Britain BC: Life in Britain and Ireland Before the Romans: Amazon.co.uk: Pryor, Francis: 9780007126934: Books

5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

Fascinating and revealing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 September 2013

I am neither a pre-historian nor archaeologist and I knew nothing about British pre-history before reading this book. Pryor writes engagingly, intelligently and broadly, and I found this a hugely fascinating and insightful book. The book is structured as a chronological... See more

I am neither a pre-historian nor archaeologist and I knew nothing about British pre-history before reading this book. Pryor writes engagingly, intelligently and broadly, and I found this a hugely fascinating and insightful book. The book is structured as a chronological survey of pre-Roman Britain, working chapter by chapter through the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages. Within each chapter is an extremely interesting overview of the archaeological evidence, giving you a sense of how archaeology is conducted, how it has changed over time, and what debates are current in British pre-history. In presenting his historical analysis, Pryor also covers a wide range of topics, including social and family structures, communications within the British Isles and with other places, domestic life, agriculture, technology, economics, population growth, culture and religion. Running through it all is Pryor's clearly expressed and persuasively argued view that our pre-history is important and we should take more care to preserve and understand it. His afterword - arguing that we should stop regarding British history as starting with the Romans, and pay more attention to the achievements of pre-historic Britons - is especially powerful, particularly when you have read everything that comes before it.

If I had to offer any criticism at all it would be that Pryor seems to me a little too hasty to ascribe ritual, and spirituality in general, as the motive behind the construction of pre-historic sites, and too quick to dismiss more mundane explanations. This may well be justified by the evidence in ways too complex to explain in a book of this nature, but when I read him say things like 'ritual seems to be the only logical explanation remaining' or 'knowing as we do the central importance of ritual in their lives' (these are not quotes but me paraphrasing) I found myself less than fully persuaded. But this is a very minor quibble that does not detract from the overall impression of the book.

A note on the Kindle edition: as Amazon makes clear, the illustrations are not included. There were times when this was problematic. It was often difficult to visualise mentally an elaborate pre-historic site from Pryor's (detailed) verbal description alone and access to the illustrations would have been helpful. Only late in the book are there a couple of times when the text actually says 'as you can see from the picture...' and clearly this was frustrating. Ideally the publisher should put out a revised edition with the illustrations. Since I doubt they will, you should consider buying this in hard copy.

5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

An excellent and opinionated introduction to prehistory.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2005

Many years ago, I read Alfred Watkin's eccentric account of ancient monuments, the wonderful "The Old Straight Track", but was interested to learn shortly afterwards just how flawed this book was. All of a sudden, alot of the mystery and magic about this era... See more

Many years ago, I read Alfred Watkin's eccentric account of ancient monuments, the wonderful "The Old Straight Track", but was interested to learn shortly afterwards just how flawed this book was. All of a sudden, alot of the mystery and magic about this era disappeared.
Fortunately, Francis Pryor's excellent book manages to bring back much of this magic combined with sound archeological reasoning. The truth, as we now understand it, is even more remarkable than the theories put forwards by Watkins over eighty years ago. Quite clearly, Pryor has his own agenda (I.e. that many finds are, in fact, ritualistic in origin) but his arguments are very compelling. This is a book that is impossible to put down and this reviewer was left wanting more. As the author clearly states, 500-odd pages are not sufficient to do justice to the missing 99% of the history of the British Isles. In fact, most readers will be amazed just how much has been found and, better still, what can be visited today by those readers with a more enquiring mind.
For me, I particularly enjoyed the early section of the book about the very first humans to live in Britain and Ireland. This is amazing as the author reminds the reader just how different the countryside was then. The size of the population in the country then being little bigger than a large village. There were even different species of human .
I must admit to having a few quibbles. I would have liked to know more about the origin of settlements and the acquisition of intelligence and speech, but appreciate that these are specialist fields.
Viewers familiar with Channel 4's "Time Team" will be able to vouch for Francis Pryor's expertise in his field, although he frequently cites other significant archeologists in this book - even if he does not agree with them. All in all, this is an excellent introduction to pre-history and I very much expect that many readers will want to explore the subject further after reading this book. An essential purchase for fans of history books.

4.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

A Good Introduction

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2012

Having read Peter Salway's "Roman Britain" (Oxford) I was curious to get a feel for the society that the Romans encountered when they first arrived. Francis Pryor's book is written for a general audience but manages to be a quite satisfyingly detailed introduction to... See more

Having read Peter Salway's "Roman Britain" (Oxford) I was curious to get a feel for the society that the Romans encountered when they first arrived. Francis Pryor's book is written for a general audience but manages to be a quite satisfyingly detailed introduction to prehistoric Britain. As a professional academic he is careful in the way he refers to his sources. Rightly, I beleive, he places great emphasis on the significance of ritual and the ritual landscape, and having been "steeped" in the subject for so long he is entitled to speculate on the forms that such rituals might have taken. However I did feel that some of these sections of the book were over-long and that he was pushing the evidence a bit too far. It's always nice to have photographs, but, there weren't enough of them, and in a mass market paperback these were grouped together and didn't seem to bear any particular relationship to the text. I went on to read "Prehistoric Britain" by Timothy Darvill (Routledge) which is much more "academic", very well illustrated, indeed very well written, and a bit more cautious in drawing conclusions from what evidence there is. A little bit dry when compared to Pryor's book, but as I say, well written and very readable on that account. Four stars for Pryor's book while Darvill's would get five, but i'm glad I read both.

5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

superb detail and very readable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2023

I saw some very good and some critical reviews re irrelevant personal anecdotes etc but bought a cheap used copy anyway and am very impressed by this superb book. I am not a scientist or archeologist but simply interested in man's development. I have thoroughly enjoyed the... See more

I saw some very good and some critical reviews re irrelevant personal anecdotes etc but bought a cheap used copy anyway and am very impressed by this superb book. I am not a scientist or archeologist but simply interested in man's development. I have thoroughly enjoyed the book, found it very readable and entertaining as well as informative.

5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

If you want to know what our real roots are: read this.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 November 2014

This is an excellent account of British prehistory. Pryor establishes the best current guess as to the roots of our present culture - the value we place on personal freedom, independence and, hence, the creation of modern democracy. Also, he explores the source of the... See more

This is an excellent account of British prehistory. Pryor establishes the best current guess as to the roots of our present culture - the value we place on personal freedom, independence and, hence, the creation of modern democracy. Also, he explores the source of the religious values that led to the successful installation of Christianity in Britain - again a key element in the development of modern Science (& the search for truth) & the value of such ethical ideals as tolerance. He questions the place of pyramid-style hierarchies in ancient society - using the spread of roughly egalitarian house-styles. Again, these lead to our current culture. Of course, he could be projecting his ideals back - but the evidence is there... Pryor does not focus on a particular area of Britain, or a particular type of monument: the aim is to create as broad an image of the developments that took place in prehistory. He manages to peer, circumspectly and with admitted alternative interpretations - into the minds of our ancestors. If you wonder what the place of pre-Roman Britain is in our present world then this is the best read I've found so far. An ex-teacher, I always objected to British history lessons beginning with the Romans - a clear folly. Prior evidences this idiocy with masterful expertise. If you want to know what our real roots are: read this.

5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

Digging up the facts about prehistory

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2015

Fans of Time Team will be familiar with Francis Prior, and if you're interested in archaeology or just want to know more about the past, then this book is a wonderful starting point. Don't let Mr Prior's easy-going persona fool you - here is a really passionate academic who... See more

Fans of Time Team will be familiar with Francis Prior, and if you're interested in archaeology or just want to know more about the past, then this book is a wonderful starting point. Don't let Mr Prior's easy-going persona fool you - here is a really passionate academic who has a knack for communicating facts, ideas and theories in a way that sweeps the reader along with his enthusiasm. The whole theory of liminality (explained in one of Mr Prior's previous tomes) is a startlingly refreshing and easily understood explanation for much of what has previously been shrouded by a 'ritual' cloak - and reading this latest Kindle release goes a long way to demystifying a whole lot of other stuff. The only downside is the lack of illustration in the Kindle version (presumably due to lack of available Mb) but that aside, I can't fault the book.

4.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

Very comprehensive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 December 2022

Good book and very comprehensive

5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

Great for a novice

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2013

I know very little about the history of Britain prior to the Romans. A visit to several stone circles across the UK prompted me to look around for some books that would educate me while not sending me off to sleep. This book fit the bill. It's accessible to people like me... See more

I know very little about the history of Britain prior to the Romans. A visit to several stone circles across the UK prompted me to look around for some books that would educate me while not sending me off to sleep. This book fit the bill. It's accessible to people like me who don't have a degree in archaeology, while managing not to be so dumbed down as to annoy the reader. The writing style is easy to follow and entertaining, it presents what could be quite dry facts and information in an interesting way. It did exactly what I hoped it would and I now feel better informed. Not only that, but in an odd way I now feel more closely connected to the land of my birth than ever before, something I wasn't expecting.