Beacons and Military Communication from Antiquity to the Early Modern Period

The volume, co-edited by Stuart Brookes (UCL Institute of Archaeology), Marie Ødegaard (University of Stavanger), and Thorsten Lemm (Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie), is part of Brill’s History of Warfare series (vol. 157). It presents a groundbreaking study of how beacons and military communications shaped societies, landscapes, and defence strategies from antiquity to the early modern period. Tracing the hidden infrastructure of pre-modern warfare, the book is the first archaeological study to explore how military signalling systems shaped landscapes and societies from antiquity to the early modern period. 

Through case studies spanning inter alia ancient Greece, the Roman frontiers, and Viking Age Scandinavia, the volume demonstrates that ordinary people, as well as armies, played a central role in early warning and civil defence. Contributors examine a range of archaeological evidence for non-verbal distance communication that exceeded voice range. Innovative methods such as GIS analysis, experimental archaeology, and landscape studies reveal the complex networks and hierarchies of pre-modern communication. Consideration is also given to the social, political, and psychological dimensions of defensive infrastructure. 

This landmark study is fully Open Access, offering scholars, students, and enthusiasts new insights into long-distance communication, civil defence, and landscape archaeology.