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Crypt
- Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond
- Narrated by: Alice Roberts
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
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Crypt
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Summary
'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
'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
'Robert's reflections on Thomas Becket and Canterbury Cathedral are especially entertaining . . . Fascinating' Spectator
The new book by Sunday Times bestselling author of Ancestors and Buried - the final instalment in Professor Alice Roberts' acclaimed trilogy.
We can unlock secrets from bones preserved for centuries in tombs, graves and crypts.
The history of the Middle Ages is typically the story of the rich and powerful, there’s barely a written note for most people’s lives. Archaeology represents another way of interrogating our history. By using cutting-edge science to examine human remains and burials, it is possible to unearth details about how individuals lived and died that give us a new understanding of the past – one that is more intimate and inclusive than ever before.
The seven stories in Crypt are not comforting tales. We meet the patients at one of the earliest hospitals in England and the victims of the St Brice’s Day Massacre. We see a society struggling to make sense of disease, disability and death, as incurable epidemics sweep through medieval Europe. We learn of a protracted battle between Church and State that led to the murder of Thomas Becket and the destruction of the most famous tomb in England. And we come face to face with the archers who went down with Henry VIII’s favourite ship, the Mary Rose.
Beautifully written and expertly researched by Professor Alice Roberts, Crypt is packed with thrilling discoveries that will make you see the history of Britain afresh.
What listeners say about Crypt
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- robin s myhill
- 06-03-24
Very informative.
This is the 3rd book I’ve listened to by Professor Alice Roberts and I can’t fault them. Perhaps a lot of information to take in but that only wants me to listen to them again. Narration is calming and very clear.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- BethanW
- 22-03-24
A really interesting way to approach the diseases and injuries people have suffered in the past
I really enjoyed the chapter on the anchoress and the world in which she lived. Telling the stories of people like this makes them more real than they often appear on the written page.
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- Ruth O
- 02-04-24
Extraordinary detail
Highly recommend this deep dive into the science of ancient bones and what they reveal about the people and society. Another fascinating book by the author.
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- Kirsty Guy
- 02-04-24
love all the information,the authors voice is so relaxing like being
like being treated as an equal by the Professor , the shear volume of information is astounding
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- Sidney Chambers
- 09-03-24
Impressive
Wonderful details that were never able to be fitted into a TV programme. Great read.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Darren
- 12-03-24
Fantastic read
Incredibly interesting, the links between Archeology, Anatmoy and Genetics. Explained in a superb way by Alice Roberts. Fascinating stories, interesting and understandable science. All narrated in an enthusiastic and interesting way by the Author. The whole series has been amazing.
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- beach
- 06-03-24
Another brilliant book
I love Alice’s writings, as non fiction and highly factual books they’re still highly accessible to the common man.
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- Ian Smith
- 12-03-24
Fascinating but pretty detailed
Another fascinating book by Professor Alice Roberts, looking this time at what can be discovered by examining medieval skeletons and graves. There's more medical detail than I'd expected, and some aspects of the "story" required discussion of far more recent discoveries, but it was all presented clearly and accessibly, and added to the interest for me.
As a very competent communicator of science, the Prof is an excellent narrator of her own work. I wish more of my university tutors had been so eloquent and engaging while lecturing.
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- Mrs. C. Suleyman
- 26-03-24
always something new
the depth of Information and how Alice Roberts always makes a complicated subject accessible and interesting
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- DMC
- 15-03-24
Slightly disappointed
Having enjoyed the first two books in this series I was slightly disappointed in this one. There is too much time spent on the pathology of bone disease, leprosy etc. the connection between this and specific burials was perfunctory. I expected more time on individual cases. Also the history of the Mary Rose was unnecessarily detailed, the story is well told elsewhere.
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