This is an encyclopedic account of Britain’s archaeology (mainland Britain – there’s very little mention of Ireland) from the earliest human arrivals to the Roman invasion. As such, I imagine this is an useful reference work for the professional or amateur archaeologist.

However, Darvill rarely speculates beyond the facts and description; there are no easy-to-follow stories and neat conclusions, so it was heavy going for the interested lay person like myself. Having said that, it turned out to be well-worth persevering, as I gradually found myself getting enthralling glimpses into remote and unimagined worlds.

Rather sobering is the difference between what is known now and what I was taught so long ago at school. Apart from the whole subject being much more complex than I’d thought, clearly some of these long-ago cultures were more complex and ‘advanced’ than I’d thought, too.

The reader is left with as many questions as answers – that, of course, is exactly what the archaeology gives us – it’s frustrating to be given so much while, at the same time, more and more realising how little we know of these remote ancestors. It’s a fascinating book, though. I shall certainly read it through again – it’s a lot to grasp at one reading. I shall certainly be consulting it on a regular basis, too. ( )