Robert Higham recently retired as Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Exeter. His research interests cover two broad topics relating to the medieval period: the general theme of defence, in both its military and social aspects, and the medieval archaeology of South West England. He has directed a number of excavations and published several books. He has particular interests in the interplay between archaeological and historical data in the medieval period. Specific areas of research include urban defence, the archaeology, social and settlement history of castles and castle-building society, and the settlement history of Greater Exmoor. The late Philip Barker was formerly Reader in British Archaeology, University of Birmingham. He has directed a number of excavations and published several books.
This unusual, pioneering, badly needed book explores a topic many people have often wondered about but never tackled... Barker and Higham's lucid, exceptionally well illustrated text resurrects a lost, but significant, part of medieval life. Architects, historians, archaeologists, and students will draw upon their conclusions for decades. This is a truly important work, really an astonishing achievement, and it should be widely purchased. This important new book also includes an excellent resume of evidence relating to timber castle building from both documentary and pictorial sources. Scholarly and comprehensive. Eagerly awaited...It is no exaggeration to say that this is a seminal work which will long remain an essential point of reference. The first comprehensive survey of this neglected and little-known type of fortification... It will certainly become the recognised authority on the subject of timbered castles. This seminal book is an important milestone in castle studies which brings to its proper prominence the timber construction in these feudal fortresses...a book that every serious student of castles should have. Written with verve and skill. In this major work, destined to become a 'classic', and the foundation on which all future research in Britain and to no small extent Europe will be based, we get as close as is currently possible to understanding the form and function of timber castles. This is an excellent book; it should be on the bookshelves of all those interested in castles, and will be invaluable to those students studying medieval archaeology. This is an epoch-making study, as important in changing our preconceived ideas as Armitage's work of 80 years earlier. It does two things. In the first place, it relates timber-built castles to the historical tradition of building in wood...Secondly, this book emphasizes the fact that fortifications in wood not only continued to complement those of stone, but also that, in some places outside the British Isles, such as North America, long outlasted them. The authors present a very full statement of the archaeological evidence. This book is strong and persuasive in its analysis of the archaeological evidence, which it draws from all of western as well as from parts of central and southern Europe. This is a wide-ranging book, with implications far broader than its title would suggest. The book is a remarkable achievement, not only for the breadth of its coverage but also for the insights which it offers into matters other than the actual use of timber in early castles. It is to be recommended as much to the social historians as to archaeologists. If you haven't got this book already, it has to be a must for anyone with any interest in its immensely intriguing subject.
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