History Files
 

 

Sources

Listed by author, title, and publisher where possible

 

 

 

Sources Churches Indices King Lists Indices Rss Feeds


In Depth
In Depth

Sources

Split according to the world regional divisions used throughout the site. Note: this is not an exhaustive list of sources.

PREHISTORY

HOMINIDS:

 

-

Archaeology Info

Visit the web site.

-

BBC Science

Visit the Human Evolution section.

Hominid Evolution Summary

Gens Europæa

Visit the web site.

Homo Floresiensis

Gens Europæa

Visit the web site.

-

Smithsonian Museum

Visit the web site.

Evolutionists vs Creationists

Talk.Origins

Visit the web site.

Scarre, Chris (Ed)

Past Worlds - The Times Atlas of Archaeology

Human Origins section (Guild Publishing, London 1989).

BRITISH ISLES

GENERAL:

Dunn, Christine

Britain in Old Photographs: Kent

Useful source of information and unusual views of landmarks (Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1996).

Freeman-Grenville, G S P

Atlas of British History

Covering the Roman Invasion to 1978 (Rex Collons, London, 1979).

Jessup, Frank W

Kent History Illustrated

Detailed overview with maps of Kent (Kent County Council, 1966).

Montague-Smith, Patrick W

The Royal Line of Succession

The British Monarchy from Cerdic to Queen Elizabeth II in genealogy trees covering the entire British Isles (Pitkin Pictorial Publications, 1986).

Smith, Lesley M (Editor)

The Making of Britain:
The Dark Ages

Good overview of Britain from the Romans to the Vikings. From a Channel 4 series in the UK, unlikely to be in print (Channel 4/Macmillan, 1984).

ROMAN BRITAIN:

Salway, Peter

Roman Britain

Part of The Oxford History of England series. Detailed look at the Roman occupation of Britain and related events on the Continent. Essential reading for an understanding of the period (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1986).

POST-ROMAN BRITAIN:

Alcock, Leslie

Aberford Dykes; the first defence of the Brigantes?

(1954).

Burke, John

Roman England

The English Tourist Board's Discover England series. Good overview (Guild Publishing, London, 1983).

Celtic Devon

Dewnans Celtic Devon

A site dedicated to the Celtic heritage of Devon. Visit the web site.

Chadwick, Nora

The Celts

Overview of Celtic origins in Europe and Britain. Detailed look at Celtic progress and survival post-Rome (Pelican, 1971).

Delaney, Frank

Legends of the Celts

Many of the Irish and Welsh myths and legends told in modern form, including nine of the eleven Mabinogion stories (Grafton, 1994).

Faull, M L

Roman and Anglian Settlement Patters in Yorkshire

(1974).

Faull, M L
& Moorhouse, S A

West Yorkshire: An Archaeological Survey to AD 1500

(1981).

Giles, J A / Gildas

De Excidio Brittaniae et Conquestu (On the Ruin of Britain)

Edited and translated, 1841. Published as part of Six Old English Chronicles (London, George Bell & Sons, 1900).

Giles, J A / Nennius

Historia Brittonum (The History of the Britons)

Edited and translated, 1841. Published as part of Six Old English Chronicles (Henry G Bohn, London, 1848).

Ingram, James

The Annales Cambriae

Taken from the Harleian manuscript, the earliest surviving version (London, Everyman Press, 1912).

Jones, G R J

Early Territorial Organization in Gwynedd and Elmet

(1975).

Monmouth, Geoffrey of

The History of the Kings of Britain

Translated with introduction by Lewis Thorpe (Guild Publishing London, 1982).

Nennius

Historia Brittonum (The History of the Britons)

J A Giles, Six Old English Chronicles (Henry G Bohn, London, 1848).

Smith, A H

Place Names of The West Riding of Yorkshire

(1971).

Stenton, F M

Anglo-Saxon England

(1971).

Thomas, Charles

Celtic Britain

Excellent broad view of Celts today and from Post-Roman period onwards. Part of the Ancient Peoples and Places Series (Thames & Hudson, 1986).

Wood, Michael

In Search of the Dark Ages

Centering on key figures covering the whole age from Boudica (SIC) to William the Conqueror. Good general introduction (Ariel Books / BBC, 1981).

ARTHURIAN:

Ashe, Geoffrey

The Landscape of King Arthur

A tour of Arthur's Britain through photographs and text (Guild Publishing, London, 1987).

Ashe, Geoffrey (Editor)

The Quest for Arthur's Britain

Detailed examination of the truth behind Arthur, featuring Leslie Alcock, CA Ralegh Radford & Philip Rahtz (Paladon Books, Grafton, 1968).

Barber, Richard

King Arthur: Hero & Legend

Detailed examination of Arthur's history (The Boydell Press, 1961).

ARMORICA:

Pognat, Jean-Michel

Brittany: Many Kingdoms or One?

A critical study of sources for the history of the 5th-9th century Breton Kings in an attempt to establish an historical king list. Originally available online but now unavailable.

PICTISH & GAELIC BRITAIN:

O'Brien, Jacqueline & Harbison, Peter

Ancient Ireland: From Prehistory to the Middle Ages

A broad study of Medieval Ireland with notes on some events and stories before that period (George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd, London, 1996).

Weeks, T H & A Weeks

Pictish Chronicle

A translation and commentary of the various versions of the Pictish Chronicle. Visit the web site.

ANGLO-SAXONS & VIKINGS:

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishops from Augustine to Williams

The official site of the archbishop with details on some 20th century holders of the office, plus a small biography of Augustine. Visit the web site.

Bede
(Leo Sherley-Price translation - revised by R E Latham)

A History of the English
Church and People

Essential for understanding the viewpoint of an 8th century Anglo-Saxon of Britain's history. Surprisingly accurate in the treatment of its material, especially Anglo-Saxon matters after c.600. Good grounding on the traditional Celtic history of pre- and post Roman Britain (Penguin Classics, always available).

Davidson, Hilda Ellis & Fisher, Peter

Saxo Grammaticus – The History of the Danes [Books I – IX]

Humble, Richard

The Fall of Saxon England (BCA)

Jones, Gwyn

A History of the Vikings

(Oxford University Press, London, 1968).

Leeuwen, Geoffrey van

Ivarr The Boneless

Internet article with additional text by Mick Baker.

Myres, J N L

The English Settlements

Part of The Oxford History of England series. Essential detail on the Settlement Period (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1986).

Stuart, D M

The Boy Through the Ages

Viking re-enactment society

Vikings of Middle England

Visit the web site.

Wroot, Herbert E

Yorkshire Abbeys and the Wool Trade

MEDIEVAL BRITAIN:

Bennett, Michael S

Richard III On Trial For Murder

Cunningham, Shaun

Richard III – A Royal Enigma

Drewitt, Richard & Redhead, Mark

The Trial of Richard III

Fields, Betram

Royal Blood – King Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes

Gill, Louise

Richard III and Buckingham's Rebellion

Gillinham, John

Richard III – A Medieval Kingship

Jenkins, Elizabeth

The Princes In The Tower

Kendall, Paul Murray

Richard III

Macalpine, Joan

The Shadow Of The Tower

Pollard, Anthony J

Richard III and The Princes In The Tower

Potter, Jeremy

Good King Richard?

Stanyon, Annie

Prove It! – Investigations in History

Weir, Alison

The Princes In The Tower

MODERN BRITAIN:

Cobb, G

The Old Churches of London

Guide to the City of London's churches (Batsford, London, 1942).

Huelin, Gordon

Vanished Churches of the City of London

Highly important for discovering the lost churches in the City of London (Guildhall Library Publishing, London, 1996).

Number10.gov.uk

History And Tour

List and brief details for each Prime Minister of Great Britain. Visit the web site.

www.parliament.uk

United Kingdom Parliament

Brief details of important dates for Parliament. Visit the web site.

NAPOLEONIC WARS:

Harris, Rifleman Benjamin (Edited by Eileen Hathaway)

A Dorset Rifleman

Memoires of a soldier of one of Britain's best regiments of the Wars, covering his tome with the Rifles from 1803-1814 (Shinglepicker Publications, Swanage, 1995).

Mercer, General Cavalié

Journal of the Waterloo Campaign

One of the very few journals by an artillery man, this gives excellent insight into the military methods and thinking of a crucial period (Da Capro Press, New York, 1995).

EUROPE

GENERAL EUROPE:

BBC

Country Profiles

Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries. Visit the web site.

Newark, Tim

The Barbarians

Warriors & Wars of the Dark Ages, colour illustrations by Angus McBride. Good overview (Blandford Press, Poole, Dorset, 1985).

ROMAN EUROPE:

Fairley, William

Notitia Dignitatum

One of the most commonly available translations of the Latin text (Translations and Reprints from Original Sources of European History Vol 6 No 4, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1894).

POST-ROMAN EUROPE:

Tolkein, J R R
(Ed Alan Bliss)

Finn and Hengest - The Fragment and the Episode

The tale of two fifth century heroes, Finn and Hengest, told in Beowulf and reconstructed by Tolkein (HarperCollins, London, 2006).

FRANCE:

Duby, Georges

Atlas historique mondial

Classic historical atlas vital for its maps of the evolution of the Frankish kingdoms (Larousse, 1978).

Wenzler, Claude

Genealogy of the Kings of France

Handy slim volume covering the creation of the French monarchy and each successive king (Editions Ouest-France, Rennes, 2008).

FRANCE - NAPOLEONIC: (See also Britain - Napoleonic Wars)

Chandler, David

The Campaigns of Napoleon

The one book that every Napoleonic student should read, covering the whole of the Wars from Napoleon's earliest career to 1815 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd, London, 1996).

Nicolson, Nigel

Napoleon 1812

Overview of the events leading to 1812 and detailed critical chronicle of the campaign itself (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1985).

Nosworthy, Brent

Battle Tactics of Napoleon and his Enemies

Vital for understanding the method of warfare used during the Wars from the smallest skirmisher chain to grand tactics of whole divisions and armies (Constable, London, 1995).

CENTRAL EUROPE:

Pivka, Otto von

Hessen-Darmstadt & Hessen-Kassel

Basic background to Hesse's history with an emphasis on its involvement in the Napoleonic Wars (Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1982).

NORTHERN EUROPE:

Estonia

The Four Oldest Churches of Tallinn

Details and full colour photos of four of Tallinn's most historic churches (Morgan Studio, Estonia, 2006).

Estonia

Life in Estonia

Former web site now unavailable.

Helme, Mart and Peeter Säre

Guide to Churches in Estonia

A tour of many of the churches of Estonia with an outline of their histories (Kunst, Estonia, 2002).

Kiaupa, Zigmantas, with Ain Mäesalu, Ago Pajur, and Gvido Straube (compilers)

The History of the Baltic Countries

Superb introduction to the complex history of the Baltic States from the earliest inhabitants up to the modern age (AS Bit, Estonia, 2008).

Latvia

Medieval Castles of Latvia

A gallery of castles built by the victors of the Northern Crusade. Visit the web site.

Praust, Valdo

Most Beautiful Manors and Castles

Details and full colour photos of many of Estonia's manor houses and strongholds (Grenader Grupp, Estonia, 2004).

World Statesmen

National Leaders

Full lists of the leaders of nations. Visit the web site.

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN:

Homer
(E V Rieu translation)

The Iliad

Essential reading to anyone interested in Ancient Greece. Written c.850 BC and describing events in around 1195-1185, it portrays the heroic age in Greek warfare (Penguin, 1950 - available in any bookshop).

Hughes, Bettany

The Minoans

Television documentary produced for Channel 4 in the UK delivering a detailed overview of Minoan civilisation and its fall.

MODERN EUROPE:

Keegan, John

The First World War

A clear and detailed look at the events surrounding the First World War, its beginnings and the chaos and change that concluded it (Hutchinson, London 1998).

THE MIDDLE EAST

ANCIENT ANATOLIA & MIDDLE EAST:

Beckman, Gary

Hittite Diplomatic Texts

Information on the Hittites and their international dealings, especially useful for understanding Arzawa's later history (Second Edition, Scholars Press, Atlanta, 1999).

Bryce, T

The Kingdom of the Hittites

Information on the Hittites (1998).

Cahin, M

The Kingdom of Armenia

List of Armenian rulers, which has a gap for the period 628-806, and Lesser Armenian rulers (Dorset Press, New York, 1991).

Gordon, Bruce R

Regnal Chronologies

List of Armenian rulers 628-806. Visit the web site.

Gurney, O R

The Hittites

List of Hittite rulers (Penguin Books, 1952, 1962, 1991).

Hansen, Hester V

Attalids of Pergamon

Rulers of Pergamum (1971).

Haywood, John

Historical Atlas of the Ancient World, 4,000,000 to 500 BC

Good map of Mitanni kingdom (Barnes & Noble, 2000).

Hittites.info

Information about the Hittites

A mine of detailed information on the Hittites and their neighbours. Visit the web site.

Josephus, Flavius

Jewish Antiquities

Highly informative account of the Old Testament's contents, and the Jewish revolt against Rome in AD 66. Also contains a traditional list of Phoenician kings (Translated by William Whiston, with Niese's new reference system added, Wordsworth Editions Ltd, London 2006).

Kuhrt, Amélie

The Ancient Near East, c.3000-330 BC

List of rulers for Mitanni and Urartu, plus some information on the Hittites (Routledge, 2000, Volumes I & II).

Mazar, Amihai

Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000-586 BC

Details of the Phoenician influence on ancient Israel, as well as other areas of Israelite civilisation (Doubleday, 1992).

McEvedy, Colon

The Penguin Atlas of Ancient History

Misses the period 1600 to 1300 but shows a Mitanni kingdom in 1300-1000, by which time it had certainly disappeared (Penguin Books, 1967).

Quartz Hill School of Theology

Israel and the Aramaeans

A detailed look at Samaria's history, especially in relation to Damascus. Visit the web site.

Redgate, A E

The Armenians

List of rulers of Urartu (Basil Blackwell, 1998, 2000).

Roaf, Michael

Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East

List of Mitanni rulers, good map (Facts on File, 2000).

Ross, David

Arzawa

A specific (and perhaps slightly controversial) focus on this obscure Anatolian kingdom. Visit the web site.

Roux, Georges

Ancient Iraq

List of Hittite & Mitanni rulers (Penguin Books, 1992).

Runciman, Steve

A History of the Crusades, Volume III, The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades

Gives more Lesser Armenian rulers but these are poorly dated (Cambridge, 1987).

Schwartz, Glenn

Hidden Tombs of Ancient Syria

Details of the series of archaeological excavations at Tell Umm el-Marrra, probably the site of ancient Tuba. Visit the web site.

Tsetskhladze, Gocha R

The Greek Colonisation of the Black Sea Area: Historical Interpretation of Archaeology

Detailed look at Iron Age Anatolia (Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998). Available online. View the web site.

Wilhelm, Gernot

The Hurrians

General details (Aris & Philips Warminster 1989).

MESOPOTAMIA:

Ancient Mesopotamia and the Near East

List of Old Babylonian rulers, Sealand rulers, and early Kassites. Visit the web site.

Ascalone, Enrico

Mesopotamia: Assyrians, Sumerians, Babylonians (Dictionaries of Civilizations; 1)

List of Assyrian rulers (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007).

Buccellati, Giorgio & Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati

Naming Names: The 2004 Season of Excavations at Ancient Urkesh

The 2004 discovery of the name of a previously unknown king of Hurrian Urkesh. Visit the web site.

Charpin, D & J-M Durand

The Ancient Name of Tell Rimah

Detailed information on small city states in northern Mesopotamia (Journal of Assyriology and Eastern Archaeology 81 / 2, 1987, p 125-146).

Dalley, Stephanie

Mari and Karana: Two Old Babylonian Cities

Detailed information on small city states in northern Mesopotamia (London & New York, 1984).

Dalley, S, C B F Walker, & J D Hawkins

The Old Babylonian from Tablets Tell al Rimah

Detailed information on small city states in northern Mesopotamia (British School of Archaeology in Iraq, 1976).

Edwards, Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen

The Cambridge Ancient History

Volume II, The Middle East & the Aegean Region c.1800-1380 BC. Now a little outdated but useful for many obscure details (Cambridge University Press, 1973), available online. Visit the web site.

Ember, Melvin & Peter N Peregrine

Encyclopaedia of Prehistory

Entries on each major archaeological tradition. An overview of human history from two million years ago onwards (Springer, 2002).

Grayson, Albert Kirk

Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles

Assyrian rulers (1975).

Glassner, Jean-Jacques

Chroniques Mésopotamiennes

Assyrian rulers (1993 - translated as Mesopotamian Chronicles, 2004).

Gordon, Bruce R

Regnal Chronologies

List of Elamite rulers. Visit the web site.

Healy, Mark

The Ancient Assyrians

Assyrian rulers (1992).

Heimpel, Wolfgang

Letters to the King of Mari: A New Translation, with Historical Introduction, Notes, and Commentary

Concentrates on the Mari texts of Zimri-Lim and his relations with other Mesopotamian states; especially minor ones in the north (Eisenbrauns, 2003).

Leick, Gwendolyn

Mesopotamia

Assyrian rulers (2003).

Lloyd, S

The Archaeology of Mesopotamia

Early Mesopotamian cultures (London, 1984, revised ed).

Nardon, Don

Assyrian Empire

Assyrian rulers (1999).

Podany, Amanda H

A Middle Babylonian Date for the Hana Kingdom

Vital for details on the city state of Terqa / kingdom of Hana in northern Mesopotamia (Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol 43, pp 53-62, American Schools of Oriental Research, 1991-1993).

Postgate, C, D Oates & J Oates

The Excavations at Tell Al Rimah: The Pottery

Detailed information on Qattara/Karana (Warminster, 1997).

Postgate, J N

Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History

Sumerian and Amorite urban and rural Mesopotamia (Routledge, 1994).

Postgate, J N

The First Empires

Sumerians and contemporaries (Oxford 1977).

Roux, Georges

Ancient Iraq

List of Babylonian, Hittite, & Mitanni rulers (Penguin Books, 1992).

van der Mieroop, Marc

A History of the Ancient Near East c.3000-323 BC

Solid, detailed overview of the course of Middle Eastern history, with basic lists of rulers and maps (Blackwell Publishing, 2004, 2007).

Van der Toorn, Karel

Family Religion in Babylonia, Syria and Israel: Continuity and Change in the Forms of Religious Life

Brief mention of Qattara (E J Brill, New York, 1996).

SUMER:

Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition

1911.

Ancient Worlds

Mesopotamia's Region of Sumer[ia]

Visit the web site.

Black, J A, Cunningham, G, Fluckiger-Hawker, E, Robson, E, and Zólyomi, G

The Sumerian Kings List: Translation

List 2 of Sumerian rulers (via The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Oxford, 1998). Visit the web site.

Gerts, L C

Earth's Ancient History: A Theory About Ancient Times

List 4 of Sumerian rulers (Chapter 12: The Sumerian king list, 2002).

Gordon, Bruce R

Regnal Chronologies

List of Eshnunna's rulers, providing some names missing from the Clemens Reichel list. Visit the web site.

Kramer, Samuel Noah

The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character

List 1 of Sumerian rulers (The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1963).

Love, Anthony Michael

Ancient History

List 3 of Sumerian rulers at Sarissa.org. Visit the web site.

Lindemans, Micha F

Ninhursag

A feature from the Encyclopaedia Mythica. Visit the web site.

Reichel, Clemens

Political Change and Cultural Continuity in Eshnunna from the Ur III to the Old Babylonian Period

List of Eshnunna's rulers, providing some names not on the Bruce R Gordon list, part of a dissertation proposal presented to The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago (11 June 1996). Visit the web site.

Scarre, Chris (Ed)

Past Worlds - The Times Atlas of Archaeology

Mesopotamian section (Guild Publishing, London 1989).

van Tulleken, Kit (Ed)

The Age of the God-Kings

Sumerian overview (Time Life Books, Amsterdam1987).

University of Alabama

Images from History

Minor details, and many photos of Sumerian artefacts. Visit the web site.

PERSIA & EASTWARDS:

Hellas

Indo-Greek Kings and their Territories

A detailed look at Bactrian and Indo-Greek rulers. Visit the web site.

Olmstead, A T

The Babylonian Empire

Details of eastern states on the Iranian plateau (American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, 1919).

Potts, D T

Total prestation in Marhashi-Ur relations

Details for Marhashi state of Iranian plateau (Iranica Antiqua 37, 2002).

van der Mieroop, Marc

A History of the Ancient Near East c.3000-323 BC

Solid, detailed overview of the course of Middle Eastern history, with basic lists of rulers and maps (Blackwell Publishing, 2004, 2007).

AFRICA

EGYPT:

Abaza, Ismail

Saladin and his Cairo

Focussing on Saladin's early life, his military career, and his creation of a dynasty of rulers (Online article).

Wilkinson, Toby A H

Early Dynastic Egypt

Details of Predynastic Egypt (Routledge, 2001).

EAST AFRICA:

Budge, E A Wallis

A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia

List of Ethiopian rulers (1928: Anthropological Publications, Oosterhout, the Netherlands, 1970).

Marcus, Harold G

A History of Ethiopia

List of Ethiopian rulers (University of California Press, 1994).

Munro-Hay, S C

Aksum

List of Ethiopian rulers (Edinburgh University Press, 1991).

CENTRAL AFRICA:

de Munck, Joseph

Kinkulu kia Nsi eto

List of Kongo rulers (Tumba, 1956, 2nd ed, Matadi, 1971).

Saccardo, Graziano

Congo e Angola con la storia dell'antica missione dei cappuccini

List of Kongo rulers (three volumes, Milan, 1982–83), Vol 3, pp.11-14).

(Unknown)

1758 manuscript

List of Kongo rulers (Instituto Histórico e Geografico Brasileiro, Rio de Janeiro).

THE FAR EAST & AMERICAS

CENTRAL ASIA:

BBC

Country Profiles

Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries. Visit the web site.

Coins & History of Asia

Kushano-Sasanians

Numismatic evidence for the Kushanshah rulers of Afghanistan in the third and fourth centuries AD. Visit the web site.

Krysstal Language Pages

The Indo-European Family of Languages

A detailed breakdown of the various branches of Indo-European peoples and the languages they carried with them. Visit the web site.

SOUTH ASIA:

Bhawan Singh Rana

Maharana Pratap

List of rulers of Mewar.

Free India

Kharavela

Detailed retelling of tales about the Chedi kingdom of Kalinga. Visit the web site.

Hellas

Indo-Greek Kings and their Territories

A detailed look at Bactrian and Indo-Greek rulers in India. Visit the web site.

Kumar, Sanjeev

The Shivlee Collection

A superb collection of images of coins from the Gupta dynasty in India. Visit the web site.

Rajadhyaksha, Abhijit

Indian History

The driving force behind the History File's own India section, this author also publishes his material on his own blog site. Visit the web site.

SOUTH EAST ASIA & JAPAN:

Japan-Guide.com

History of Japan

Basic overview of the separate periods in Japanese history. View the web site.

THE AMERICAS:

BBC

Country Profiles

Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries. Visit the web site.

US Government

The White House

List of presidents of the USA. Visit the web site.

World Statesman

Facts & Figures

Detailed lists and facts about American states. Visit the web site.

 

 

Footer