Battlefields Annual Review

by Jon Cooksey

Battles, it has been said, are but a fleeting intrusion on the landscape. And while it is true that the landscape sculpts and shapes a battle, it is the combatants who have to grapple with its constraints and the forces of the elements in order to fight it, often leaving behind evidence which becomes obscured by time. Now, in the early twenty first century, as battlefield pilgrimage becomes transformed into battlefield tourism, the discipline of battlefield archaeology is assuming an increasingly influential role in providing an interpretation of the landscape in which these violent events took place.

For four years Battlefields Review brought together some of the world's leading authorities on military history to bring battlefields to life for its readers. Now Battlefields Archaeological Review will do the same, bringing together leading edge research in order to get below the surface of the battlefields. It will examine how the people of the past - caught up in often horrific conflicts -lived just as much as how they died and what lessons the people of the present can learn to preserve the world's battlefields for future generations.

136 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Jon Cooksey is a leading military historian who takes a special interest in the history of the world wars. He is the editor of Stand To!, the journal of the Western Front Association, and an experienced battlefield guide. His books include The Barnsley Pals, Calais, Harry’s War and, as editor, Blood and Iron.