By combining the results of archaeological excavation carried out over the last thirty years with important discoveries in previous centuries, Alison Taylor is able to piece together the history of Cambridge through prehistoric, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval times, and then the expansion of the university in later centuries. Her book is full of surprises - especially for those whose knowledge of Cambridge is confined to the colleges. For it is in college courtyards and lawns that recent excavations tell the story of the medieval town. Although the question of why the university existed at all is tackled and the creation of the individual colleges is explained, it is the changing fortunes of the town itself which are the real subject of this refreshingly original book.