Prehistoric Henges

Prehistoric Henges
Author: Aubrey Burl
Publisher: Shire Publications
Total Pages: 76
Release: 1991
Genre: History
ISBN:

"Stonehenge is only one of almost a hundred vast circular earthworks built in Britain and Ireland over five thousand years ago. Known as henges, they remain one of the mysteries of prehistoric Britain. With their overgrown banks and weathered ditches they attract few visitors. Yet discoveries have revealed fascinating glimpses of the beliefs of their builders. Excavations have unearthed grim evidence of forgotten rituals: a child's sacrifice at Woodhenge; a human burial at the centre of Arbor Low; winter moonlight at Stonehenge. Such things hint at the power and importance that these huge enclosures once had. The effort needed to raise these spacious rings of earth or chalk, the careful planning of their entrances, the settings of stone or timber inside them and the avenues leading uphill from nearby rivers all make henges among the most exciting and intriguing of the ancient monuments of the British Isles." --Back cover.

Prehistoric Britain

Prehistoric Britain
Author: Timothy Darvill
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2010-07-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136973044

Prehistoric Britain, now in its second edition, examines the development of human societies in Britain from earliest times to the Roman conquest of AD 43, as revealed by archaeological evidence. Special attention is given to six themes which are traced through prehistory: subsistence, technology, ritual, trade, society, and population.

The Prehistoric Peak

The Prehistoric Peak
Author: Andrew Johnstone
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2010-10-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 1446639029

THE PREHISTORIC PEAK is a practical guide to discovering and exploring the Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments of the Peak District, not with the intention of explaining their origins, but to encourage everyone to go and see them for themselves as they are today. After all, they are located in some of the most spectacular landscapes available to us in Britain today and make fascinating destinations for journeys that are about experiencing all the wonders of the world around us. Each site has been personally visited by the author and is described through photographs, ground plans of what can be seen today, custom maps with step-by-step, clear, concise directions on how to find each one and all the necessary GPS and OS grid references. It also includes practical advice on how to make your exploration of the Prehistoric Peak as pleasurable and safe as possible.

Henge Monuments of the British Isles

Henge Monuments of the British Isles
Author: Jan Harding
Publisher:
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2003
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

The later Neolithic henges are a distinctive yet enigmatic class of monument. Taken as indicative of the emerging social complexity of the third millennium BC, they are often seen as the culmination of cultural achievement during this period. Yet little is actually known about these monuments -- their origins, the meanings behind their distinctive layout, the activities undertaken within their perimeters, or indeed their significance to later Neolithic society. Drawing on the full range of data available across the British Isles and on anthropological parallels, the author addresses these questions in a book that will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand Neolithic society.

The Henge Monuments

The Henge Monuments
Author: Geoffrey Wainwright
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Total Pages: 176
Release: 1989
Genre: Bronze age
ISBN: 9780500390252

Explains what recent excavations reveal about ancient henges and the society that built them.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Author: Mike Parker Pearson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 563
Release: 2012-06-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 0857207334

Our knowledge about Stonehenge has changed dramatically as a result of the Stonehenge Riverside Project (2003-2009), led by Mike Parker Pearson, and included not only Stonehenge itself but also the nearby great henge enclosure of Durrington Walls. This book is about the people who built Stonehenge and its relationship to the surrounding landscape. The book explores the theory that the people of Durrington Walls built both Stonehenge and Durrington Walls, and that the choice of stone for constructing Stonehenge has a significance so far undiscovered, namely, that stone was used for monuments to the dead. Through years of thorough and extensive work at the site, Parker Pearson and his team unearthed evidence of the Neolithic inhabitants and builders which connected the settlement at Durrington Walls with the henge, and contextualised Stonehenge within the larger site complex, linked by the River Avon, as well as in terms of its relationship with the rest of the British Isles. Parker Pearson's book changes the way that we think about Stonehenge; correcting previously erroneous chronology and dating; filling in gaps in our knowledge about its people and how they lived; identifying a previously unknown type of Neolithic building; discovering Bluestonehenge, a circle of 25 blue stones from western Wales; and confirming what started as a hypothesis - that Stonehenge was a place of the dead - through more than 64 cremation burials unearthed there, which span the monument's use during the third millennium BC. In lively and engaging prose, Parker Pearson brings to life the imposing ancient monument that continues to hold a fascination for everyone.

Prehistoric Britain from the Air

Prehistoric Britain from the Air
Author: Timothy Darvill
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 1996-07-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521551328

This book provides a bird's eye look at the monumental achievements of Britain's earliest inhabitants. Arranged thematically, it illustrates and describes a wide selection of archaeological sites and landscapes dating from between 500,000 years ago and the Roman conquest. Timothy Darvill brings to life many of the familiar sites and monuments that prehistoric communities built, and exposes to view many thousands of sites that simply cannot be seen at ground level. Throughout the book, he makes a unique application of social archaeology to the field of aerial photography.

Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe

Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe
Author: Jane McIntosh
Publisher:
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2009
Genre: History
ISBN: 0195384768

For most of Europe's long past we have no writing, no named individuals, no recorded deeds. This means that its history is almost entirely that of the ordinary individual--the hunger-gatherer, farmer, or metallurgist--rather than the king. Evidence of privileged elites and material splendor is not lacking, however. The skills and expertise of prehistoric Europeans were often employed in the production of exquisite jewelry, elaborately woven cloth, beautifully made tools, and finely wrought weapons. Though the palaces that have attracted excavators in other lands are absent, there are few monuments elsewhere in the world to rival Europe's massive megalithic tombs or great stone circles. And though individuals preserve their anonymity and many of their secrets, modern technology has made it possible to reveal parts of their life history in astonishing detail. Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe gathers the results of recent archaeological discoveries and scholarly research into a single accessible volume. Organized thematically, the handbook covers all aspects of life in prehistoric Europe, including the geography of the continent, settlement, trade and transport, industry and crafts, religion, death and burial, warfare, language, the arts, and more. Complemented with more than 75 illustrations and maps, the result is a fascinating introduction to the 7,000-year period that immediately preceded the Roman Empire.

Giant Stones and Earth Mounds

Giant Stones and Earth Mounds
Author: Tom McGowen
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2000-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780761313724

Provides readers with an examination of stonehenge and other megalith sites found around the world by looking at their history and legends.

Ancient Britain

Ancient Britain
Author: Mr James Dyer
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2002-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134745966

This book is for anyone starting out to understand the prehistoric life of Britain from the first human occupation 450,000 years ago, until the Roman conquest in AD 43. James Dyer here succeeds in bringing to life a thriving picture of the people and customs of the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, based on the sometimes sparse clues presented by prehistoric archaeological sites across Britain. For many readers, Ancient Britain will provide the first chance to get to grips with the present state of our knowledge of prehistoric agriculture, settlement, trade and ritual. The rise of power, with the development of a class system at the hands of the first metal users, is charted through to the growth of wealth and the emergence of a warlike and advanced Iron Age society - a society that was nonetheless unable to withstand the might of Rome. With over 130 illustrations and photographs, including a number of specially drawn reconstructions, this highly visual book is an ideal primer for all students of prehistory and all those who are simply interested in the subject.