Dr. Cristina Biaggi's careful, in-depth examination of the tombs and temples dedicated to the earth goddess worshipped by prehistoric peoples is more than a scholarly exercise. It is a journey in pursuit of a personal experience as well. Her involvement with the people and the ancient deity shines in her beautiful photographs and her carefully executed drawings. The descriptions of her feelings of awe and admiration reflect her complete absorption in the subject and her determination to verify and document the reality of this long-held belief in, and reliance upon, the continuing fertility of the earth itself and the goddess who sustained it.
In addition to her ongoing technical debate with the theories of other scholars in the field, we feel the sanctity of these places in her midnight visit to the temple of Malta and the playful humanity of her romp with the seals during her explorations of the Islands of Scotland.
Her reflections about the lives and destinies of these talented and devoted builders leads us to see them in a new light also. We recognize them as our ancestors, puzzling about the workings of the universe - as we are doing now.
Highly respected by her peers in the world of archaeology and prehistory, Dr. Biaggi has widened horizons for all of us in this totally documented and lovingly presented work.
