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Henge Monuments of the British Isles

Harding, Jan

There is every reason to suppose that life was transformed during the later Neolithic (3000-2200 BC). Along with innovations in pottery and lithics, communities created a new type of monument, remains of which can be found the length and breadth of the British Isles. This accessible study attempts to answer the question that has puzzled prehistorians ever since they took their first look at Stonehenge and Avebury: what could have induced people to expend that amount of time and energy. The investigation begins with the earliest henge monuments, as Harding searches for evidence of continuity, or otherwise, with the earlier Neolithic. Architectural developments are compared with other more fundamental changes, particularly in religious beliefs and in the power structure of society. This book takes us across Britain, highlighting, and illustrating, the various types of henges that were built, many of which were unprecedented in scale, while discussing their place in the prehistoric landscape and the ways in which the members of Neolithic society would have regarded and used them. This is an interesting book that effectively combines an archaeological tour of Neolithic Britain with a penetrating piece of Neolithic soul-searching. 128p, 83 b/w illus, 15 col pls (Tempus 2003)

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