History and Archaeology

A radical retelling of human history through collapse - from the dawn of our species to the urgent existential threats of the twentieth-first century and beyond - based on the latest research and a database of more than 440 societal lifespans over the last 5,000 years.

Why do civilisations collapse?

For the first 200,000 years of human history, hunter-gather

** THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER **

'Extraordinary' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, SUNDAY TIMES * 'An epic thriller . . . droll, moving, with a cinematic eye and not a boring line in it' OBSERVER * 'Fascinating . . . gripping' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH * 'Excellent . . . a fresh, unexpected take on the liberation of Paris' JULIAN JACKSON, author of

An overview of the lost peoples and cultures who flourished and fought for survival alongside the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.

Who were the Philistines?
What was a Pyrrhic victory?
Were the Vandals really vandals?
Why should you speak to a Samaritan?

Beyond the Greeks, Romans and Hebrews of the Classical and biblical eras, a rich diversity of peo

A concise, readable and revelatory biography of the most powerful man in the world.

The definitive story behind the self-destruction of the autocratic Romanov dynasty, by the world's foremost expert.

A beautifully imaginative work of non-fiction about the Rhine, from its birth to the present day, told through stories of those who lived along its shores.

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • An epic, extraordinary account of scientific rivalry and obsession in the quest to survey all of life on Earth “[An] engaging and thought-provoking book, one focused on the theatrical politics and often deeply troubling science that shape our definitions of life on Earth.”—The New York Times “A fluent and engaging account of the eighteenth-century origins of Da

In 1929 Stalin launched his policy of agricultural collectivization—in effect a second Russian revolution—which forced millions of peasants off their land and onto collective farms. The result was a catastrophic famine, the most lethal in European history. At least five million people died between 1931 and 1933 in the USSR. But instead of sending relief the Soviet state made use of

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A groundbreaking exploration of the ancient rules women unwittingly follow in order to be considered “good,” revealing how the Seven Deadly Sins still control and distort our lives and illuminating a path toward a more balanced, spiritually complete way to live Why do women equate self-denial with being good? We congratulate ourselves when we resist the donut in