Karen Godden

This book presents the results of archaeological research in the extreme south of Madagascar between 1991 and 2003, and provides a synthesis of the regions archaeology. Madagascar is an island with many unique species of fauna and flora; its extreme south is a semi-arid region with remarkable vegetational adaptations. The project began as an ethnoarchaeological and ethnohistorical study of the origins and development of the monumental stone tombs which are built throughout the south, but expanded into a far wider archaeological study. The contributors trace the phases of the region's history from the first human colonisation and the extinction of much of the island's megafauna to the growth and collapse of the Manda civilization, contact with Europeans and right up to the present day.

Pirates, shipwreck and slavery - these are the key themes in this story of an Englishman who spent 14 years of his life in captivity in Madagascar. Although Robert Drury wrote a book about his adventures in 1729, it has long been out of print. This book aims to track down the truth of his story.