Disgraceful archaeology : or things you shouldn't know about the history of mankind!

The book that all archaeology buffs have secretly been yearning for! This unique blend of text, anecdote and cartoon reveals, and revels in, thse aspects of the past that have been ignored, glossed over or even suppressed - the bawdy, the scatological and the downright bizarre. Our ancestors were not always serious, downtrodden and fearful creatures. They were human like ourselves and shared our earthy sense of humour that is based on bodily functions, bawdiness and slapstick. So it's time to take the fig leaf off the past and have a long, hard look at the real past - the world that would have had the Victorians reaching for their smelling salts. So if you want to know what your average Egyptian slave thought of pharoah, or a Roman legionary thought of his commander, you will find the answer in Disgraceful Archaeology - in hilarious graphic detail! Roman Britain is usually thought of as a land full of togas, towns and baths with Britons happily going about their Roman lives under the benign gaze of Rome. This is, to a great extent, a myth that developed after Roman control of Britain came to an end, in particular when the British Empire was at its height in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In fact, Britain was one of the least enthusiastic elements of the Roman Empire. The northern part of Britain was never conquered at all despite repeated attempts. Some Britons adopted Roman ways in order to advance themselves and become part of the new order, or just because they liked the new range of products available. However, many failed to acknowledge the Roman lifestyle at all, while many others were only outwardly Romanised, clinging to their own identities under the occupation. Britain never fully embraced the Empire and was itself never fully accepted by the rest of the Roman world. Even the Roman army in Britain became chronically rebellious and a source of instability that ultimately affected the whole Empire. As Roman power weakened, the Britons abandoned both Rome and almost all Roman culture, and the island became a land of warring kingdoms, as it had been before.

When we think of Roman Britain we tend to think of a land of togas and richly decorated palaces with Britons happily going about their much improved daily business under the benign gaze of Rome. This image is to a great extent a fiction. In fact, Britons were some of the least enthusiastic members of the Roman Empire. A few adopted Roman ways to curry favor with the invaders. A lot never adopted a Roman lifestyle at all and remained unimpressed and riven by deep-seated tribal division. It wasn't until the late third/early fourth century that a small minority of landowners grew fat on the benefits of trade and enjoyed the kind of lifestyle we have been taught to associate with period. Britannia was a far-away province which, while useful for some major economic reserves, fast became a costly and troublesome concern for Rome, much like Iraq for the British government today. Huge efforts by the state to control the hearts and minds of the Britons were met with at worst hostile resistance and rebellion, and at best by steadfast indifference. The end of the Roman Empire largely came as "business as usual" for the vast majority of Britons as they simply hadn’t adopted the Roman way of life in the first place.

Take the fig leaf off the past for archaeology at its filthiest and most amusing

The book that all archaeology buffs have secretly been yearning for, this unique blend of text, anecdote, and cartoon reveals and revels in, those aspects of the past that have been ignored, glossed over, or even suppressed—the bawdy, the scatological, and the downright bizarre. Our ancestors were not always serious, downtrodden, and fearful creatures. They shared our earthy sense of humor that is based on bodily functions, bawdiness, and slapstick. It's time to take a long, hard look at the the world that would have had the Victorians reaching for their smelling salts. History buffs who want to know what the average Egyptian slave thought of pharaoh or what a Roman legionary thought of his commander will find the answer here, in hilarious graphic detail.

The book that all archaeology buffs have secretly been yearning for! This unique blend of text, anecdote and cartoon reveals, and revels in, those aspects of the past that have been ignored, glossed over or even suppressed — the bawdy, the scatological and the downright bizarre. Our ancestors were not always serious, downtrodden and fearful creatures. They were human like ourselves and shared our earthy sense of humour that is based on bodily functions, bawdiness and slapstick. So it's time to take the fig leaf off the past and have a long, hard look at the real past — the world that would have had the Victorians reaching for their smelling salts. So if you want to know what your average Egyptian slave thought of pharaoh, or a Roman legionary thought of his commander, you will find the answer in Disgraceful Archaeology — in hilarious graphic detail! Take the fig leaf off the past for archaeology at its filthiest and most amusing The book that all archaeology buffs have secretly been yearning for, this unique blend of text, anecdote, and cartoon reveals and revels in, those aspects of the past that have been ignored, glossed over, or even suppressed—the bawdy, the scatological, and the downright bizarre. Our ancestors were not always serious, downtrodden, and fearful creatures. They shared our earthy sense of humor that is based on bodily functions, bawdiness, and slapstick. It's time to take a long, hard look at the the world that would have had the Victorians reaching for their smelling salts. History buffs who want to know what the average Egyptian slave thought of pharaoh or what a Roman legionary thought of his commander will find the answer here, in hilarious graphic detail. When we think of Roman Britain we tend to think of a land of togas and richly decorated palaces with Britons happily going about their much improved daily business under the benign gaze of Rome. This image is to a great extent a fiction. In fact, Britons were some of the least enthusiastic members of the Roman Empire. A few adopted roman ways to curry favour with the invaders. A lot never adopted a Roman lifestyle at all and remained unimpressed and riven by deep-seated tribal division. It wasn't until the late third/early fourth century that a small minority of landowners grew fat on the ben