Customer Reviews

Henge Monuments: Ceremony and Society in Prehistoric Britain (New Aspects of Antiquity)

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I'm a history geek, particularly anything to do with England. This is one of the first books I read that dealt specifically with the archaeology of henge-type monuments, and I found it fascinating. Here in the US, when I was a kid we heard of Stonehenge, and in the last decade we're finally hearing about Woodhenge, but there are SO many other henge monuments and associated monumental sites! This book introduces the reader to several of these in Wessex (near Stonehenge--SW England). This text is written for someone that knows a bit about archaeology--it's not for a casual reader--but it sheds light on a time period critical in the British Isles' pre-Roman development. My only complaint (if one can call it that) is that the book is limited by the timeframe in which it was published, and by the dated nature of the archaeological findings being discussed. The book is more than two decades old, and it deals largely with findings from digs carried out in the late '60s and early '70s. However, it's still a great starting point for the serious reader, based on good solid archaeology and not crazy suppositions about Druids and aliens visitors!