The Corpse Exhibition and Other Stories of Iraq

Prof. Cunliffe uses the travels of Pytheas to Britain and beyond as a framework for a lively discussion of the general state of geographic knowledge and above all trade in Western Europe in the 3rd century b.c. He explains how there was a continual flow of manufactured goods from the South being exchanged for prized tin and amber from the North. Some of this was probably through long chains of intermediaries, but Pytheas... Read Full Review

Native Americans and Pacific Islanders who get annoyed by stories of their countries being "discovered" might feel vindicated by this account of the first civilized explorer of the British Isles, where he encountered cannibals who "openly have intercourse not only with other women but with their mothers and sisters"which Cunliffe thinks may be "accurate anthropological observation." No full copy of Pytheas's book survives... Read Full Review

The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek is a wonderful examination of life along the Atlantic seaboard of Europe during the Greco-Roman period. Essentially it's a much more readable version of Cunliffe's book Facing the Ocean, and the reader of the latter will find familiar passages throughout the volume. While the focus and time period of Facing the Ocean is much broader than that of The ExtraordinaryVoyage, the narrower... Read Full Review

I liked this book so much that I bought a copy for my Dad and one for my brother. Cunliffe does a splendid job of giving us a narrative that makes sense of Pytheas, a figure who has hitherto been quite mysterious. The idea of England being "discovered" is entertaining, and Cunliffe neatly presents Pytheas' journey from an ancient Greek world view.Buy this book!

Perhaps, Barry Cunliffe didn't name this book "What Little is Known About the Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek" because then the title might compete for length with the content. Granted, Pytheas' journey occured some 2,300 years ago so source material is spotty. However, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed in the lack of narrative one expects given the title Cunliffe did bestow on his effort.To Cunliffe's... Read Full Review