Funerary rituals show us what people thought about mortality, loss and what came next. From Roman cremations and graveside feasts to deviant burials with heads rearranged, from richly furnished Anglo-Saxon graves to the first Christian burial grounds in Wales, they provide an alternative history of the first millennium in Britain. Alice Roberts combines archaeological finds with DNA research and written history to shed fresh light on how people lived: by examining the stories of the dead.

Roberts has been a Professor of Public Engagement with Science at the University of Birmingham since 2012 and specialises in human anatomy, physiology, evolution, archaeology and history. She is presenter of TV’s Digging for Britain.