"From the caves of 'Stone Age' hunters to the deserted villages of medieval peasants, the archaeology of the British Isles is a rich and complex story. It is a story that is constantly being rewritten as new discoveries and the application of new techniques force archaeologists to rethink many long-held assumptions about the past." "Andrew Hayes makes available in this book a popular and up-to-date account of the current archaeology of Britain. While using the conventional divisions of time into periods, the emphasis throughout is on continuity and unifying themes, such as settlement, the environment, trade, technology and religion. Here can be found answers to many questions such as: when were the British Isles first inhabited? How were the great Neolithic monuments planned and built? Who were the Celts? what was the impact of the Roman Conquest? When did the Angles and Saxons arrive?" "The author begins with an introduction to the methods and techniques of modern archaeology and the book is completed by a very detailed gazetteer of over 450 sites that can be visited. The result is an accessible and very readable guide to the archaeology of the British Isles from 250,000 BC to AD 1500 for the interested layperson."--BOOK JACKET.