustrate the point. The book is also lavishly illustrated with colour photographs on nearly every page and maps where relevant.
December 7, 2013
Please read my review at Celtic Scholar's Reviews and Opinions
October 11, 2016
Excellent book. Very readable and with great illustrations.
Want to read
November 13, 2018On page 90, very dense. Will take out of library again when I need/want to reference it. Very interesting but not a quick read!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews