The Pyrenees : A Human History

A fascinating account of the Pyrenees and their people — from prehistoric settlement to the present day.

The Pyrenees dominate the landscape between France and Spain, stretching from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Long thought of as an impassable, unspoiled wilderness, the mountains are often seen as both a physical and cultural barrier between western Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. Yet this treacherous terrain has been inhabited and shaped by human hands for centuries.

Colin Duncan Taylor leads us through the human history of the Pyrenees, from the cave art of their first prehistoric inhabitants to today's spa towns and ski resorts. Early pastoralists, Greek and Roman colonists, the Visigoths, and the Moors all left their mark on the mountains, which have played an outsize role in European history — as a place to live or hide, attack or defend, exploit or enjoy.

Taylor collects stories from both sides of the mountains and reveals how they have been made and remade throughout history by people from all levels of society.