Footmarks

Archaeologist Jim Leary reanimates the past with this riveting 'archaeology of movement'

All too often we think of the past as static, 'frozen in time', and indeed movement is not always easy to decipher from the archaeological record. With Jim Leary's expert eye we explore the tangible remains, from fossilised footprint tracks to prehistoric wooden trackways, ridgeways, holloways, droveways, green ways, corpse roads, and Roman roads. Isotope studies and archaeogenetics now allow us see the arduous journeys that people made across continents and oceans, proving that migration has been continuous throughout our past, an endless ebb and flow of populations.

This new story of our past shows that history was warm and full of life, and no doubt at times cold, dark and miserable - but it was never motionless. Footmarks will make you look at the landscape around you with fresh eyes.