Roy Adkins – författare

A vivid and superbly written account of the unravelling of one of the great intellectual puzzles, set against the backdop of Europe in the Napoleonic era.When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his troops were astonished to discover ancient temples, tombs and statues, all covered with hieroglyphs – the last remnants of an unreadable script and a language lost in time. On their return Egyptomania spread rapidly and the quest to decipher hieroglyphs began in earnest.Jean-Francois Champollion was obsessed with ancient languages from a very young age, and once he heard of the unreadable ancient Egyptian text he had found the challenge to which he would dedicate his life: the decipherment of hieroglyphs. Despite poverty he made gradual progress, although he had to fight against jealous enemies, both professional and political, every step of the way – a dangerous task when in post-Revolutionary France a slip of the tongue could mean ruin, exile or even death.Failure threatened, as he was only one of many attempting to read the hieroglyphs, and his main rival, the English Thomas Young, claimed that decipherment was imminent, but Champollion refused to be distracted and finally, in 1822, he made the decisive breakthrough: he was the first person able to read the ancient Egyptian language in well over a thousand years.

Long overshadowed by Greek mythology or treated peripherally in gernal texts on the ancient Roman world, Roman religion is finally accorded its due in this unique reference work. While perhaps most familiar in the context of Greek-influenced gods, Roman religious life in fact encompassed a tremendous variety of deities, rites, and belief systems. From the Celtic god Abandinus to the pagan historian Zosimus, Dictionary of Roman Religion contains more than 1,400 entries. Among the topics covered are deities and spirits, festivals, sacrifices, temples, altars, cult objects, burial rites, writers on religion, and historical religious events. Different religions within the Roman world, such as Mithraism, Druidism, Judaism, and Christianity, are also discussed. Entries range from brief definitions to concise essays reflecting important aspects of religious practice, and most include suggestions for further reading in addition to a complete bibliography.An essential reference for students, researchers and teachers, as well as those interested in ancient religions, myths and legends, Roman society, and classical studies, this dictionary is a welcome and novel addition to the vast library on ancient Roman life.

A superbly researched, gripping account of the most important naval battle in British history, which thwarted Napoleon at sea and created a national hero in Nelson21 October 1805: Britain, under Nelson, mastered the sea for six hours, annihilating her French and Spanish opponents. In Trafalgar: The Biography of a Battle, Roy Adkins embraces the battle, its prelude and its aftermath, in a narrative that is at once scholarly and breathtakingly exciting. 'At least the equal to Stalingrad in blood, pace and telling detail' Independent on Sunday'Masterful... a compelling account' Bernard Cornwell, Mail on Sunday'First-rate... quite fascinating and filled with glimpses of the humanity of the men who fought so coolly yet ferociously' Allan Mallinson, Spectator

As France emerged from revolution, a young general named Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt, hoping next to march overland to India. It would not happen. Britain swung her forces into action to battle for control of the world's sea-lanes and thus all international trade. The Battle of the Nile and then at Acre were the first sallies in what would be fifteen years of bitter fighting. It was a war won at sea, and by the time of Waterloo Britain had gained control and possessed the foundations of her vast empire.Brought vividly to life through the words and stories of the ordinary people caught up in the conflict, this is a sweeping history of the years of naval warfare that set the balance of power in Europe for the following century. Taking in gallant duels, bloody battles between huge fleets, amphibious assaults, daring coastal raids, and the subtleties of espionage and naval intelligence, this global conflict truly was THE WAR FOR ALL THE OCEANS.

The Royal Navy to which Admiral Lord Nelson sacrificed his life depended on thousands of sailors and marines to man the great wind-powered wooden warships. Drawn from all over Britain and beyond, often unwillingly, these ordinary men made the navy invincible through skill, courage and sheer determination. They cast a long shadow, with millions of their descendants alive today, and many of their everyday expressions, such as 'skyscraper' and 'loose cannon', continuing to enrich our language. Yet their contribution is frequently overlooked, while the officers became celebrities. JACK TAR gives these forgotten men a voice in an exciting, enthralling, often unexpected and always entertaining picture of what their life was really like during this age of sail. Through personal letters, diaries and other manuscripts, the emotions and experiences of these people are explored, from the dread of press-gangs, shipwreck and disease, to the exhilaration of battle, grog, prize money and prostitutes. JACK TAR is an authoritative and gripping account that will be compulsive reading for anyone wanting to discover the vibrant and sometimes stark realities of this wooden world at war.

For over three and a half years, from 1779 to 1783, the tiny territory of Gibraltar was besieged and blockaded, on land and at sea, by the overwhelming forces of Spain and France. It became the longest siege in British history, and the obsession with saving Gibraltar was blamed for the loss of the American colonies in the War of Independence. Located between the Mediterranean and Atlantic, on the very edge of Europe, Gibraltar was a place of varied nationalities, languages, religions and social classes. During the siege, thousands of soldiers, civilians and their families withstood terrifying bombardments, starvation and diseases. Very ordinary people lived through extraordinary events, from shipwrecks and naval battles to an attempted invasion of England and a daring sortie out of Gibraltar into Spain. Deadly innovations included red-hot shot, shrapnel shells and a barrage from immense floating batteries.This is military and social history at its best, a story of soldiers, sailors and civilians, with royalty and rank-and-file, workmen and engineers, priests, prisoners-of-war, spies and surgeons, all caught up in a struggle for a fortress located on little more than two square miles of awe-inspiring rock. Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History is an epic page-turner, rich in dramatic human detail - a tale of courage, endurance, intrigue, desperation, greed and humanity. The everyday experiences of all those involved are brought vividly to life with eyewitness accounts and expert research.

A landmark book that charts humanity's changing relationship with birds - from the ancient Egyptians to the twenty-first century 'A marvellously original slice of social history' Daily Mail'The facts and folklore of birdlife are dissected in admirable detail in this handsome book' Sunday Times'Roy and Lesley Adkins are masters of their craft' BBC Countryfile MagazineNo other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind as birds. They have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviours. It draws together many disparate, forgotten strands to present a story that is an intriguing and unexpectedly significant part of our heritage.

This volume, originally published in 1989, is intended as a practical guide to archaeological illustration, from drawing finds in the field to technical studio drawing for publication. It is also an invaluable reference tool for the interpretation of illustrations and their status as archaeological evidence. The book's ten chapters start from first principles and guide the illustrator through the historical development of archaeological illustration and basic skills. Each chapter then deals with a different illustrative technique - drawing in the field during survey work and excavation, drawing artefacts, buildings and reconstructions, producing artwork for publication and the early uses of computer graphics. Information about appropriate equipment, as well as a guide to manufacturers, is also supplied. An obvious and important feature of Archaeological Illustration is the 120 line drawings and half-tones which show the right - and the wrong - way of producing drawings. This volume will therefore be of interest to amateur and professional archaeologists alike.