Landscape of the Megaliths

Joshua Pollard author Rick Peterson author David Wheatley author Mark Gillings author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxbow Books

Published:1st Mar '10

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Landscape of the Megaliths cover

This volume describes the results of the Longstones Project , a joint-universities programme of excavation and survey designed to develop a fuller understanding of the context and dynamics of monument construction in the later Neolithic (3rd millennium BC) of the Avebury region, Wiltshire. Several elements of this internationally important prehistoric monument complex were investigated: an early-mid 3rd millennium BC enclosure at Beckhampton; the recently re-discovered Beckhampton Avenue and Longstones Cove; a section of the West Kennet Avenue; the Falkner's stone circle; and the Cove within Avebury's Northern Inner Circle. The research sheds new light on the complexities and development of this monument rich area and consideration is given to the questions of how and why ceremonial centres such as that at Avebury came into being in the 3rd millennium BC. The importance of understanding the agency - the affective and perceived inherent qualities - of materials and landscapes is stressed; and the unusual character of the Wessex monument complexes is highlighted by comparison with the format and sequences of other ceremonial centres in southern Britain. The second part of the monograph tracks the later, post-prehistoric, lives of Avebury's megalithic monuments including a detailed account of the early 18th-century records of the Beckhampton Avenue made by the antiquary William Stukeley.

This substantial, ambitious monograph will be judged both in the context of a number of major new British reports...and as a study of Avebury... It succeeds wonderfully on both counts.' -- British Archaeology British Archaeology A report that strikes an excellent balance between detailed description, discussion and interpretation.' -- Antiquity Antiquity An important contribution to the recently burgeoning literature on the ceremonial landscapes of Avebury.' -- Cambridge Archaeological Journal Cambridge Archaeological Journal This monograph adds greatly to our understanding of the Avebury landscape and its archaeology and will be the standard text for the foreseeable future.' -- The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 102 The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 102 This is a valuable addition to the literature on the World Heritage Site of Avebury and the authors should be congratulated on their prompt and thorough approach.' -- Landscape History Landscape History

ISBN: 9781842179710

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

402 pages