The question arises, why that title for this work? Using Britain to label all the Isles can only further confuse many Yanks, who are fuzzy on how the various national entities of the Isles fit together. Certain topics should have received a more emphatic tone, but it may be that at this stage in an august career Cunliffe leaves that to younger voices.Ĭommendable in particular are his assessment of: changes at 1500 BCE (see p 235 et seq), the origin of the Gaelic language, the probable evolution of the Gaelic calendar away from early solstice/equinox, and his comments on religion ( p 344 et seq). No need to sound like one is defending a dissertation, nor being squeamish about verified data. There is a tendency to use academic-speak phrases, such as 'It is surely no coincidence.' when a more definite statement, or a conclusion, is warranted. Cunliffe's latest synthesis of research offers his familiar accessible style in a user-friendly format loaded with maps.

This title from the eminent and likable professor arrived surprisingly soon after Celtic From The West (2010), and earlier works. Equally interesting, Cunliffe looks at the ideas of Britain's origins formed by our long-ago ancestors themselves, when they used what scraps there were, gleaned from Biblical and classical texts, to create a largely mythological origin for the British. The story told by the archaeological evidence is enhanced by historical texts, such as Julius Caesar's well-known if rather murky vision of Britain.

Underlying this narrative is the story of the sea, and Cunliffe paints a fascinating picture of early ships and sails and of the surprising sophistication of early navigation. Using the most up-to-date archaeological evidence together with new work on DNA and other scientific techniques which help us to trace the origins and movements of these early settlers, Cunliffe offers a rich narrative account of the first islanders-who they were, where they came from, and how they interacted with one another. Like the myth-making Celts, we too create stories about our origins, based on what we know today.Ĭunliffe here offers readers a vision of both worlds, looking at new myths and old, as he tells the fascinating story of the origins of the British and the Irish, from around 10,000 BC to the eve of the Norman Conquest. But as Barry Cunliffe reminds us in Britain Begins, an archaeologist writing of the past must be constantly aware that the past is, in truth, unknowable. Today, ideas of our prehistoric origins are more likely based on ocean core samples, radio-carbon dating, and archeological artifacts.

The ancient Celts believed they were descended from Father Dis (Dis Pater), a god of the dead who resided in the west where the sun set.

Britain begins by barry cunliffe