Archaeologist Jim Leary reanimates the past in his new book 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 to 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.

Dr Jim Leary is an archaeologist at the University of York and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He has directed major excavations across Britain, including Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, the largest Neolithic monument in Europe. A passionate walker, much of his research is centred on the way people moved around in the past.  He will sign books after his talk.