Startling in its detail, exciting in its broad historical implications and robust in its scientific evidence.

- Timothy R. Pauketat, Professor of Anthropology, University of Illinois, USA,

Cuts across boundaries of archaeology, history and history of science to reintroduce Stonehenge to the 21st century.

- Nena Galanidou, Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Crete, Greece,

Tonally correct, slim, easily digestible.

The Past

Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous monuments. Who built it, how and why are questions that have endured for at least 900 years, but modern methods of investigation are now able to offer up a completely new understanding of this iconic stone circle.

Stonehenge’s history straddles the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, though its story began long before it was built. Serving initially as a burial ground, it evolved over time into a sacred place for gathering, feasting and building, and was remodelled several times as different peoples arrived in the area along with new technologies and customs. In more recent centuries it has found itself the centre of excavations, political protests and even conspiracy theories, embedding itself in the consciousness of the modern world.

In this book Mike Parker Pearson draws on two decades of research, the results of recent excavations and cutting-edge scientific analyses to uncover many of the secrets that this prehistoric stone circle has kept for 5,000 years. In doing so, he paints the most comprehensive picture yet of the history of Stonehenge, from its origins up to the 21st century, and reveals how in some ways trying to explain its power of attraction in the present is harder than explaining its purpose in the ancient past.

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List of Illustrations
Preface

1. Investigating Stonehenge: How We Know What We Know
2. Before Stonehenge
3. The First Stonehenge
4. The Second Stonehenge
5. Stonehenge (Stage 3) in the Age of Copper
6. Stonehenge (Stage 4) in the Age of Bronze
7. Stonehenge (Stage 5) in the Age of Gold
8. After Stonehenge: The Age of Silence?
9. Stonehenge into the Modern Era
10. Druids, Free Festivals and Development Pressures: Stonehenge in Contention
11. Stonehenge: The Never-Ending Story

Notes
Chronology of the Building of Stonehenge
Glossary
Chronological dramatis personae of Deceased Authors, Personalities and Investigators of Stonehenge
Further Reading
Bibliography
Index

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An accessible, authoritative and up-to-date examination of Stonehenge that draws on the author's unrivalled expertise and presents new results of recent excavations and scientific analyses for the first time.
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The most up-to-date account of the world’s most famous stone circle, from its origins up to the 21st century
Archaeological Histories charts the history of key individual sites, buildings and towns from their construction to the present day. Each volume examines not only the physical history and uses of the site, but also its broader context: its roles in political history, the history of scholarship and the popular imagination.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781350192232
Publisert
2023-05-04
Utgiver
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Vekt
460 gr
Høyde
238 mm
Bredde
164 mm
Dybde
18 mm
Aldersnivå
U, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
208

Biografisk notat

Mike Parker Pearson is Professor of British Later Prehistory at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK. He is also a Fellow of the British Academy, of the Society of Antiquaries of London and of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. He has published five books and over 70 academic papers on Stonehenge, based on 16 years of excavation and analysis.