Europe Before Rome

Werner Herzog's 2011 film Cave of Forgotten Dreams, about the painted caves at Chauvet, France brought a glimpse of Europe's extraordinary prehistory to a popular audience. But paleolithic cave paintings, stunning as they are, form just a part a story that begins with the arrival of the first humans to Europe 1.3 million years ago and culminates in the achievements of Greece and Rome. In Europe before Rome, T. Douglas Price takes readers on a guided tour through dozens of the most important prehistoric sites on the continent, from very recent discoveries to some of the most famous and puzzling places in the world, like Chauvet, Stonehenge, and Knossos. This volume focuses on more than 60 sites, organized chronologically according to their archaeological time period and accompanied by 200 illustrations, including color photographs, maps, and drawings. Our understanding of prehistoric European archaeology has been almost completely rewritten in the last 25 years with a series of major findings from virtually every time period, such as Otzi the Iceman, the discoveries at Atapuerca, and evidence of a much earlier eruption at Mt. Vesuvius. Many of the sites explored in the book offer the earliest European evidence we have of the typical features of human society--tool making, hunting, cooking, burial practices, agriculture, and warfare. Introductory prologues to each chapter provide context for the wider changes in human behavior and society in the time period, while the author's concluding remarks offer expert reflections on the enduring significance of these places. Tracing the evolution of human society in Europe across more than a million years, Europe before Rome gives readers a vivid portrait of life for prehistoric man and woman.
"Engagingly written and lavishly illustrated, this thoughtful, place-by-place survey to the latest discoveries at 65 important archaeological sites across Europe will serve as a wonderful introduction for undergraduates as well as a fascinating guide-book for archaeological tourists, real and armchair."--David Anthony, Hartwick College

"Europe Before Rome is an outstanding overview of European prehistory, a story of human accomplishments known only through archaeology that established the foundations for later civilizations. By illuminating landmark sites and placing them in a wider context, Professor Price has constructed a compelling and very readable narrative of prehistoric life."--Peter Bogucki, Princeton University

"Douglas Price provides a new take on a popular European prehistory by narrating the many new discoveries that reshaped our understanding of it during the last 25 years, intersected with overviews that contextualize the evidence. It is a vitalizing approach, and one that will inspire the student and the general reader alike."--Kristian Kristiansen, Goteborgs Universitet

PREFACE ; CHAPTER 1. FRAMEWORKS FOR EUROPE'S PAST ; GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT ; GEOLOGY ; RAW MATERIALS ; PAST CLIMATES ; TIME AND CHRONOLOGY ; A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF EUROPEAN ARCHAEOLOGY ; CHAPTER 2. THE FIRST EUROPEANS ; EARLY EUROPEANS ; ATAPUERCA, SPAIN, 1,300,000 YEAR AGO ; BOXGROVE, ENGLAND, UK, 500,000 YEARS AGO ; SCHONINGEN, GERMANY, 400,000 YEARS AGO ; NEANDERTHALS ; KRAPINA, CROATIA,130,000 YEARS AGO ; SALZGITTER-LEBENSTEDT, GERMANY, 55,000 YEARS AGO ; EL SIDRON, SPAIN, 43,000 YEARS AGO ; GROTTE DU RENNE, FRANCE, 40,000 YEARS AGO ; VINDIJA CAVE, CROATIA, 34,000 YEARS AGO ; ANCIENT DNA ; NEANDERTHAL DIET ; SOME REFLECTIONS ; CHAPTER 3. THE CREATIVE EXPLOSION ; ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF MODERN HUMANS ; THE UPPER PALEOLITHIC ; PESTERA CU OASE, ROMANIA, 40,000 YEARS AGO ; GROTTE CHAUVET, FRANCE, 32,000 YEARS AGO ; GRANDE GROTTE, FRANCE, 32,000 YEARS AGO ; DOLNI V?STONICE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 27,500 YEARS AGO ; GROTTE DE LA VACHE, FRANCE, 14,000 YEARS AGO ; GONNERSDORF, GERMANY, 11,500 YEARS AGO ; PINCEVENT, FRANCE, 12,000 YEARS AGO ; DOGGERLAND, NORTH SEA, 11,000 BC ; THE LAST HUNTERS ; FRANCHTHI CAVE, GREECE, 9000 BC ; MOUNT SANDEL, IRELAND, 7000 BC ; MOITA DO SEBASTAIO, PORTUGAL, 6000 BC ; POLDERVEG, NETHERLANDS, 5500 BC ; TYBRIND VIG, DENMARK, 5000 BC ; VEDBOK, DENMARK, 5000 BC ; ROCK ART: VINGEN, NORWAY, 5000 BC ; SOME REFLECTIONS ; CHAPTER 4. THE FIRST FARMERS ; THE ORIGINS AND SPREAD OF AGRICULTURE ; SHILLOUROKAMBOS, CYPRUS, 8200 BC ; NEA NIKOMEDEIA, GREECE, 6200 BC ; LEPENSKI VIR, SERBIA, 6200 BC ; VINCA, SERBIA, 5500 BC ; RUDNA GLAVA, SERBIA, 5000 BC ; VARNA, BULGARIA, 4500 BC ; PASSO DI CORVO, ITALY, 6000 BC ; LINEARBANDKERAMIK ; VAIHINGEN, GERMANY, 5300 BC ; POLISHED FLINT AXES ; SPIENNES, BELGIUM, 4400 BC ; LA DRAGA, SPAIN, 5000 BCARBON BLEICH, SWITZERLAND, 3384 BC ; OTZI, ITALY, 3300 BC ; THE MEGALITHS OF WESTERN EUROPE ; SKARA BRAE, ORKNEY ISLANDS, UK, 3200 BC ; STONEHENGE, UK, 3100 BC ; NEWGRANGE, IRELAND, 3100 BC ; LOS MILLARES, SPAIN, 3200 BC ; HAL SAFLIENI, MALTA, 3600 BC ; ROCK ART: BARRANCO DE LA VALTORT, SPAIN, 5500 BC ; SOME REFLECTIONS ; CHAPTER 5. BRONZE AGE WARRIORS ; THE RISE OF METALS ; THE BRONZE AGE IN THE AEGEAN ; KNOSSOS, CRETE, GREECE, 3000 BC ; AKROTIRI, GREECE, 1627 BC ; MYKENE, GREECE, 1600 BC ; ULUBURUN, TURKEY, 1300 BC ; THE BRONZE AGE NORTH OF THE ALPS ; BELL BEAKER ; AMESBURY ARCHER, UK, 2470 BC ; THE INDO-EUROPEANS ; CROCE DEL PAPA, ITALY, 2150 BC ; POGGIOMARINO, ITALY, 1600 BC ; NEBRA, GERMANY, 1600 BC ; BRONZE AGE FINDS ; SUN CHARIOT, DENMARK, 1400 BC ; BRONZE LURS, DENMARK, SWEDEN, CA. 1000 BC ; GOLD HATS, GERMANY, CA. 1000 BC ; FLAG FEN, UK, 1350 BC ; SALCOMBE, UK, 1000 BC ; ROCK ART: TANUM, SWEDEN, 1500 BC ; SOME REFLECTIONS ; CHAPTER 6. CENTERS OF POWER, WEAPONS OF IRON ; AT THE EDGE OF HISTORY ; THE CELTS ; THE GERMANS ; THE SCYTHIANS ; MAKING IRON ; BISKUPIN, POLAND, 738 BC ; THE ETRUSCANS ; NECROPOLI DELLA BANDITACCIA, ITALY, 650 BC ; HALLSTATT, AUSTRIA, 800 BC ; HOCHDORF, GERMANY, 530 BC ; VIX, FRANCE 480 BC ; DANEBURY, UK, 550 BC ; GRAUBALLE, DENMARK, 300 BC ; MANCHING, GERMANY, 300 BC ; GOURNAY-SUR-ARONDE, FRANCE, 280 BC ; RIBEMONT-SUR-ANCRE, FRANCE, 260 BC ; CELTIC RELIGION ; MAIDEN CASTLE, UK, 43 BC ; SOME REFLECTIONS ; AN EPILOGUE. PAST AND PRESENT - LESSONS FROM PREHISTORIC EUROPE ; EUROPE BEFORE ROME ; SIGNIFICANCE ; RELEVANCE ; PRESERVATION ; APPRECIATION ; REFERENCES ; CREDITS ; INDEX