THE SUNDAY TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER

CHOSEN BY WATERSTONES AS ONE OF THEIR BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2024

‘Compulsive . . . A wonderful display of how modern archaeology can bring hidden histories to life’ - Daily Telegraph

‘Gripping . . . I found it hard to put down’ - Evening Standard

‘Gripping… Fascinating… While bodily remains tell excellent tales, they require an equally vivid historical context if they are to come fully alive’ - Guardian

‘Another really good book from archaeologist Alice Roberts . . . Helps you understand the facts on a technical level, but also makes you feel them in your bones’ - New Scientist

The new edition by Sunday Times bestselling author of Ancestors and Buried - the final installment of Professor Alice Roberts' vivid trilogy.

We can uncover secrets from bones preserved for centuries in graves, monuments, and crypts. The history of the Middle Ages is usually the history of the rich and powerful, struggling to find written notes on the lives of most people. Archaeology represents another approach to exploring our history.

Using advanced science to examine human remains and burial, it is possible to reveal details about how people lived and died, offering a new understanding of the past – one that is more intimate and inclusive than ever.

The seven stories in Crypt are not comfortable narratives. We meet the patients in one of the first hospitals in England and the victims of the massacre on St. Brice's Day. We see a society trying to understand disease, disability, and death, as incurable epidemics break out in medieval Europe.

We learn about a long battle between Church and State that led to the murder of Thomas Becket and the destruction of England's most famous tomb. And we come face to face with the archers who drowned with Henry VIII's beloved ship, the Mary Rose.

Beautifully written and expertly researched by Professor Alice Roberts, Crypt is full of fascinating discoveries that will make you see Britain's history with new eyes.

Pages: 352, Year of Publication: 2022, Dimensions: 15.3x15.3cm