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Crypt: Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond
The new book by Sunday Times bestselling author of Ancestors and Buried - the final instalment in Professor Alice Roberts' acclaimed trilogy.
In her previous two bestsellers, Professor Alice Roberts has powerfully and evocatively revived people of the past through examining their burial rites, bringing a fresh perspective on how they lived. In Crypt, Professor Roberts tells the story of modern Britain from 1066 to the present day - by exploring changing methods of honouring the dead.
Beautifully written, vividly drawn, and expertly researched, this is a brilliant and unexpected portrait of modern Britain.
In her previous two bestsellers, Professor Alice Roberts has powerfully and evocatively revived people of the past through examining their burial rites, bringing a fresh perspective on how they lived. In Crypt, Professor Roberts tells the story of modern Britain from 1066 to the present day - by exploring changing methods of honouring the dead.
Beautifully written, vividly drawn, and expertly researched, this is a brilliant and unexpected portrait of modern Britain.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2024
412 people are currently reading
4242 people want to read
About the author
Alice Roberts
39 books742 followersAlice May Roberts is an English anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, physical anthropologist, palaeopathologist, television presenter and author.
Roberts studied medicine and anatomy at Cardiff University, qualifying in 1997 as a physician with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh) degree, having gained an intercalated Bachelor of Science degree in anatomy. She earned a PhD in paleopathology in 2008 from the University of Bristol.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Roberts studied medicine and anatomy at Cardiff University, qualifying in 1997 as a physician with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh) degree, having gained an intercalated Bachelor of Science degree in anatomy. She earned a PhD in paleopathology in 2008 from the University of Bristol.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
May 18, 2024
I wish this book had interested me as much as it has others. I found it plodding and pedestrian in its prose and presentation. The subject is fascinating but I found tv programs covering similar material to that in the book far more compelling. I am particularly thinking of one made about the 17 bodies found in a well in Norwich which turned out to be Jewish victims of the great anti-semitic pogroms in 12th century England (which is not discussed in this book, though another massacre site is) and another on the bones of the drowned sailors and soldiers from the Mary Rose (this is discussed in the book). I found the visual presentation of these stories more moving, but also effective. The new information that can be gained from the study of bones is marvellous, but for me the details are tedious.
My lack of enjoyment should not distract others from finding interest in the book but I suspect the TV programs and their information more easily absorbed and enjoyed.
My lack of enjoyment should not distract others from finding interest in the book but I suspect the TV programs and their information more easily absorbed and enjoyed.
June 5, 2024
Found this book interesting on many levels looking at diseases and the human body through the ages. The development of new techniques as well helping with archaeology and history
February 28, 2024
Mixing a passion for science with history, Crypt tells the story of humans from the Middle Ages through to Henry VIII. This is the third instalment in the series and it blends written history with what the science actually tells us. Professor Alice Roberts explains the science clearly and then links it each time to why this proves or disproves what the spoken or written history has said. She touches on Osteoarchaeology and new developments in genomics that are helping to show how diseases have wiped out populations or how genocides in the Middle Ages (when records were highly politicised if they existed at all) can be proved. It is truly fascinating and if you have any interest in history it’s a must read! I enjoyed it so much that I now need to go back and read the other 2 books in the series!
March 19, 2025
Well it's taken me a while to get through this one and it's due back to the library so I've had to wrap it up pretty sharpish!
Alice Roberts's enthusiasm is infectious, indeed it comes through on TV too where she has made a number of interesting documentaries. This book is no different. The interest she shows in her subject is second to none and it bleeds into the pages.
Admittedly I enjoyed some chapters more than others; the Black Death plague chapter was particularly engrossing (!!) as was the study into Thomas Becket's skeleton/bones. Not all of the chapters interested me however as I'm not the biggest history fan in the world, so some repetition and discussion of ancient houses/monarchies had my mind wandering elsewhere.
Altogether a 3 star read though and worth waiting for from the library.
Alice Roberts's enthusiasm is infectious, indeed it comes through on TV too where she has made a number of interesting documentaries. This book is no different. The interest she shows in her subject is second to none and it bleeds into the pages.
Admittedly I enjoyed some chapters more than others; the Black Death plague chapter was particularly engrossing (!!) as was the study into Thomas Becket's skeleton/bones. Not all of the chapters interested me however as I'm not the biggest history fan in the world, so some repetition and discussion of ancient houses/monarchies had my mind wandering elsewhere.
Altogether a 3 star read though and worth waiting for from the library.
May 18, 2024
I'm increasingly disappointed with Alice Roberts. Ancestor was a revelation, but there's been a steady decline of quality.
Please just come to some sort of thesis in your chapters, Alice. Each chapter is bogged down with background that everyone knows (eg. the origins of the Black Death and debated around whether or not it was bubonic plague). Just when I felt we were getting somewhere, the chapter would abruptly draw to a close.
We also spent the least time with the bones than any book yet in this 'series'. Most of the points about the skeletons Roberts focused on had been made by earlier researchers.
This book felt rushed as anything.
Please just come to some sort of thesis in your chapters, Alice. Each chapter is bogged down with background that everyone knows (eg. the origins of the Black Death and debated around whether or not it was bubonic plague). Just when I felt we were getting somewhere, the chapter would abruptly draw to a close.
We also spent the least time with the bones than any book yet in this 'series'. Most of the points about the skeletons Roberts focused on had been made by earlier researchers.
This book felt rushed as anything.
February 23, 2025
Genuinely devastated I hadn't read this book last year while I was digitising the Probate registers... it would have been amazing to see some of the wills mentioned in the last case study with my own eyes!
July 13, 2024
I’m always enthralled by Alice Roberts and her profound research into human history and archaeology. I thought Crypt was a great read- a really smooth blend of historical fact and scientific knowledge that doesn’t leave you bored, but rather craving more.
I particularly marvelled at the chapters on Yersinia pestis ( the bubonic “ black” death) and the cult of Saint Thomas Beckett whose skull and whereabouts is still a huge mystery. Roberts can even make a chapter about leprosy really fascinating, though a strong stomach is required.
Crypt focuses on bone fragments and disease that tore through Europe during the medieval period and beyond. After all with bones came a person’s death, and that death was caused by environmental and biological factors. It’s amazing that unearthed bones can hold such a distinct key to how people lived and died. I really love the detailed analysis on bone markings. They hold stories and meaning all these centuries later.
I particularly marvelled at the chapters on Yersinia pestis ( the bubonic “ black” death) and the cult of Saint Thomas Beckett whose skull and whereabouts is still a huge mystery. Roberts can even make a chapter about leprosy really fascinating, though a strong stomach is required.
Crypt focuses on bone fragments and disease that tore through Europe during the medieval period and beyond. After all with bones came a person’s death, and that death was caused by environmental and biological factors. It’s amazing that unearthed bones can hold such a distinct key to how people lived and died. I really love the detailed analysis on bone markings. They hold stories and meaning all these centuries later.
March 16, 2024
Another masterpiece by the prof. I think I’ll reread her trilogy; something I rarely do. 👌
September 16, 2024
In Crypt, the author took me on a journey through history, starting in Oxford, where 35 skeletal remains were found all buried together in a ditch. Were the remains of people slayed during the St Brice’s Day Massacre of 1002?
Then, we move to St Mary Magdalene’s hospital in Winchester, where leprosy was treated. There was a body which showed some horrific markers of leprosy and I found this chapter illuminating, as it made me think about the social impact of this disease on the society.
One of my favourite chapters was the one about Paget’s Disease – mainly because there is a history of the disease on my husband’s side of the family. The bones of the monks from the Norton Priory in Cheshire showed some advanced symptoms of the disease. I was glad to discover that the modern Paget’s disease doesn’t present itself so harshly – although my mother-in-law and her sister still suffered great pain with it!
The plague chapter was an eye opener. I thought that plague, or the Black Death, was only prevalent in the 14th century. Just imagine my surprise when the chapter opened up telling the story of the plague outbreak in Hong Kong in 1894! This chapter also revealed that Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague, was prevalent way before the 14th century – in fact, the plague was present in the Bronze Age.
After the plague chapters, we are taken on the journey to Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s favourite ship, which sank in 1545, and was recovered in 1982. There were bodies of young men onboard the wreckage of the ship with signs of bone pathology in their shoulders, suggesting there were archers.
Finally, there is a chapter about syphilis, where a body of a woman was found buried in an unusually crouched position behind an altar of the All Saint’s Church in Fishergate in York. Who was this woman? Why was she buried at the Church? Her bones showed advanced symptoms of syphylis…
I just loved this book. It’s a great example of how archaeology can support our understanding of the past. It’s not just old pots and pans, we can gain valuable evidence from the bones of the dead.
Like the author herself said, bones don’t lie. They are there to tells us their story, even after the person’s death.
This book is a compelling and an extremely interesting insight into what life was like in the Middle Ages and beyond.
I definitely recommend it.
Then, we move to St Mary Magdalene’s hospital in Winchester, where leprosy was treated. There was a body which showed some horrific markers of leprosy and I found this chapter illuminating, as it made me think about the social impact of this disease on the society.
One of my favourite chapters was the one about Paget’s Disease – mainly because there is a history of the disease on my husband’s side of the family. The bones of the monks from the Norton Priory in Cheshire showed some advanced symptoms of the disease. I was glad to discover that the modern Paget’s disease doesn’t present itself so harshly – although my mother-in-law and her sister still suffered great pain with it!
The plague chapter was an eye opener. I thought that plague, or the Black Death, was only prevalent in the 14th century. Just imagine my surprise when the chapter opened up telling the story of the plague outbreak in Hong Kong in 1894! This chapter also revealed that Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague, was prevalent way before the 14th century – in fact, the plague was present in the Bronze Age.
After the plague chapters, we are taken on the journey to Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s favourite ship, which sank in 1545, and was recovered in 1982. There were bodies of young men onboard the wreckage of the ship with signs of bone pathology in their shoulders, suggesting there were archers.
Finally, there is a chapter about syphilis, where a body of a woman was found buried in an unusually crouched position behind an altar of the All Saint’s Church in Fishergate in York. Who was this woman? Why was she buried at the Church? Her bones showed advanced symptoms of syphylis…
I just loved this book. It’s a great example of how archaeology can support our understanding of the past. It’s not just old pots and pans, we can gain valuable evidence from the bones of the dead.
Like the author herself said, bones don’t lie. They are there to tells us their story, even after the person’s death.
This book is a compelling and an extremely interesting insight into what life was like in the Middle Ages and beyond.
I definitely recommend it.
September 3, 2025
This was a fascinating look at the Middle Ages, blending science, archaeology and history to examine the fates of those who died at that time. Advances in genetics mean that there is a new set of methodologies to combine with the more traditional approaches of examining physical remains and comparing them with the written historical record, and this has provided fuller and sometimes new information about medical conditions and how people lived (and died) with them.
Most people will probably have some knowledge of the impact of diseases such as leprosy and bubonic plague in the Middle Ages, but this book expands on the basics and applies these to particular sites where bones have been found to give a fuller picture of the inhabitants’ own stories. There are other lesser known conditions too, and a particularly interesting chapter on the victims of the shipwreck of Henry VIII’s Mary Rose . Very informative and accessible.
Most people will probably have some knowledge of the impact of diseases such as leprosy and bubonic plague in the Middle Ages, but this book expands on the basics and applies these to particular sites where bones have been found to give a fuller picture of the inhabitants’ own stories. There are other lesser known conditions too, and a particularly interesting chapter on the victims of the shipwreck of Henry VIII’s Mary Rose . Very informative and accessible.
November 23, 2024
Really interesting opening chapter on the st Brice's day massacre of 1002, and the author's focus on the language Aethelred used to somehow justify it felt very relevant to current affairs.
I think my enjoyment really depended on the chapter I was on. I liked the leprosy hospital and black death chapters but chapters like the Thomas Becket one felt less connected to the theme of exploring what the bones could show and more like a general history lesson. From halfway on I wasn't really feeling engaged.
The author's passion for her work definitely comes through though, and it's a great concept.
I think my enjoyment really depended on the chapter I was on. I liked the leprosy hospital and black death chapters but chapters like the Thomas Becket one felt less connected to the theme of exploring what the bones could show and more like a general history lesson. From halfway on I wasn't really feeling engaged.
The author's passion for her work definitely comes through though, and it's a great concept.
May 27, 2024
In this third and final part of her trilogy using archaeology to tell the history of Britain, Roberts brings us to the medieval era and connections to modern times. She looks at bones found with leprosy and syphilis, mass graves for plague victims and those who met with violent ends as well as an anchorite and the men who went down with the Mary Rose. Absolutely fascinating how the advancements in science can tell us so much about our ancestors.
April 17, 2024
Unfortunately, this wanted to be a lot and ended up being a not uninteresting but rather confused, unanchored and disjointed collection of papers. Not recommended if you are primarily interested in history and not biology.
August 9, 2024
Fascinating and gorgeously done. One of the best medieval research I’ve read.
I’d love to sit in on a lecture by Dr. Roberts one day
I’d love to sit in on a lecture by Dr. Roberts one day
June 2, 2024
This books is fascinating and I learnt a lot. Very scientific though for a non-scientist/medic
June 1, 2024
This is just an excellently easy and fun series to read (assuming medieval syphilis is your idea of fun, of course). Roberts has a patter down, well, pat, and her case studies are nicely chosen to illustrate how modern technology is changing our understanding of the past. These are not overly technical books; Roberts keeps the focus firmly on what it all means and how it works, but there is enough to give that warm, learned-something glow.
This volume, the last in the series of three, focuses on what we can learn about health from medieval burials. This includes a better understanding of the past, as well as a better understanding of diseases that are still with us. The Black Death is probably a highlight (yes, it is that kind of book), as Roberts takes us through how genetic sequencing of the causal parasite has illuminated our understanding of likely transmission routes for bubonic plague. Not all her mysteries are so neatly solved, but there is something very heartening about the pace with which we are learning to interrogate the past and to understand how it all connects together.
This volume, the last in the series of three, focuses on what we can learn about health from medieval burials. This includes a better understanding of the past, as well as a better understanding of diseases that are still with us. The Black Death is probably a highlight (yes, it is that kind of book), as Roberts takes us through how genetic sequencing of the causal parasite has illuminated our understanding of likely transmission routes for bubonic plague. Not all her mysteries are so neatly solved, but there is something very heartening about the pace with which we are learning to interrogate the past and to understand how it all connects together.
September 3, 2024
3.5-3.75 *
This is clearly a thoroughly well researched book by someone passionate about their field of expertise. However, it often felt like I was reading an academic paper more than a well rounded book, especially when the author chose to become bogged down in the nuances of the science behind certain ailments. These sections were incredibly dry and repetitive. While I completely understand the need to validate one's conclusions by showing your working practice, that's when it verges into academia.
I wanted to something a little more accessible that focused on narrative - these moments could have easily made up part of the appendix instead, so reader's who want the nitty gritty of the science can choose to engage with it.
The historical moments chosen by Alice to demonstrate life, death & disease in the middle ages were really interesting - especially the final chapter which introduced me to the religious figure of the Anchoress. Someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life - literally walled up like a living prophet in the walls of a Church. How this could be linked to disease in women that might have ostracised them from society. But this was dwelt on very briefly in regards to a skeleton that, in the end, didn't add much to Robert's overall conversation about whether syphilis was present in Europe before Columbus "discovered" the Americas.
This is a good book, but it left me craving more.
This is clearly a thoroughly well researched book by someone passionate about their field of expertise. However, it often felt like I was reading an academic paper more than a well rounded book, especially when the author chose to become bogged down in the nuances of the science behind certain ailments. These sections were incredibly dry and repetitive. While I completely understand the need to validate one's conclusions by showing your working practice, that's when it verges into academia.
I wanted to something a little more accessible that focused on narrative - these moments could have easily made up part of the appendix instead, so reader's who want the nitty gritty of the science can choose to engage with it.
The historical moments chosen by Alice to demonstrate life, death & disease in the middle ages were really interesting - especially the final chapter which introduced me to the religious figure of the Anchoress. Someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life - literally walled up like a living prophet in the walls of a Church. How this could be linked to disease in women that might have ostracised them from society. But this was dwelt on very briefly in regards to a skeleton that, in the end, didn't add much to Robert's overall conversation about whether syphilis was present in Europe before Columbus "discovered" the Americas.
This is a good book, but it left me craving more.
January 12, 2025
As an audibook, voiced by Roberts herself, it was incredibly enjoyable and accessible. Though, I did struggle to process some of the chapters, it ultimately gave a really nice overview of diseases/crypts in the middle ages with a range of case studies - some more interesting than others.
May 24, 2025
I waited ages for this to come into the library, the blurb reminded me of Time Team! It was different than what I expected but I do love this period of history and it’s always fun learning about diseases 🦠
September 4, 2024
I thought I knew quite a bit of British history but I’d never heard of St Brice’s Day massacre before so that part was interesting but some of the other stories were a bit boring, especially when no bodies were involved such as the chapter on Thomas Beckett.
June 12, 2024
This wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be and ended up being a little excruciating to get through. I thought it would be heavier on the history but no. It is much heavier on the pathology/anatomy/biology end which I'm just not that into. Reading dense passages about those things is like wading through quicksand. You read and read for what feels like hours and yet you've only gotten through a few pages. I was really fascinated by the lives of these people being studied and would have loved more of those historical details.
October 6, 2024
I listened to the audiobook yesterday during 4 hours of train rides, and this morning with morning tea, but it had a hard time keeping my attention. It wasn't really what I thought it would be. Some interesting information aboyt history, ostheoarcheology, the scientific process of it all and middle age diseases, but I don't think I'll remember much from it 🤷♂️
June 13, 2025
i enjoy alice roberts' writing but this book ended up being really tangential, with long digressions about the origins of the plague and the mary rose disaster, among other things, without an equal focus on individual remains and their contexts. it felt a bit unfocussed and i found that a bit frustrating.
May 20, 2025
This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting going into it, but it still ended up being a very interesting read. Each chapter examines a particular skeleton or group of skeletons, and then uses genetics and history to provide context behind their deaths. A decent amount of chapters focused on people that died from a certain disease, and I thought the description of each disease and in depth look at exactly how it affects the body was very interesting.
I will say I wish the author had gone into more detail about the actual history and stories of the deceased person/people that each chapter focuses on. Some chapters did a good job at this, but others seemed to depart from the stories of the particular person that the chapter was focusing on in favor of talking about someone else or going into heavily detail about DNA and genetics, which did get a bit monotonous at times (that being said, the author did a good job at simplifying a very complex topic).
You can tell the author is very passionate about her chosen subject, and it definitely shows in her writing. She does an excellent job of being respectful towards the dead and helping to tell the stories of these people who have been forgotten by history, which results in this book being a very enjoyable and enlightening reading experience.
I will say I wish the author had gone into more detail about the actual history and stories of the deceased person/people that each chapter focuses on. Some chapters did a good job at this, but others seemed to depart from the stories of the particular person that the chapter was focusing on in favor of talking about someone else or going into heavily detail about DNA and genetics, which did get a bit monotonous at times (that being said, the author did a good job at simplifying a very complex topic).
You can tell the author is very passionate about her chosen subject, and it definitely shows in her writing. She does an excellent job of being respectful towards the dead and helping to tell the stories of these people who have been forgotten by history, which results in this book being a very enjoyable and enlightening reading experience.
June 15, 2025
Crypt is the third and final installation in Alice Roberts' exploration of human life in Britain through the lens of burials and funerary archaeology. The final volume covers from around the year 1000 to the end of the Middle Ages, briefly touching on the Tudor period. This installation has a focus on pathologies and scientific research into epidemiology and the development of diseases over time, which is a subject I find very interesting. As always, Roberts writes in a highly accessible, engaging style, conveying complex science and nuanced historical processes with ease and wit. As an archaeologist myself, I am obviously more familiar with archaeological methods than the average reader, but it is my impression that Roberts has done a very good job of rending the subject matter understandable to a wider audience without relying on oversimplification or sacrificing scientific insight. A very worthy conclusion to a great trilogy of archaeological books.
March 12, 2025
I love when non-fiction manages to make me excited about subjects and disciplines I know next to nothing about. I do feel like I learned a lot from this book but I wish there was better balance between the historic context, the bones uncovered and the science of historic assessment of bones, how this affects our understanding of people during the Middle Ages and illness today. It is the latter that I picked this up for but I got huge chunks of historic context instead (there was genuinely a point where I stopped what I was doing to wonder why have we been going on about Thomas Becket's whole biography for at least 30min of audiobook runtime now.
This is a positive review, by the way; this is a positive rating. I only wish to give the headsup to those who may wander in looking for a lot of bone science.
This is a positive review, by the way; this is a positive rating. I only wish to give the headsup to those who may wander in looking for a lot of bone science.
July 17, 2024
I have never been interested in archaeology. I have never been interested in pre-industrial history. I now consider myself thoroughly converted by this book.
I really appreciated being taken along the journey of discovery, the questions you would ask at each point, the flaws of each piece of evidence that points us to something compelling but not 100% certain.
And there was such a wonderful argument for that relationship of equals between history and archaeology - what each can provide the other, with different perspectives on the past that weave together the tapestry of our understanding
I would absolutely recommend this book to anybody, one of the best nonfictions I've read in a while
I really appreciated being taken along the journey of discovery, the questions you would ask at each point, the flaws of each piece of evidence that points us to something compelling but not 100% certain.
And there was such a wonderful argument for that relationship of equals between history and archaeology - what each can provide the other, with different perspectives on the past that weave together the tapestry of our understanding
I would absolutely recommend this book to anybody, one of the best nonfictions I've read in a while
April 26, 2024
Man I love me some facts about old timey bones. Was more history focused than I expected but hey still fun and learned a lot about some fucked up shit that went down.
Also found my new dream job aka being an Anchoress aka a professional hermit who was allowed to have a cat and that people viewed as a celebrity for not ever leaving their room? Sign me tf up
Also found my new dream job aka being an Anchoress aka a professional hermit who was allowed to have a cat and that people viewed as a celebrity for not ever leaving their room? Sign me tf up
December 4, 2024
Dr Alice Roberts, thank you so much for providing me with an amazing, book that was a pleasure to read. Crypt is a thoroughly fascinating and insightful read that is well written and very accessible. A very timely and thought provoking book that is written to not only educate readers but to show respect to times past and those who lived and died within them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews