Cuneiform script on tablets of clay is, as far as we know, the oldest form of writing in the world. This book brings the world in which the cuneiform was written to life for the non-expert reader, revealing how ancient inscriptions can lead to a new way of thinking about the past.

In the visual arts of fifteenth to the early nineteenth centuries in Europe, animals were understood in relation to the human world, whether as animals of the farm, estate or household, beasts of burden or as diversions in menageries and travelling shows. This book explores perceptions of natural world as seen through eyes of imaginative artists.

Board games have been played since prehistoric times, passing from person to person and country to country all over the world. This colourful and unique book explains the origins of five of the most long-lasting games, with five fold out game boards and rules so that you can play the games yourself.

How old is the oldest chat-up line between men? Who was the first lesbian? Were ancient Greek men who had sex together necessarily gay? And what did Shakespeare think about cross-dressing? This title deals with these questions.

Professor Tadakusu Munakata is a fictional ethnologist who unravels the mysteries of Japans past. This title lets us follow Professor Munakata as he embarks on a series of exciting adventures at the British Museum.

For nearly four centuries, Britain was a province on the outer edge of the Roman Empire and developed a distinctively Romano-British culture and way of life. This title offers an introduction to the history, society, culture and art of Britain when it was a province of the Roman Empire.

In this engaging story, Irving Finkel follows the many adventures of the chessmen after they came to light on a Scottish beach in the nineteenth century. It ends with the big surprise that befell them in September 1993, when they were all temporarily reunited for the first time since their separation, at a Special Exhibition of Chessmen at the British Museum.