Hardback has sold over 3000 copies at GBP18.95 since publication at end of 1987. New foreward by Sir Michael Tippett The Knossos Labyrinth published November 1989 has sold 1250 copies during first month at GBP17.95

Thoroughly researched, Rodney Castleden's Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete here sues the results of recent research to produce a comprehensive new vision of the peoples of Minoan Crete. Since Sir Arthur Evans rediscovered the Minoans in the early 1900s, we have defined a series of cultural traits that make the 'Minoan personality': elegant, graceful and sophisticated, these nature lovers lived in harmony with their neighbours, while their fleets ruled the seas around Crete. This, at least, is the popular view of the Minoans. But how far does the later work of archaeologists in Crete support this view? Drawing on his experience of being actively involved in research on landscapes processes and prehistory for the last twenty years, Castleden writes clearly and accessibly to provide a text essential to the study of this fascinating subject.

Every generation has created its own interpretation of Stonehenge, but rarely do these relate to the physical realities of the monument. Rodney Castleden begins with those elements which made possible the building of this vast stone circle: the site, the materials and the society that undertook the enormous task of transporting and raising the great vertical stones, then capping them, all to a carefully contrived plan. What emerges from this detailed examination is a much fuller sense of Stonehenge, both in relation to all the similar sites close by, and in terms of the uses to which it was put. Castleden suggests that there is no one 'meaning' or 'purpose' for Stonehenge, that from its very beginning it has filled a variety of needs. The Romans saw it as a centre of resistance; the antiquaries who 'rediscovered' it in the seventeenth century saw a long line of continuity leading back into the nation's past. The archaeologists see it as a subject for rational, scientific investigation; The National Trust and English Heritage view it as an unfailing magnet for visitors; UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site, the cultural property of the whole of humanity. Lost to view amid competing interests over the millenia are the uses it has served for those who live within its penumbra, for whom Stonehenge has never been 'lost' or 'rediscovered'. It exists in local myth and legend, stretching back beyond history.

King Arthur: The Truth Behind the legend offers a more complete picture of Arthur's Britain and his place in it than ever before.
This exciting new investigation argues not only that Arthur did exist, as a Dark Age chieftain, but that many of the romantic tales - Merlin, Camelot, and Excalibur - are rooted in truth. In his quest for the real King Arthur, Rodney Castleden uses up-to-date archaeological and documentary evidence to recreate the history and society of Dark Age Britain and its kings. He revives the possibility that Tintagel was an Arthurian residence, and proposes a radical new theory - that Arthur escaped alive from his final battle. A location is even suggested for perhaps the greatest mystery: the whereabouts of Arthur's grave.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203022165

The Mycenaean World belonged to the legendary heroes who conquered Troy and stand at the heart of Greek identity. This new book brings their culture and society to life with wit and elegance. Since the discovery of the remains of the civilization of Mycenae in the 1870s, knowledge of these Bronze Age Greeks has increased dramatically. This text is a major new contribution to our understanding of this crucial period.. Stepping into the place of the collapsed civilization of Minoan Crete and the Peloponnese (the subject of Castleden's earlier bestselling study, Minoans), the Mycenaeans dominated mainland Greece and the Greek islands from about 1600-1250 BC. Their exploits became the subject of the legends that were immortalized by Homer. In lively prose informed by the latest research, this vivid study delivers the fundamentals of Mycenaean civilization, its hierarchy, economy, religion and arts. Controversially, Castleden interprets the well-known palaces of Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos and elsewhere as temples. Their sea empire and their relations with other peoples of the Bronze Age world, including the Hittites, the Egyptians and the Trojans, receive full attention. book is an indispensable starting point for the study of the Greek Bronze Age. Full bibliography and copious illustrations support this comprehensive interpretation of a civilization whose legend still lives on.

The Mycenaean World belonged to the legendary heroes who conquered Troy and stand at the heart of Greek identity. This new book brings their culture and society to life with wit and elegance. Since the discovery of the remains of the civilization of Mycenae in the 1870s, knowledge of these Bronze Age Greeks has increased dramatically. This text is a major new contribution to our understanding of this crucial period.. Stepping into the place of the collapsed civilization of Minoan Crete and the Peloponnese (the subject of Castleden's earlier bestselling study, Minoans), the Mycenaeans dominated mainland Greece and the Greek islands from about 1600-1250 BC. Their exploits became the subject of the legends that were immortalized by Homer. In lively prose informed by the latest research, this vivid study delivers the fundamentals of Mycenaean civilization, its hierarchy, economy, religion and arts. Controversially, Castleden interprets the well-known palaces of Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos and elsewhere as temples. Their sea empire and their relations with other peoples of the Bronze Age world, including the Hittites, the Egyptians and the Trojans, receive full attention. book is an indispensable starting point for the study of the Greek Bronze Age. Full bibliography and copious illustrations support this comprehensive interpretation of a civilization whose legend still lives on.

Contents:
1. Who this Arthur Was: The Once and Future King; Doubts about Arthur's Existence 2. The Documents: Constantius' Life of Germanus; Writings on Stones; Genealogies; Nennius' Historical Miscellany; Poetry; The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Gilda's Book of Complaint; Geoffrey of Monmouth 3. The Archaeology: Background Problems; Strongholds of the North; strongholds of Wales and the Borders; Dark Age Dumnonia; Castle Dore and Other Sites 4. Arthur's Britain: St Germanus and Vortigern; Ambrosius Aurelianus; Christian Missionaries; The Saxons 5. Arthur: The Man. the King and the Kingdom: The Man; 'The most powerful leader of the Britons'; Arthur's Power Base; Arthur as a Christian King 6. Camelot: Colchester, Cadbury and Caerlaverock, Tintagel, Viroconium, Killibury, The Hammerer 7. The Death of Arthur: The last battle; Arthur's Disappearance; Avalon; 'The Wonder of the World'

Plato's legend of the famed lost continent of Atlantis has become notorious among scholars as the most absurd lie in literature. Exciting our imagination and our curiosity, Atlantis Destroyed explores the possibility that Plato's account is the historical truth.
In this fascinating account, Rodney Castleden considers the widely-debated location of Atlantis and its destruction, the literary origins of utopian Atlantis and how this became confused with Plato's authentic account and also the remarkable parallels between Plato's narrative and the bronze age civilisation in the Aegean.

Plato's legend of Atlantis has become notorious among scholars as the absurdest lie in literature. Atlantis Destroyed explores the possibility that the account given by Plato is historically true.
Rodney Castleden first considers the location of Atlantis re-examining two suggestions put forward in the early twentieth century; Minoan Crete and Minoan Thera. He outlines the latest research findings on Knossos and Bronze Age Thera, discussing the material culture, trade empire and agricultural system, writing and wall paintings, art, religion and society of the Minoan civilization. Castleden demonstrates the many parallels between Plato's narrative and the Minoan Civilization in the Aegean.
Fired by the imagination a new vision of Atlantis has arisen over the last one hundred and fifty years as a lost utopia. Rodney Castleden discusses why this picture arose and xplains how it has become confused with Plato's genuine account.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203024869

Every generation has its own view of Stonehenge, but rarely do these interpretations relate to the physical, ecological, economic and social realities of the monument and its prehistoric past. In "The Making of Stonehenge" Rodney Castleden provides a far more comprehensive sense of Stonehenge--both in relation to the similar sites nearby and in terms of its uses. First describing those elements which made possible the assembly of this vast stone circle, Castleden also speculates about the society which undertook the enormous task of transporting and raising these giant vertical stones.
Castleden suggests that there is no one "meaning" or "purpose" for Stonehenge, but that from its very beginning it has filled a variety of needs. The Romans saw it as a center of resistance; the antiquaries who "rediscovered" it in the 17th century believed it gave them insight into the nation's past. Archaeologists see it as a subject for rational, scientific investigation; the National Trust and English Heritage view it as an unfailing tourist attraction; and UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site, the cultural property of the whole of humanity. Castleden examines how the ancient reality of Stonehenge has been lost amid these competing views, and considers the consequences of Stonehenge's continual mythologization and reappropriation.

Since Sir Arthur Evans rediscovered the Minoans in the early 1890s, the people of Bronze Age Crete have become a fixture in European prehistory. We have defined a whole string of cultural traits that make the `Minoan' personality: elegant, graceful, lithe and athletic, these refined aesthetes surrounded themselves with sophisticated architecture and beautiful objects. Nature lovers, lovers of peace, the inhabitants of each city-state lived in harmony with their neighbours, while their fleets ruled the seas around Crete. This, at least, is the popular view of the Minoans. But how far does the later work of archaeologists in Crete support this view? In Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete, Rodney Castleden uses the results of recent archaeological research to produce a comprehensive new vision of the peoples of Minoan Crete.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203135814

eBook available with sample pages: 0203082486

3300 years ago Agamemnon, king of Mycenae in Greece, attacked the city of Troy in western Anatolia. The bloody siege that followed gave rise to one of the most famous legends of the ancient world, and the search for the truth behind the legend has intrigued scholars ever since. In this fascinating new investigation Rodney Castleden reconsiders all the evidence in order to establish the facts and give a historical basis to the most potent myth of ancient warfare.

A story of a collaboration. A series of letters between the co-writers of 'Winfrith' (an historian and a composer) shows how a music drama came into being. All the stresses and strains of creativity are visible in this blow-by-blow account of a race against time, to write a full-scale stageworthy music drama in time to celebrate the Millennium at Brixworth Church in Northamptonshire. A story of ambition, disagreement, compromise, and ultimately achievement against heavy odds. Includes the full text of the music drama and samples of the music. 278 pages.

The story of Seaford in the French Wars, 1793 to 1815, based on contemporary sources, including historic maps, court books, diaries and newspaper reports of the time. Seaford was a town with two parallel histories. Its status as a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation gave it unusual privileges, such as the right to send two Members to Parliament, and there was no shortage of ambitious politicians who wanted to stand for election here. At the same time, the town stagnated, with a population of just one thousand and only a tenth of those entitled to vote. Most of the inhabitants were poor agricultural workers or fishermen. It is a lively and colourful tale of large-scale corruption in a rotten borough. The book gives character sketches of all the major personalities of the time. 207 pages, 70 black and white illustrations.

The story of a small Sussex Downland village is told for the first time. Using a wide range of sources, including historic maps, house histories, old letters and personal reminiscences, the complex history of East Blatchington emerges, with unexpected results. The book reveals how close the village came to extinction in the Black Death, and how the ambition of the last squire led to many of the village's present-day problems. And some extraordinary personalities reappear from the past. What emerges is an unexpectedly rich and colourful picture of an English village that has come close to being forgotten. 309pp, over 90 black and white illustrations.

The biography of part of the Sussex coast is told for the first time: the central stretch of Seaford Bay. The coastline of East Blatchington parish is less than a thousand yards long, but it has had a surprisingly rich and dramatic history. In 1545 it was the focus of a startling attack by a huge French fleet. In 1809 it was at the centre of the Seven Ships disaster. Exploring the history of Blatchington beach uncovers the stories of many different people: fishermen, smugglers, wreckers, coastguards, soldiers and sailors, drunkards and heroes, murderers and their victims. The biographies of several little-known figures are revealed, some of whom performed remarkable acts of bravery, saving the lives of strangers in the sea.