Britain Begins

by Barry Cunliffe

The last Ice Age, which came to an end about 12,000 years ago, swept the bands of hunter gatherers from the face of the land that was to become Britain and Ireland, but as the ice sheets retreated and the climate improved so human groups spread slowly northwards, re-colonizing the land that had been laid waste. From that time onwards Britain and Ireland have been continuously inhabited and the resident population has increased from a few hundreds to more than 60 million.



Britain Begins is nothing less than the story of the origins of the British and the Irish peoples, from around 10,000BC to the eve of the Norman Conquest. Using the most up to date archaeological evidence together with new work on DNA and other scientific techniques which help us to trace the origins and movements of these early settlers, Barry Cunliffe offers a rich narrative account of the first islanders - who they were, where they came from, and how they interacted one with

another. Underlying this narrative throughout is the story of the sea, which allowed the islanders and their continental neighbours to be in constant contact.



The story told by the archaeological evidence, in later periods augmented by historical texts, satisfies our need to know who we are and where we come from. But before the development of the discipline of archaeology, people used what scraps there were, gleaned from Biblical and classical texts, to create a largely mythological origin for the British. Britain Begins also explores the development of these early myths, which show our ancestors attempting to understand their origins.

And, as Cunliffe shows, today's archaeologists are driven by the same desire to understand the past - the only real difference is that we have vastly more evidence to work with.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, British Literature, Ireland, Ancient History, Prehistory

568 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Sir Barrington Windsor Cunliffe taught archaeology in the Universities of Bristol and Southampton and was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2008, thereafter becoming Emeritus Professor. He has excavated widely in Britain (Fishbourne, Bath, Danebury, Hengistbury Head, Brading) and in the Channel Islands, Brittany, and Spain, and has been President of the Council for British Archaeology and of the Society of Antiquaries, Governor of the Museum of London, and a Trustee of the British Museum. He is currently a Commissioner of English Heritage.

Reviews

[Boudewijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richly illustrated review of the history of the British Isles, starting from roughly 11.000 BC to 1000 AD, just before the Battle of Hastings. It shows that the innate mobility of humankind, a mobility that not only has left its mark in archeology, but also in our genetic make-up.

[Robert Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry Cunliffe is the authority on the British Iron Age, and he has written many books on British pre-history. Compared to the others, this book is also very readable. You don't need to be an archeologist to understand it. His research and scholarship are impeccable. He paints a broad panoply of Britain from the dawn of pre-history through the Norman conquest.

[J.S. Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title from the eminent and likable professor arrived surprisingly soon after Celtic From The West (2010), and earlier works. Cunliffe's latest synthesis of research offers his familiar accessible style in a user-friendly format loaded with maps.

There is a tendency to use academic-speak phrases, such as "It is surely no coincidence..." when a more definite statement, or a conclusion, is warranted. No need to sound like one is defending a dissertation, nor being squeamish about verified data. Certain topics should have received a more emphatic tone, but it may be that at this stage in an august career Cunliffe leaves that to younger voices.

Commendable in particular are his assessment of: changes at 1500 BCE (see p 235 et seq), the origin of the Gaelic language, the probable evolution of the Gaelic calendar away from early solstice/equinox , and his comments on religion ( p 344 et seq).

The question arises, why that title for this work? Using Britain to label all the Isles can only further confuse many Yanks, who are fuzzy on how the various national entities of the Isles fit together. A more inclusive term for the Isles than Britain would have been a wiser choice, never mind that may reflect an anglicized version of a tribal name in prehistory. It does also seem that through the entire text, differences between Ireland's archaeology and genetics and contributions are glossed over; eg, the age and unique features of the Boyne complex [ compared with Maes Howe and the later Stonehenge]. After a few hundred pages, it is difficult to convince oneself that the disproportionate emphasis on the larger island, that the natives probably called Big East ( Innis Mor East ), is accidental.

By the final pages, a tilt or bias toward the classical era is evident. But a recent dig showed that Iron Age Britain already had many "Roman" features in settlement layout and trade goods. Did the Romans add anything beyond their system to strip the Isles of wealth, ie, taxation?

[Zaiga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chock full of archaeology, which makes for slow reading, and lots of place names are tossed out in a way that the author seems to assume his reader will know where they are or what their importance might be. But it was super interesting to learn about the populations and cultures that have moved into and out of the British Isles since the last ice age, mixing and marrying along the way. It reminds us that there is no such thing as a "pure" blood line. The author also reviews the various theories and ideas scholars have historically had about early Britain and Ireland, and how those evolved. The book ends with the Norman Conquest.

[Claudia Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I don't know, what's with the Brits, do they refuse to use CE? Are they especially religious? What's the problem?

Annoyed me throughout.

I found the idea that Celtic might "always" (at least super-anciently, as in, not worth bothering about prior to any other timeline) have been the language of Western Europe intriguing, but feel skeptical. I don't think using DNA to track migration patterns really works--you always end up with truncated timelines. For ex, the DNA suggest that Native Americans arrived more recently than the archaeological evidence is starting (or scholars are beginning to admit, finally) to show. Linguistics is tricky. You can create a set of proto words for objects that didn't exist (like peanut, in proto-Bantu, or wheel proto-I-E. I'm not ready to accept that Celtic is a ancient as that, but I'm willing to stay open about it.

(I did read an article recently that argued the opposite... that the Celts were simply another wave of Germans that came over just a few hundred years prior.)

So... the old, old stuff was the most interesting part of this book. I hated all the assumptions... Men were always in charge. Wives were being traded. Etc. No way to know this. I also question the assumption that ancient societies organized themselves the way we do... nobility, lords... that grave goods denote what we would understand as power in our society today. In a shamanistic society things might be different. In a potlatch-type organization it might be QUITE different.

So I felt his contemporary-male-Brit-class-based outlook was showing quite a bit.

Nevertheless, there was much here to fire the imagination and I do recommend the book.

[Joe Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued to learn more about my ancestors by a story I came across in the media. An extortionary ceremonial site had been excavated and dated to 4300 years ago. There they found the skull of a long extinct auroch that was used as a headdress - it was estimated to be two thousand years old at the time it was placed into the water there! I had to find out more about the peoples that led such extraordinary lives for so many generations so long ago.

(https://www.theguardian.com/science/2...)

This book did not let me down, though it may have left me pining for more. It is a first rate academic text on the history of the British isles from pre history through the age of the Northmen. I say academic as it is, but it is completely readable and most illuminating for the lay history reader like myself.

This is not a dense, theory led, and argument heavy book, rather a clear, measured, and evidence backed narrative of life on the British isles over many millennia.

As such it sticks firmly to the facts, or best evidence, with little time for imagining just what was going on day to day, who were these people and what did they believe, impossible to say but hard to stop day dreaming!

The book is excellent in all periods it looks at, pre history is heavy on things like geology, climate and food sources as archaeological evidence is sparse. Later we have more evidence of trade networks, belief systems, new peoples and ideas, and violent conflict.

The pre-roman times were the most obscured in my mind, and it was here I took the most from the book. Repeatedly mind blowing. The consistent and ancient sea links to Europe, often far flung Europe, in particular stick in the mind. As does the Western vs South East distinction that I feel even today!

It is hard to imagine the time scales involved here, we are significantly closer to Julius Ceaser than he was to the builders of Stonehenge - and that was built on already ancient ceremonial ground.

To the authors credit the latter chapters on more familiar subjects - Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Norsemen are dedicated the same amount of page space despite a greater archaeological legacy, and he avoids the "superficial" and "tiring" "doing of celebrities" - the big names who won big battles in favour of the real important changes to societies and lives in the long run. Here I felt the writing of a true historian with a long view of history, a welcome alternative from the history of 'great men' that while fun, maybe takes up too much space on book shelves an in my mind.

[Brian Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting tour of British history from the Mesolithic to the Norman Invasion. It was particularly interesting for its argument that Celtic peoples originated in Spain and moved north along a long-established Atlantic Trading Route, which covers Western France, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Western Scotland. However, this appears dependent on an assumption about mutation rates in genetics, suggesting that further genetics data could yet outright prove or disprove this idea.

One big caveat about the book, though, is that Cunliffe includes a lot of speculation as fact and includes no references in the text - for example, he mentions in passing that the Battle of Mons Grapius was fought near Inverness, when most others put it nearer Aberdeen, but doesn't explain why he makes that statement. He makes the curious claim that Britain effectively invented tin bronze-working around 2200BC, even though the Near East and Mediterranean were supposedly using it for the previous 1,000-1,500 years.

All in all, a very interesting overview of ancient Britain, but the lack of direct references is frustrating, as is the inclusion of personal speculation without clearly marking it as such.

[Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely readable overview of the history of Britain for the general reader who wants a rigorous introduction, without getting bogged down in footnotes and citations. It has relevant illustrations and useful maps setting out sites of particular interest mentioned in the text.
To use Barry Cunliffe's words:
This book attempts to do two things: first, to give an account of how past writers have tried to understand the peoples of these islands and where they have come from, and then to offer a narrative of the first 12,000 years or so of the British and Irish based on current understandings. Any such narrative must, of course, be highly selective. This is not an archaeology of early Britain and Ireland.
Around 12,000 years ago, as the ice-sheets receded and temperatures began to rise, bands of hunter-gatherers started to populate the lands later to become the British Isles. The narrative outlined in the book has stressed the innate mobility of humankind, a mobility that is inherent in our genetic make-up.
Mobility may be motivated largely by instinct, but it is controlled within a social structure designed to encourage and reward it. Mobility may also be forced by demographic pressure. A community that has reached the holding capacity of its territory will encourage migration, usually by a section of its young. In more extreme cases populations may be driven from their lands by marauding neighbours or by environmental factors.

Cunliffe has an excellent prose style, so this is an easy read. He also has knowledge and experience, lightly worn, to know when to provide detailed examples and when to "pull back" and provide an interpretation of the longue duree.
I found the brief process of noting past generations interpretation of the archaeological records before setting out the details and basis of current understanding to be very useful. Occasionally Cunliffe will take a larger European view, but this is always relevant to subsequent developments in Britain. There are also three "interlude" chapters where Cunliffe examines issues outside of the chronological framework the chapters otherwise follow.
Cunliffe also peppers his narrative with interesting and humorous facts, retaining your interest by varying his delivery.
There is also an excellent guide to further reading at the end, as good books lead to others.

I read this book in two sessions, reading the first four chapters, which made me read more widely, in particular The Making of the Middle Sea about the populating of the Mediterranean and books about the Celts to tie in with an exhibition at the British Museum, before completing the book.

[Laurel Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive exposition of the peopling of the British Isles by a noted archaeologist and historian. The first half of the book, dealing with the Stone Age and Bronze Age was riveting and comprehensive. Cunliffe details the movements of ancient people pulling together evidence from mythology, archaeology, and DNA. The second half was all about archaeology. I kept waiting for more on literature, linguistics and DNA but there wasn't any further discussion. The sections on the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings were comparatively very compressed - perhaps it should have been two books, and then the later periods could have been fleshed out more.

The strengths here are the numerous maps and photos, and the extensive bibliography. I have already determined I need to read the work of Oppenheimer and Sykes for more on DNA and linguistics. Published in 2013, this reflects the latest theories of the Celtic peoples and language, spreading across the Mediterranean and up the western Atlantic coastline far earlier than the traditional view of spreading from central Europe across the channel. He likewise posits that Germanic people have settled the British Isles long before the Anglo-Saxons arrived. I just would have liked more evidence from linguistics and DNA. The archaeology was interesting, and I am intrigued by the pervasiveness of the East-West divide in the movements of people.

Book description: The last Ice Age, which came to an end about 12,000 years ago, swept the bands of hunter gatherers from the face of the land that was to become Britain and Ireland, but as the ice sheets retreated and the climate improved so human groups spread slowly northwards, re-colonizing the land that had been laid waste. From that time onwards Britain and Ireland have been continuously inhabited and the resident population has increased from a few hundreds to more than 60 million. Britain Begins is nothing less than the story of the origins of the British and the Irish peoples, from around 10,000BC to the eve of the Norman Conquest. Using the most up to date archaeological evidence together with new work on DNA and other scientific techniques which help us to trace the origins and movements of these early settlers, Barry Cunliffe offers a rich narrative account of the first islanders - who they were, where they came from, and how they interacted one with another. Underlying this narrative throughout is the story of the sea, which allowed the islanders and their continental neighbours to be in constant contact.

[George Siehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cunliffe has been a practicing archaeologist for many years in the British Isles. Here, he draws upon his work among the artefacts and monuments to create an account of the people who have populated the islands for over a half-million years. He supplements his own discipline with a fine appreciation of the other fields of study that contribute to the story of man's place on the land over time: geography, geology, genetics ( including the exciting new explorations through DNA analysis), linguistics, and the use of such tools a dendrochronology to fix the place of evidence in time.

His account of the sequential movements of peoples from the European continent thousands of years BC, and the active cross-water trade that developed between many points of the continent and the islands is awesome. The motive of curiosity and the urge for mobility feature continually in his narrative, as does the economics and sociology of trade. He ends his tale about the time many reader may start to feel comfortable with the history involved: the end of the Scandinavian incursions of conquest around 1100AD.

There are many instances where Cunliffe's narrative flows engagingly. However, there are more than a few places where the wealth of detail seems excessive. Nonetheless, overall, the book is a rewarding read for those who are curious about the progression of civilization, government, trade, and transnational community on the Northwest edge of Europe from deep prehistory to the Viking era.

[Liam Guilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cunliffe never loses site of the limitation of the methodology or the evidence he is using. Which cannot be said of all modern Archeologists. He's particularly good on the strengths and weaknesses of the modern vogue for DNA 'Evidence'. I bought this because I wanted to read a sane and up to date summary of what's currently thought about the Germanic migrations into Britain, and he provides it. But I found myself reading the whole book. Beautifully illustrated, with many maps and diagrams, and surprisingly readable for a book that doesn't flinch from the necessity of making the details evident, or the processes required to get at them, of for admitting that there are times when the History just cannot be known.

[Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable fascinating book especially the parts dealing with the period BC, I thought the period AD was written somewhat less motivated somehow (hardly paying attention to the influence of Christianity for example). Cunliffe is an excellent archaeologist but I am afraid he sometimes makes rather bold and oversimplified conclusions when it comes down to historical linguistics (e.g. he still sees the difference between P/Q Celtic languages as a major divide). His Tartassian theory set up with Koch is very interesting though. Throughout the book it is not entirely clear whether he also wants to include Irish prehistory, he sort of touches it now and then but also ignoring huge bits. Recommended read!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truly only a book for a person interested in British history. But if you are then this book will serve as great overview from prehistory till after the Roman period.

[Sam Worby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to British prehistory. Beautiful illustrations.

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

[NB - I read this years ago, and reviewed it on the Amazon UK website. They’ve deleted all my reviews! Literally thousands… Anyway, I’ve been able to recover some of those reviews. This is one of them.]


Wow! This book is a fascinating and exciting compendium of diverse facts, beautifully illustrated, telling the most incredible story.

Cunliffe writes with great clarity and engaging straightforwardness, weaving together various strands of scientific deduction sufficient to put Sherlock in the shade. What science there is here is, on the whole, easy enough to follow. Certainly this isn't too drily technical a read. Indeed, throughout the book we often touch upon moments connecting us with our forebears, a very early and poignant instance of this being the discovery of Mesolithic footprints in the littoral muds of Formby point.

Covering 11,000 years, from the retreat of the ice around 10,000 BC (when these lands were still connected to the European continent), to the arrival of the Normans in 1066, Cunliffe tells how the people of these islands grew from bands of a few hundred hunter-gatherers to a mixed population of around two million. Before embarking on this epic tale he sets out what we used to tell ourselves was our history, from the first mentions of these lands in ancient Greek and Roman texts, through to indigenous writers like Geoffrey of Monmouth, examining how myth and fact interwove, before beginning on the journey to the more complex and nuanced understanding we have now.

More than half of the book is given over to the period prior to these islands entering into the written record, which Cunliffe describes as formerly belonging to 'shadowy pseudo-history'. It's quite moving reading Geoffrey of Monmouth, who belongs to this earlier semi-mythical phase, saying 'Britain, the best of islands... provides in unfailing plenty everything that is suited to the use of human beings', and then having Cunliffe, the modern post-enlightenment scholar concur, stating that indeed, 'The British Isles ... occupy a very favoured position in the world', and explaining why this is so (geology & climate).

At around 500 pages, with a very substantial 'further reading' section at the back, this is a serious book. But despite the books size, as Cunliffe concedes, his scope is so huge that it remains a very general and brisk overview of a huge subject. Chapters often conclude with summarising statements, which is helpful, and there are three 'interlude' chapters, dealing with such topics as language and religion. As he says in his preface, 'An archaeologist writing of the past must be constantly aware that the past is, in truth, unknowable. The best we can do is to offer approximations based on the fragments of hard evidence that we have to hand, ever conscious that we are interpreters. Like the myth-makers of the distant past, we are creating stories about our origins and our ancestors conditioned by the world in which we live'.

Unsurprisingly the nearest lands have been those to most consistently stock our genetic banks, with arrivals coming from land masses we now know as Spain, France, the Low Countries, Germany and Scandinavia, and in the Roman period an even wider ranging area. The first 9,000 years of this story are couched more in terms of generalities and theories, drawing primarily on the longer standing practice of antiquarianism, or what evolved into archaeology as we now know it, but also other associated areas, some of which, like our growing knowledge of genetics, are much more modern developments. The parts dealing with the last millennia become more like the kind of history many of us will know from school or general reading, with tales of kings and queens, war and invasion.

The 'innate mobility of humankind ... inherent in our genetic makeup' is a continuing theme throughout, existing in constant tension with the domesticating aspect of human culture, as waves of invaders and colonists seek first to find new territories and then to live in them. Throughout this continual ebb and flow human and material traffic continues, leaving behind trails of artefacts and monuments, from grand buildings to everyday waste. Rather like the amazing detective work of Darwin, this is a tale concerned with origins, and it's amazing what we can deduce from a close examination of the world around us, and how much that world can still tell us of our past.

As a generally interested reader of history I found this an extraordinary, fascinating, and very compelling read, fabulously supplemented by a rich array of graphic material. Loved it!

[M. Apple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Britain Begins was first published in 2012, which is already ten years ago, and at times it felt like it would take me ten years to finish this book.

But still, the content is superb, with plenty of illustrations (many in full color) and in-depth description and explanation for even someone with no knowledge of the history of Ireland and the British Isles to understand.

Two small caveats:

Like most British authors, "Sir" Cunliffe constantly refers to Ireland as part of the British Isles. It is not. Phrases such as "...and other parts of the British Isles" show a lack of modern political understanding. The term may be used geographically, but the Irish in the Republic of Ireland do not use it that way.

Also, the grammar is sometimes confusing. Maybe for a British speaker of English the phrase "will have = ed" sounds like something in the past, but for an American speaker of English "will" always implies the future. Because there remains a great deal of uncertainties about past events, of course Cunliffe has to make (very educated) guesses throughout the book. But even in the same paragraph, and sometimes the same sentence, he mixes and matches "will have =ed" and "would have -ed."

Case in point on p. 485, in a discussion of how Scandanavian settlers contributed to the British gene pool:

"As the conquerors they would have expected generous land grants...No doubt many married local women; others will have brought their families across from Denmark, and, once, they were established, dependents and fortune seekers would have begun to arrive."

The repetitiveness of early chapters in the book and odd phraseology needed a stronger editorial hand. No doubt Oxford U Press found it difficult to apply the proverbial editing pen to the work of a "Sir" (a pattern I see in other books by "Sir" authors in Britain), but the section quoted above is a mess in terms of verb tense structure. I really would have liked Cunliffe to take a stance at some point, although I do see why he seems reluctant to be definite about events of the past. He seems to go out of his way to support his contention (more fully explored in his book about the "Celts") that The "Insular Celts" came from Spain to Ireland the British Isles, but ignores the fact that other archaeologists disagree with this theory. There is too much reliance in this book on myths, speculation, and ancient authors citing other ancient authors instead of archaeological evidence for the prehistory chapters.

In the event (At any rate), the blurbs on the back cover do not exaggerate the importance of this tome. It is, as the Independent claims, "The best available synthesis of research on the early peopling of these islands" -- even though the book does end with (essentially) the Norman Conquest of 1066 (and a couple years past that). Worth more than several dozen hours of documentary videos.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an excellent introduction to the pre-history of Britain, but there are a few points to note :

Cunliffe subscribes to a fringe theory about the origin of Celtic identity. Most experts agree that Celtic culture/language/religion arose in Central Europe, with the Hallstat/La Tene material culture. While that's hard to prove, culture and material culture tend to go hand in hand. Cunliffe, on the other hand, thinks they're completely different, and that Celtic identity began in the British Isles, and along the Atlantic coast of Europe, and that the association with Hallstat/La Tene material culture is basically a misunderstanding. The evidence he provides is rather thin.

The second point is that this really is an archaeological-focused work. That's basically mandatory when we're talking about Britain's early pre-history, but once we get to the point where we know more about British culture and history, a lot of things that we know from written sources, or from an non-archaeological perspective gets left out.

It's a good book, and within limits it's excellent, but keep in mind that it is limited.

[Andrew McAuley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest books I've ever read. I can barely believe that one person has been able to accumulate the amount of data crammed into this book. You can tell it's written by an archaeologist by the way that everything in it is evidence-based rather than a straightforward narrative. The inclusion of maps, diagrams and photographs on almost every page go a long way to helping bring it all together for the reader.

I thought I was fairly knowledgable (but not an expert by any means) on early British history, but regardless, on each page there were several facts which I had no idea about. At 500 A4-ish sized pages, it's quite a hefty tome, it might seem a bit dry and hard to follow in places without the inclusion of some of the attached illustrations (and especially maps) so I can see why there is such a large amount of pictures.

We are taken through Britain's history from 11000BC up to 1066AD. The first thing which intruiged me was the massive amount of information available for the periods involving little or no human habitation. The early part of the book (and a large part of the latter) concentrates on human migration and burials which is interesting enough, but even for those familiar with the 'Red Woman' and the 'Beaker people' there is a wealth of information leaving you eager to read into these things later in more depth, not that this book skimps on depth, it feels pretty exhaustive on it's own in many cases. Coverage is somewhat more sparse as we come into the later Ango-Saxon period and age of Viking incursion, likely because those ages are so well covered already but what is included fits in well with the themes of the book up to that point.

This is the type of history that puts books like Simon Schama's 'History of Britain' to shame. I would say for anyone interested in reading about British history for the first time, this is probably an awesome book to start with. For anyone with a good knowledge, this book will fill your head with such information that you'll wish you read it years ago. At times the level of detail that it goes into regarding weather changes and migrations might start to feel like it's going a bit too in-depth for a book covering such a long period, but that said it's probably the best history I've ever read in terms of scope, information and general ease of reading. I will be keeping this one in a handy place to refer to from time to time.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had the idea of catching up with this great book for quite a while, and for the past week it has been a very pleasurable experience to read Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe's 'Britain Begins'.
It is simply everything that anyone could expect from a Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford University, who later became Emeritus Professor.
The main body of the text covers almost five hundred pages that encapsulates eleven thousand years of the British Isles historic, ethnic and archaeological knowledge, from the last ice age to the Norman conquest. There are also thirty five pages of extensive 'further reading' advice in this brilliant 2012 publication.

[Michael Calabrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a well-written book packed with the rich knowledge gained throughout a long and excellent career. Cunliffe begins with the land, its structures and qualities; the impact of its separation from Europe, and the ice age. It becomes his canvas as he paints a picture of Britain and the evolution of its people. He approaches later British history through the lens of trade networks, who was where, and when, and bringing what goods both to British shores and within the country. What came out of the ground through excavation tells Britain's story. That is an interesting, unique angle.

[Peter Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long detailed book covering the span from paleolithic movement of people related to the ice ages, to 1066. It is perhaps too detailed.
Not living in UK , I found the references to British regions and towns difficult.
I found his references to “ the English “ fighting the Vikings confusing. Similarly whilst seemingly dismissing the concept of a mass movement of ‘ Celts ‘ from Europe to Britain , he refers in some sections to the native population as celts.

In summary the book covers a long time span and is very detailed. However in some sections I found it confusing. A good knowledge of British geography helps.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a great introduction to the prehistory of Britain. Pictures and illustrations are really good. The author uses a variety of disciplines of study to help us understand the prehistoric people. As other reviewers have noted there are some sections of fanciful imagination. But I didn't mind that as they are usually clearly noted and I liked the peak into how sparse remaining physical evidence could be tied together to make a more complete picture.

[Mechelle VanHoudt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I thought I would cherry pick certain parts to read only, but I ended up reading the whole thing. It is compulsively readable for a non fiction book. I will most likely refer back to it many times in the future, while continuing my quest for knowledge about Britain's rich history.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comprehensive study of the origins of Britain from 10,000 BC to 1100 AD. This is the second time I have read this book and I enjoyed it as much as the first time that I read it. There is so much material to each stage of development. The settlement by the Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Norse Vikings is very confusing but it probably was to the inhabitants.

[Bob Duke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mongrel People

The inhabitants of the British Isles are a mongrel race and always have been. This mongrelization is what has strengthened them and made them what we know as the English, the Welsh, the Scottish and the Irish.

[Leon O'Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

great overview

What is impressive about this book is the way in which so much time is covered in such a short space. Cunliffe creates a great narrative which really flows- yet at the same time highlights options without bogging down in arguments that cannot be won.

[David Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! A scholarly work that moves beyond the traditional but misguided interpretations of our beginnings

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good information on what is known about early Britain but the writing style was a bit tedious at times and repetitious in places.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Great guide to the preistory and origins of the British, coupled with a wealth of further reading to follow up on.

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. My only complaint is that the coverage of the Anglo Saxons is too brief.