This publication reassesses long-established assumptions and narratives within the prehistoric archaeology of north-west Europe. Focusing on elements such as settlement patterning and the enigmatic processes behind the adoption of agricultural subsistence strategies, the authors draw on datasets from the largely untapped resources of commercial sector grey (unpublished or unavailable) literature to construct a more holistic understanding of the period between the Mesolithic and the pre-Roman Iron Age. Offering fresh perspectives for those with an interest in academic and commercial archaeology, it also highlights the potential for grey-literature and big-data projects to change the scope of academic archaeology.
Review by Ashley Kruger
The Later Prehistory of North-West Europe by Richard Bradley, Colin Haselgrove, Marc Vander Linden, and Leo Webley, is published by OUP (ISBN 978-0199659777)