An archaeological portrait of life in a Bronze Age Cypriot village: scientific explorations at Politiko-Troullia by Steve Falconer and Patricia Fall is a compact yet compelling synthesis of 15 years of fieldwork at an Early to Middle Bronze Age settlement nestled in the foothills of Cyprus’s Troodos Mountains. Sitting comfortably between a public-facing publication and a specialist report, the book doubles as an entry point for newcomers to archaeology as well as a resource for more seasoned scholars of Cypriot archaeology—and, for both audiences, it provides an opportunity to appreciate life in the island’s countryside 4000 years ago.

The book consists of six chapters and offers two narrative perspectives. The first is a descriptive body of text with substantive information about archaeological field methods, evidence recovered and its interpretation; the second is a first-person point of view (POV) of a first-time field-school student presented in brief, italicised sections that introduce core sections of the text throughout the book. This organisation offers a framework that functions both to support the wide swathe of information covered by the authors and to remind readers that the stories we tell of the past, no matter how scientifically informed, are inseparable from our research experiences.

In Chapter 1, Falconer and Fall lay the groundwork for their investigations, both within the current landscape of Cypriot prehistory and more generally within the field of archaeology. This includes a summary of disciplinary concepts, from archaeology’s deference to tripartite chronologies to how we understand social complexity in prehistoric Cyprus. For those unfamiliar with these concepts, the chapter provides an integral baseline for archaeological work; for specialists, it is a grounding reminder to stay in touch with the basics of our current methodologies.

Chapter 2 describes investigations at Politiko-Troullia. By now, the first-time field-school student has settled into the village of Pera Orinis, the base for the Politiko excavation team, and is ready to embark on data collection. Between their POV and the authors’ narratives, the reader becomes familiar with the exploratory methods undertaken at Troullia, from core concepts such as survey and excavation to more advanced technical analyses including soil-resistivity testing and radiocarbon dating. This chapter establishes the spatial and material bases for archaeological findings presented in the rest of the book—and includes high-quality images of tidy excavation units that any archaeologist will admire.

Chapter 3 focuses on artefacts recovered from Politiko-Troullia, organised by familiar taxonomies of pottery, ground stones, stone and metal tools, small finds and ecofacts, or palaeobotanical and faunal remains. In short, the evidence points to a community engaged in a wide range of household activities, including textile production and metallurgy, along with communal social events indicated by the likes of ceramic material and gaming stones. Chapter 4 provides “an overview of the phase-by-phase building and rebuilding of Politiko-Troullia” (p.57), contextualising the finds introduced in Chapter 3 into a coherent pattern of village life throughout five chronological phases between 2050 and 1930 BCE and across the three distinct areas of excavation.

Chapter 5 focuses specifically on the plant and animal remains recovered from the site and results of their scientific analysis. In doing so, Falconer and Fall elucidate Troullia’s mixed-subsistence strategies, including terraced farmlands; domesticated cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys; and wild deer hunting. Dog bones at the site also point to the potential for canine companions. As the scope of the book is fairly wide and public-facing in style, Chapter 5 may appear to specialists as relatively brief. Thankfully, for readers who seek more information, there is another recent, and excellent, publication by Fall and colleagues (Reference Fall, Falconer, Ridder, Pilaar Birch, Metzger and Porson2025) where ecofactual data from Politiko is explored in greater detail and compared with sites in the southern Levant.

Finally, Chapter 6 provides a reflection on the social identity of Troullia’s inhabitants. Here, the authors focus on the zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figurines (i.e. “plank figurines”, pp.75–76) discovered at the site. These artefacts are put in perspective within a brief discussion of similar finds from other, contemporaneous sites. This allows the authors to consider what these finds might tell us about how ancient villagers at Politiko-Troullia saw themselves and their place in the world. The book thus ends on a contemplative note.

On the whole, Falconer and Fall successfully convey the impressive results of their dedicated research while introducing complex archaeological concepts, all without diluting scientific merit. This gives the book inherent pedagogical value, and I imagine it will be ideal material for undergraduate students on an introduction to archaeology course. At the same time, specialists in the field will enjoy the succinct but grounded synthesis of findings, which can moreover be situated within the wider range of publications by the authors. For example, I found the contextualisation of radiocarbon dating analysis, presented in an earlier publication (Falconer et al. Reference Falconer, Ridder, Pilaar Birch and Fall2023), within the more holistic matrix of Politiko-Troullia’s spatial and temporal history particularly insightful. I was also especially captivated by the splendid artistic depictions, both in ink and watercolour, of Politiko-Troullia in the Bronze Age (by Gary James), along with the number of high-quality photographs depicting each phase of fieldwork and analysis by the team.

That said, considering that the book foregrounds the human dimension of archaeological research both in the present and the past, identifying the people by name who appear working, posing and studying material in the book’s images would be a subtle but welcome addition. Such an addition, as well as a dedicated ‘About Author’ section or more information in the book’s Preface about the authors themselves, would underscore ‘community identity’ as a key element of the research programme, as much as “a key element in the development of Cypriot urbanized civilization” (back cover). This rather modest editorial improvement would only enhance the already original and personal impact of the book.

In any case, An archaeological portrait of life in a Bronze Age Cypriot village is a well-rounded account of impressive archaeological research accessible for all audiences, serving as a reminder that science and storytelling can, and perhaps should, coexist.