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Prehistoric Europe: An Illustrated History
Ranging from the earliest settlements through the emergence of Minoan civilization to the barbarian world at the end of the Roman Empire, Prehistoric Europe provides a fascinating look at how successive cultures adapted to the landscape of Europe. In synthesizing the diverse findings of archeology, Barry Cunliffe and a team of distinguished experts capture the sweeping movements of peoples, the spread of agriculture, the growth of metal working, and the rise and fall of cultures.
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. Featuring hundreds of stunning photographs, this book provides the most complete account available of the prehistory of European civilization.
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. Featuring hundreds of stunning photographs, this book provides the most complete account available of the prehistory of European civilization.
544 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 1994
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About the author
Barry Cunliffe
174 books160 followersSir 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.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 18, 2018
This is a collective effort, each of the 13 chapters written by a specialist of the particular period featured, so naturally the book as a whole has that kind of uneven, choppy quality that collaborative works often do. There are some lovely colour plates and plenty of maps (always helpful to me) and heaps of information, including more details about pottery than I could hope to digest. The writing is done, for the most part, in a standard academic textbook style (dry as dust) so if you're not motivated by the subject matter of any given chapter, the temptation to bale will flare up occasionally. I did skim a bit; I also had to look up a few terms online (as I said, uneven: some of our dear scholars here kindly let us know, for example, that "dysser" is a type of dolmen; others suppose that the reader has taken a prerequisite course in archeology and so merrily spout off tool types and burial designs and expect you to follow) so a glossary would have been nice. There is a basic general index, as well as a few succinct chronological tables, so it can all be sorted our with a little effort including some head-scratching and looking-up.
In all, I was not unhappy with the book; it did allow me to fill in some gaps in my knowledge though I would have preferred a more engrossing (and synthetic) reading experience.
Nearly 3 stars (2.5 up to 3 because of the photos, illustrations, and maps!)
In all, I was not unhappy with the book; it did allow me to fill in some gaps in my knowledge though I would have preferred a more engrossing (and synthetic) reading experience.
Nearly 3 stars (2.5 up to 3 because of the photos, illustrations, and maps!)
May 3, 2010
I first read this book back when I was in college, taking Old World Archaeology at LSU. At the time, this book was the dull one the teacher assigned, and it was hard to get through. But my interest in archaeology has peaked again, and I wanted to reread the book, especially the parts about the Celts.
The book was mainly as dull as I remembered. It is less of a history book and more of a catalog of dig sites, flint knives, and pottery types. You must already have a strong background in European history in order to get much out of the book, and it is a bit of a struggle to get through. However, the history that is in the book is interesting, and it was the only reason I managed to finish the book. I was hoping for more history, less pottery, but it is, after all, an archaeology book. Pottery is the bread and butter of archaeology, but for the armchair archaeologist, endless lists of pottery types is a bit boring. And arguments over which pottery type is found where is even less interesting.
So, if you are an archaeologist, this book is probably required reading. For a lay person, not so much.
More history, less pottery, please.
The book was mainly as dull as I remembered. It is less of a history book and more of a catalog of dig sites, flint knives, and pottery types. You must already have a strong background in European history in order to get much out of the book, and it is a bit of a struggle to get through. However, the history that is in the book is interesting, and it was the only reason I managed to finish the book. I was hoping for more history, less pottery, but it is, after all, an archaeology book. Pottery is the bread and butter of archaeology, but for the armchair archaeologist, endless lists of pottery types is a bit boring. And arguments over which pottery type is found where is even less interesting.
So, if you are an archaeologist, this book is probably required reading. For a lay person, not so much.
More history, less pottery, please.
November 5, 2016
An extensive presentation of European history from the earliest archaeological findings till about 1000 AD.
My notes follow:
There have been at least five major ice ages in the earth's past. The current ice age started about 2.58 million years ago. Since then, the world has seen cycles of glaciation with ice sheets advancing and retreating on 40,000- and 100,000-year time scales called glacial periods. The earth is currently in an interglacial, and the last glacial period ended about 10,000 years ago. At the peak of glacial phase, the oceans dropped to 150 m below present sea level.
Based on DNA studies it appears that all of the present-day populations throughout the world were most likely derived from a single common ancestor about 200,000 years ago.
Britain became cut off from the continent at around 8,500 years ago.
The Neolithic way of life started much later in central and western Europe than in the Mediterranean, but became established much more rapidly. Its spread beyond the Carpathian basin and the Hungarian plain is associated with a culture known after its decorated pottery as the Linear Pottery culture.
The Minoan civilization was an Aegean Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and other Aegean islands and flourished from approximately 3650 to 1400 BC. It belongs to a period of Greek history preceding both the Mycenaean civilization and Ancient Greece.
The term "Minoan" refers to the mythic King Minos, who was associated in Greek myth with the labyrinth and the Minotaur, which Evans identified with the site at Knossos, the largest Minoan site.
The Mycenaean civilization was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece (c. 1600–1100 BC). It represents the first advanced civilization in mainland Greece. The most prominent site was Mycenae, to which the culture of this era owes its name.
The Bell-Beaker culture, c. 2800 – 1800 BCE - a widely scattered 'archaeological culture' of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic and running into the early Bronze Age. The term was based on the culture's distinctive pottery drinking vessels.
Surprisingly, the author hardly mentions a Cycladic culture, which existed between 3,000 and 2,000 BCE, when it converged with Minoan civilisation. As the name suggests it centred around Cycladic islands. It is best known for its schematic flat female idols carved out of the islands' pure white marble.
At around 1300 BC a practice of burying the dead in graves changed to cremating them and putting their ashes in pits in the grounds or in funerary urns.
In around 1100 BC a trend started towards fortification, forts on hilltops or stockades on lower ground.
From 1300 BC for several hundred years, the most important metallurgical processes were those involving copper and tin, alloyed to make bronze. After 1000 BC, iron increasingly became dominant.
The story of Mediterranean in the four centuries from 800 to 400 BC opens with trading rivalries between the Greeks and the Phoenicians and closes as the two successor powers, the Romans and the Carthaginians, square up for military confrontation. The two centuries from 800 to 600 BC saw the opening up of the western Mediterranean to the Greek world. One of the earliest of the colonial settlements was established on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples. By 650 BC, Sicily and southern Italy had become known as Magna Graecia.
Throughout the fifth century, Rome was extending its sway over the cities of central Italy. The great anti-Roman coalition met the Roman army at Sentinum in Umbria in 295 BC. Rome triumphed and within five years was master of territory across the centre of the Italian peninsula. In 264 they were drawn into conflict between the Greek cities of Sicily and their Carthaginian neighbours, starting the first Punic war. In 241 BC Carthaginians capitulated and Rome annexed Sardinia and Corsica.
In 218 BC the Second Punic war started. Fighting took place in Spain and Italy. In 204 BC the Roman commander Scipio Africanus invaded Africa and was able to bring Hannibal forces to a final defeat at Zama in the hills of Tunisia in 202 BC.
In a brief campaign lasting from 149 to 146 BC Carthage was destroyed and its territory annexed to Rome.
The subjugation of Carthage ran parallel with Rome’s involvement in Greece and the Balkans. In 229 war was declared on the Queen of Illyria, whose subjects were attacking Roman merchant shipping in the Adriatic. This led to a conflict with Macedonia, which was subdued by 190 BC. In 146 Roman armies sacked Corinth.
Between 450 and 200 BC occurred the Celtic migrations from Gaul to the northern Italy. Much of the Rome was burnt and pillaged and seven months later Celts moved back. In 332-331 BC Rome concluded a treaty with the Senones. In 295 Rome confronted Celts at Sentinum. After the battle of Telamon in 225 BC large Celtic settled territories were annexed by Rome. After two further campaigns in 197 and 196 the Latin settlement of the Po valley began. The Boii rebelled and were overcome in a battle fought at Bologna. The remnant of the tribe set up to settle in Bohemia.
On the steppe, the Scythians had, by 200 BC, been replaced as the dominant elite by the Sarmatians. They are usually identified archeologically as the Prokhorovka culture, which moved the southern Urals into the lower Volga region, and then into the north Pontic steppe, during the fourth and third centuries BC. During this movement they seem to have grown into several groups – the Alani, Aorsi, Roxolani and Iazyges.
My notes follow:
There have been at least five major ice ages in the earth's past. The current ice age started about 2.58 million years ago. Since then, the world has seen cycles of glaciation with ice sheets advancing and retreating on 40,000- and 100,000-year time scales called glacial periods. The earth is currently in an interglacial, and the last glacial period ended about 10,000 years ago. At the peak of glacial phase, the oceans dropped to 150 m below present sea level.
Based on DNA studies it appears that all of the present-day populations throughout the world were most likely derived from a single common ancestor about 200,000 years ago.
Britain became cut off from the continent at around 8,500 years ago.
The Neolithic way of life started much later in central and western Europe than in the Mediterranean, but became established much more rapidly. Its spread beyond the Carpathian basin and the Hungarian plain is associated with a culture known after its decorated pottery as the Linear Pottery culture.
The Minoan civilization was an Aegean Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and other Aegean islands and flourished from approximately 3650 to 1400 BC. It belongs to a period of Greek history preceding both the Mycenaean civilization and Ancient Greece.
The term "Minoan" refers to the mythic King Minos, who was associated in Greek myth with the labyrinth and the Minotaur, which Evans identified with the site at Knossos, the largest Minoan site.
The Mycenaean civilization was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece (c. 1600–1100 BC). It represents the first advanced civilization in mainland Greece. The most prominent site was Mycenae, to which the culture of this era owes its name.
The Bell-Beaker culture, c. 2800 – 1800 BCE - a widely scattered 'archaeological culture' of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic and running into the early Bronze Age. The term was based on the culture's distinctive pottery drinking vessels.
Surprisingly, the author hardly mentions a Cycladic culture, which existed between 3,000 and 2,000 BCE, when it converged with Minoan civilisation. As the name suggests it centred around Cycladic islands. It is best known for its schematic flat female idols carved out of the islands' pure white marble.
At around 1300 BC a practice of burying the dead in graves changed to cremating them and putting their ashes in pits in the grounds or in funerary urns.
In around 1100 BC a trend started towards fortification, forts on hilltops or stockades on lower ground.
From 1300 BC for several hundred years, the most important metallurgical processes were those involving copper and tin, alloyed to make bronze. After 1000 BC, iron increasingly became dominant.
The story of Mediterranean in the four centuries from 800 to 400 BC opens with trading rivalries between the Greeks and the Phoenicians and closes as the two successor powers, the Romans and the Carthaginians, square up for military confrontation. The two centuries from 800 to 600 BC saw the opening up of the western Mediterranean to the Greek world. One of the earliest of the colonial settlements was established on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples. By 650 BC, Sicily and southern Italy had become known as Magna Graecia.
Throughout the fifth century, Rome was extending its sway over the cities of central Italy. The great anti-Roman coalition met the Roman army at Sentinum in Umbria in 295 BC. Rome triumphed and within five years was master of territory across the centre of the Italian peninsula. In 264 they were drawn into conflict between the Greek cities of Sicily and their Carthaginian neighbours, starting the first Punic war. In 241 BC Carthaginians capitulated and Rome annexed Sardinia and Corsica.
In 218 BC the Second Punic war started. Fighting took place in Spain and Italy. In 204 BC the Roman commander Scipio Africanus invaded Africa and was able to bring Hannibal forces to a final defeat at Zama in the hills of Tunisia in 202 BC.
In a brief campaign lasting from 149 to 146 BC Carthage was destroyed and its territory annexed to Rome.
The subjugation of Carthage ran parallel with Rome’s involvement in Greece and the Balkans. In 229 war was declared on the Queen of Illyria, whose subjects were attacking Roman merchant shipping in the Adriatic. This led to a conflict with Macedonia, which was subdued by 190 BC. In 146 Roman armies sacked Corinth.
Between 450 and 200 BC occurred the Celtic migrations from Gaul to the northern Italy. Much of the Rome was burnt and pillaged and seven months later Celts moved back. In 332-331 BC Rome concluded a treaty with the Senones. In 295 Rome confronted Celts at Sentinum. After the battle of Telamon in 225 BC large Celtic settled territories were annexed by Rome. After two further campaigns in 197 and 196 the Latin settlement of the Po valley began. The Boii rebelled and were overcome in a battle fought at Bologna. The remnant of the tribe set up to settle in Bohemia.
On the steppe, the Scythians had, by 200 BC, been replaced as the dominant elite by the Sarmatians. They are usually identified archeologically as the Prokhorovka culture, which moved the southern Urals into the lower Volga region, and then into the north Pontic steppe, during the fourth and third centuries BC. During this movement they seem to have grown into several groups – the Alani, Aorsi, Roxolani and Iazyges.
December 12, 2018
This book was not quite what I was expecting, and in the future I will read the reviews carefully before I take a chance on any of the other books in this Oxford series. I was expecting more of a general history, but many of the essays here plod through archaeological dig site trivia rather than focusing on social or cultural information. The chapters are in chronological order, but are written by different people, and there is no unifying theme to add structure to the narrative. As such, it is a mixed bag, but there is still a lot of good information, and even though it veers all over the place according to what the author of a particular chapter wants to focus on, it does succeed in tracing the major events of its time period.
So, the chapters covered are:
1. The Peopling of Europe, 700,000-40,000 Years Before the Present
2. The Upper Paleolithic Revolution
3. The Mesolithic Age
4. The First Farmers
5. The Transformation of Early Agrarian Europe: The Later Neolithic and Copper Ages, 4500-2500BC
6. The Palace Civilizations of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, 2000-1200 BC
7. The Emergence of Elites: Earlier Bronze Age Europe, 2500-1300 BC
8. The Collapse of Aegean Civilization at the End of the Late Bronze Age
9. Reformation in Barbarian Europe, 1300-600 BC
10. Iron Age Societies in Western Europe and Beyond: 800-140 BC
11. Thracians, Scythians, and Dacians 800 BC – AD 300
12. The Impact of Rome on Barbarian Society, 140 BC-AD 300
13. Barbarian Europe, AD 300-700
Note that the last three chapters extend to well within the purview of historical time.
I though the chapter on Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, the one on the Collapse of Aegean Civilization at the end of the Bronze Age, and the one of Thracians, Scythians, and Dacians were quite good, especially because much of the information presented there was new to me.
So, the chapters covered are:
1. The Peopling of Europe, 700,000-40,000 Years Before the Present
2. The Upper Paleolithic Revolution
3. The Mesolithic Age
4. The First Farmers
5. The Transformation of Early Agrarian Europe: The Later Neolithic and Copper Ages, 4500-2500BC
6. The Palace Civilizations of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, 2000-1200 BC
7. The Emergence of Elites: Earlier Bronze Age Europe, 2500-1300 BC
8. The Collapse of Aegean Civilization at the End of the Late Bronze Age
9. Reformation in Barbarian Europe, 1300-600 BC
10. Iron Age Societies in Western Europe and Beyond: 800-140 BC
11. Thracians, Scythians, and Dacians 800 BC – AD 300
12. The Impact of Rome on Barbarian Society, 140 BC-AD 300
13. Barbarian Europe, AD 300-700
Note that the last three chapters extend to well within the purview of historical time.
I though the chapter on Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, the one on the Collapse of Aegean Civilization at the end of the Bronze Age, and the one of Thracians, Scythians, and Dacians were quite good, especially because much of the information presented there was new to me.
September 20, 2025
Phenomenal. I don't get how this book doesn't have a 5/5 rating. Yeah, sure, not all of the entries were equally thrilling, but even the weakest still held my interest; and anyway, taking a bunch of specialists, having each of them write just one chapter (or two if we're talking about the editor 😉) and then somehow combining them all together into a cohesive narrative is a hell of an achievement. Frankly, I'm even a bit mad at this book; I have my areas of interest and they're already broad enough, so how dares it make me want to expand even further? I'm far from done with the Celts and the Romans; I have absolutely no time for all those Minoans, Thracians, Franks & co., let alone Neanderthals! A dangerous book if I ever saw one. Beware, friends!
It's a bit oldish (ok, maybe not 'a bit', almost 30 years... My edition was printed in 1997), so probably some of this stuff is not up-to-date anymore.* As I'm just a dumb mermaid who doesn't know sh*t, I cannot judge. But I'm very curious how Barry Cunliffe's updated edition of The Ancient Celts compares to the chapter about the Celts he wrote in here.
Bonus points for not only paying due attention to the ancient Polish site of Biskupin (there's even a photo!), but even mentioning Bydgoszcz, aka my obscure hometown. Seeing its name in this text was the last thing I'd expected and no kidding, I gasped loud when I saw it. I'm in such awe that this happened that I even forgive the author for misspelling it (both the text and the index call it 'Bydogszcz' instead of 'Bydgoszcz') 😉.
Definitely recommended, especially when it's one of those books which get cheaper with age instead of turning unaffordable. You can buy a second-hand copy for really little money. The price to quality ratio is insane.
--- --- ---
* Certainly all the mentions of 'Czechoslovakia' aren't, and they weren't in 1997 either. No, batch-adding 'former' before the word is not a clever way to fix it but just a cheap cop-out. It was 1997 guys, you should've had enough time to figure out what's on which side of the border! Big loud booo to all the contributors who did that.
(...and then in one of the first chapters the author calls a certain site Russian in the text, but Ukrainian in the photo description... Well, here at least an attempt was made, huh?)
It's a bit oldish (ok, maybe not 'a bit', almost 30 years... My edition was printed in 1997), so probably some of this stuff is not up-to-date anymore.* As I'm just a dumb mermaid who doesn't know sh*t, I cannot judge. But I'm very curious how Barry Cunliffe's updated edition of The Ancient Celts compares to the chapter about the Celts he wrote in here.
Bonus points for not only paying due attention to the ancient Polish site of Biskupin (there's even a photo!), but even mentioning Bydgoszcz, aka my obscure hometown. Seeing its name in this text was the last thing I'd expected and no kidding, I gasped loud when I saw it. I'm in such awe that this happened that I even forgive the author for misspelling it (both the text and the index call it 'Bydogszcz' instead of 'Bydgoszcz') 😉.
Definitely recommended, especially when it's one of those books which get cheaper with age instead of turning unaffordable. You can buy a second-hand copy for really little money. The price to quality ratio is insane.
--- --- ---
* Certainly all the mentions of 'Czechoslovakia' aren't, and they weren't in 1997 either. No, batch-adding 'former' before the word is not a clever way to fix it but just a cheap cop-out. It was 1997 guys, you should've had enough time to figure out what's on which side of the border! Big loud booo to all the contributors who did that.
(...and then in one of the first chapters the author calls a certain site Russian in the text, but Ukrainian in the photo description... Well, here at least an attempt was made, huh?)
September 25, 2017
A massive book.
It does not only show artifacts or caves as most books about prehistory but it really explains everything thoughout, both covering all areas of Europe and Europe as a hole, which is interesting to me for when I learn things and want to do my own comparisons or theories to debate with friends.
I already ran to check some parts of it when talking with my special someone as we both didnt know some very specific information we needed to clarify some questions that emerged us.
Thanks Oxford!
It does not only show artifacts or caves as most books about prehistory but it really explains everything thoughout, both covering all areas of Europe and Europe as a hole, which is interesting to me for when I learn things and want to do my own comparisons or theories to debate with friends.
I already ran to check some parts of it when talking with my special someone as we both didnt know some very specific information we needed to clarify some questions that emerged us.
Thanks Oxford!
February 3, 2016
Due to increase archeological activity and advances in analytical equipment, our knowledge of Europe's prehistory has increase dramatically in the last 50 years.
The Oxford Illustrated History of Pre-historic Europe offers a great way for the layman to catch up on the current state of knowledge about Europe prior to the advent of classical civilization. It is handsomely illustrated. The various contributors all write in an engaging manner for readers with little or no prior knowledge on the different topic areas.
The Oxford Illustrated History of Pre-historic Europe offers a great way for the layman to catch up on the current state of knowledge about Europe prior to the advent of classical civilization. It is handsomely illustrated. The various contributors all write in an engaging manner for readers with little or no prior knowledge on the different topic areas.
December 20, 2011
I wish there would have been more of these!
August 5, 2025
I only read up until “the fight for supremacy in the meditteranean”, pg 355/484.
This is a really boring book, it’s all about archaeology with only a slight bid of textual history or anthropology. I have a good understanding of European history and it was still hard to follow, there’s barely any mention of actual historical events or peoples, it’s just raving about individual sites and pottery types.
The book should really be retitled “an Oxford timeline of archaeology”.
I was only kept on reading by the few interesting photos i saw and by some hopes of learning something new, but in the first 300 pages I learned maybe 3 new things about real history.
So I gave up and decided my time would be better spent reading shorter books about the individual history of each prehistoric European people or nation.
This is a really boring book, it’s all about archaeology with only a slight bid of textual history or anthropology. I have a good understanding of European history and it was still hard to follow, there’s barely any mention of actual historical events or peoples, it’s just raving about individual sites and pottery types.
The book should really be retitled “an Oxford timeline of archaeology”.
I was only kept on reading by the few interesting photos i saw and by some hopes of learning something new, but in the first 300 pages I learned maybe 3 new things about real history.
So I gave up and decided my time would be better spent reading shorter books about the individual history of each prehistoric European people or nation.
December 22, 2018
I wish I read this when my ten-year-old self wanted to be an archaeologist. Although the tone can be too academic at times depending on the contributor, this still a great resource for those interested in European history from the Palaeolithic through early Christianity. The book is broken down into manageable chapters by chronologic or geographic divisions. I enjoyed the illustrations of archaeological sites and photos of various artifacts which help me as I'm currently in the midst of another research phase for my writing. I also now have a long list of sites to do further research on. All in all, a valuable book.
January 30, 2019
The material covered is very interesting. The writers are addressing the book to those who are already quite familiar with archeological history and exploration. It is essentially an upper division college course. The book would profit from better annotated maps, perhaps fewer maps but better place names and illustrations. The Roman era was easier to follow as that history is more familiar. It was also very informative and laid to rest preconceived notions of the "fall" of Rome and the Roman Empire.
July 12, 2020
A very interesting look at the prehistory of Europe. The colour plates and diagrams also helped paint the picture of the eras covered.
June 20, 2021
Great book.
A constant reference for me.
A constant reference for me.
June 1, 2025
A little dated, and a lot more technical than I expected.
July 21, 2016
This was a great and very informative book. Going from the rise of Neanderthals to the civilizations of the Aegean (where my interest ended) and onwards into the fall of Rome.
Definitely recommend it to people interested in prehistoric life in Europe.
Definitely recommend it to people interested in prehistoric life in Europe.
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September 10, 2007Reading
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November 21, 2009None
November 27, 2012
Learned a great deal!
March 13, 2015
Read only 6), 9), 12) and 13)
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