Two Men in a Trench: Battlefield Archaeology - The Key to Unlocking the Past

Two Men in a Trench #1

by Neil Oliver, Neil Oliver

Two Men in a Trench is the richly illustrated companion to the sprightly BBC television history programme of the same name. Despite announcing in their introduction that battlefield archaeology is "too exciting for words" Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver--the soi-disant Jamie Olivers of archaeology--provide an articulate and engaging account of their tour of six major British battlefield sites.

Closely following the formula (and transcripts) of the series, each chapter begins with an impressively succinct historical outline of the battle in question. The duo then present a detailed investigation of the site, revealing along the way just what a tricky but exciting old business archaeology can be. For example, in Barnet, the scene of a bloody Yorkist victory in 1471, the duo finds that a modern golf course has altered the landscape so dramatically that it is virtually impossible to find any traces of the battle. The hunt for a medieval grave-pit in Shrewsbury also ends in disappointment. However, at Flodden their excavations unearth some quite compelling new material to explain how the English vanquished the Scottish king James IV in 1513. While hardly in the same league as Richard Holmes or Simon Schama, Pollard and Oliver clearly know their stuff and their zest for the grubby, hands-on graft of archaeology is admirably communicated here. --Travis Elborough

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 7, 2002

About the author

Neil Oliver is a Scottish archaeologist, historian, broadcaster and writer who has become widely known as the presenter of BBC television's series A History of Scotland and Coast.

His first fiction novel, Master of Shadows, is published by Orion in September 2015.

He lives in Stirling with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd seen the tv series this accompanied, but the text, photos, and maps give a clear view of the work the team did. This is so much clearer than the classic reports on archaeological digs I've read. They give you an almost real sensation of the feelings brought on by the sudden discovery of articles last touched by someone who might well have been in the last moments of his life.
We talk about archaeology in the grade 7 curriculum and I have been fascinated since that time. My Mother and I read everything we could find on the subject so most of what I knew was from Middle East sites. As time has passed I've learned more, including techniques and information from North American sites. Somehow there is a feeling that a battle site like Culloden is well known and beyond dispute. This series of digs proves that there is always something to be learned from old sites.
The detailed instructions on how to find the locations just makes me feel wistful since international travel is becoming less likely for us.
A great book.

[Mark Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Military history and archaeology is a match made in heaven as far as I’m concerned! It also delved into the uniforms and weapons used to give an all round picture, usually with another well known expert, Andy Robertshaw. Brilliant book!

[Bettie]

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