The Chambered Cairns of the Central Highlands [Paperback]

Audrey S. Henshall (Author), J. N. G. Ritchie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2002

Chambered cairns are the earliest architectural achievement of the peoples of Scotland. The cairns are more complex structures than generally recognised and are also the principal evidence of the earliest agricultural communities in the land. Among the numerous chambered cairns of the Central Highlands are some of the finest examples of such monuments in Scotland. In particular this area saw two traditions of tomb-building and thus provides additional insights for elucidating developments during the neolithic period. In this comprehensive and fully illustrated volume the burial monuments of the early inhabitants of the Central Highlands of Scotland are examined and the surviving remains are described, offering an indispensable reference source for the neolithic period in this area of Scotland. The Chambered Cairns of the Central Highlands describes and discusses in detail the monuments in Ross and Cromarty and Inverness-shire. An Inventory provides up to date plans and descriptions of the individual monuments. A final chapter draws together all the information from the several hundred chambered cairns in Northern Scotland, gathered during five decades of field survey. This book is an important landmark in the study of chambered cairns in both Scotland and Europe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The summation of a lifetime's experience in the field and a deep empathy with the builders and their practical and religious concerns! The Central Highlands is attractive to look at and handle, with an elegant typeface, wide margins and generous illustration; there is no doubt about whether the careful sensitive survey enshrined in the Central Highlands is of lasting value. There is much that is satisfying in a book of this nature, since it is far more than simply an old inventory republished ... This is a scholarly and meticulously researched thesis, lavishly illustrated with maps, photographs and diagrams ... This book is much more than a revision of an inventory. It is a model of how these things should be done. It places again this exceptional prehistoric resource in the public arena, and let us hope, stimulates the new filedwork, interest and research that the Scottish carins deserve. The summation of a lifetime's experience in the field and a deep empathy with the builders and their practical and religious concerns! The Central Highlands is attractive to look at and handle, with an elegant typeface, wide margins and generous illustration; there is no doubt about whether the careful sensitive survey enshrined in the Central Highlands is of lasting value. There is much that is satisfying in a book of this nature, since it is far more than simply an old inventory republished ... This is a scholarly and meticulously researched thesis, lavishly illustrated with maps, photographs and diagrams ... This book is much more than a revision of an inventory. It is a model of how these things should be done. It places again this exceptional prehistoric resource in the public arena, and let us hope, stimulates the new filedwork, interest and research that the Scottish carins deserve.

About the Author

Graham Ritchie worked for over thirty years with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, latterly as head of archaeology. He is currently president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press; 1st Ed. edition (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0748606432
• ISBN-13: 978-0748606436
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,504,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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