This is an archaeological study of quite a new kind, appealing to readers of widely differing tastes and levels of knowledge. Its authors are acknowledged leaders in their fields and each one echoes the book's theme of 'venture' and 'resistance'. By 'venture', Professor Hawkes and his associates are thinking in terms of the intrusion of Greeks into Italy or Rome's extension of her empire. By 'resistance' is meant, for example, the willingness of the Etruscans to trade but not to be dislodged; the Celts retaining their own old form of dwelling in spite of newer kinds ; the Romans themselves forced on to the defensive in Britain and then along the Danube. Each of the four subjects is treated separately by an author who studied archaeology at Oxford, illuminating the basic theme in the light of the most recent archaeological findings. -- Publisher description.