6. Twilight in the far west
Barry Cunliffe
in Druids: A Very Short Introduction
Irish vernacular literature reveals Irish Druids, in the centuries before Christianity, as men of power, established in royal courts and serving as intermediaries between gods and men. ...
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6. The Old Assyrian colonies, 1950–1740 bce
Amanda H. Podany
in The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Old Assyrian colonies, 1950–1740 bce’ describes the period that follows the end of the Third Dynasty of Ur, which was one of breakup of empire and forging and breaking of alliances. ...
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12. A Shifting Population: Town and Country
Christopher Harvie and H. C. G. Matthew
in Nineteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction
‘A Shifting Population: Town and Country’ outlines the effects of urbanization on Britain. Great urban centres, unmatched in the rest of Europe, grew up in manufacturing areas. Towns, ...
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3. Land questions
Senia Pašeta
in Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction
‘Land Questions’ investigates problems in Irish agriculture and population in light of the Great Famine. The Irish population grew up until the 1840s, placing huge pressure on limited land. ...
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4. An economy of “self-reliance”
Richard Curt Kraus
in The Cultural Revolution: A Very Short Introduction
‘An economy of “self-reliance”’ assesses Maoist economic policies. China was traditionally poor but egalitarian. Disorder at the start of the Cultural Revolution caused decline, before ...
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2. The old regime and the causes of the Revolution (1876–1911)
Alan Knight
in The Mexican Revolution: A Very Short Introduction
‘The old regime and the causes of the Revolution’ outlines the historical backdrop to the Revolution. Porfirio Díaz’s rule (1876–1911) proved crucial in the Revolution’s gestation. The ...
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2. The European theatre
Barry Cunliffe
in Druids: A Very Short Introduction
There has been a tendency to regard druidism as a largely western European phenomenon of the late Iron Age, partly because La Tène material culture is found in all the areas in which the ...
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3. The archaeology of religious practice at the time of the Druids
Barry Cunliffe
in Druids: A Very Short Introduction
‘The archaeology of religious practice at the time of the Druids’ considers a range of archaeological data relevant to the intellectual life and belief systems of the inhabitants of Gaul ...
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5. The Third Dynasty of Ur, 2193–2004 bce
Amanda H. Podany
in The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Third Dynasty of Ur, 2193–2004 bce’ looks at the collapse of the Akkadian Empire after the reign of the fourth successor to Sargon. The most significant kingdom to rise out of this ...
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3. Aztec expansion through conquest and trade
Davíd Carrasco
in The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction
‘Aztec expansion through conquest and trade’ examines the Codex Mendoza. The Codex Mendoza is a rare example of Spanish and Aztec cooperation, and tells the story of the Aztec people. ...
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1. Archaeology and environment
Amanda H. Podany
in The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction
‘Archaeology and environment’ introduces the civilization of the ancient Near East. The region is known as the ‘cradle of civilization’ as the men and women who lived in the ancient Near ...
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Introduction
Paul Brassley and Richard Soffe
in Agriculture: A Very Short Introduction
The agribusiness corporation producing corn and soya beans using enormous machines in North America, the woman with her hoe and her plot of cassava in Mozambique, the Chinese collective ...
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1. The beginnings of British history
Peter Salway
in Roman Britain: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
The origins of Britain stretch back to before the Roman period. By the time of the Roman conquest, the culture of Britain had around fifteen hundred to two thousand years of development ...
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5. Agriculture, regions, budget: conflicts over who gets what
Simon Usherwood and John Pinder
in The European Union: A Very Short Introduction (4th edn)
‘Agriculture, regions, budget: conflicts over who gets what’ argues that because the single market enhances productivity in the economy, there is benefit for most people. But there will be ...
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3. The work of slavery
Heather Andrea Williams
in American Slavery: A Very Short Introduction
‘The work of slavery’ describes the wide range of work and duties allocated to enslaved people—men, women, and children—in the North and South. From the 1600s to 1865 the vast majority ...
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Introduction
Nick Jenkins
in Energy Systems: A Very Short Introduction
The Introduction outlines the structure of this VSI, which starts with a review of basic ideas and well-established energy systems before moving on to consider how a future energy system ...
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10. So, who were the Druids?
Barry Cunliffe
in Druids: A Very Short Introduction
The elite class of ‘the wise’ — Bards, Vates, and Druids — was rapidly changing in the early 1st millennium AD — even in Ireland, where the impact of the Roman world was slight. Changes in ...
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Prehistory: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Chris Gosden
Prehistory covers the period of some four million years before the start of written history, when our earliest ancestors, the Australopithecines, existed in Africa. Prehistory: A Very Short ...
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1. Rethinking prehistory
Chris Gosden
in Prehistory: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
A profound consideration is underway of the nature of long-term human history. The major turning points identified—the invention of farming, growth of cities, and technological change—were ...
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2. The history of prehistory
Chris Gosden
in Prehistory: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘The history of prehistory’ explains how the idea of prehistory arose gradually between the 16th and early 19th centuries in Europe and America, growing large and influential through ...
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