Kiernan presents his July 2007 dissertation in classical archaeology at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg, Germany. Miniature or model objects were produced for ritual purposes throughout the classical world, including the Romano-Celtic time and place, he says, where they contribute to the archaeological study of religious practices. There are many studies mentioning such objects within a larger context of Roman-Celtic religion, or as one category among many artifacts recovered from a particular site, but he provides here the first full-length work on the phenomenon itself. He looks at wheels; arms and armor; axes; coins; ceramic and metal vessels, lamps, tripods and stands, and miniature tableware; jewelery, other tools, and votives relating to travel; and the so-called Mithrassymbole. Chronologically, he covers from about 100 BC to about AD 400 and geographically territories that are now Britain, Germany, the low countries, Austria, and Switzerland. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)