Prehistoric Avebury [Paperback]

Dr. Aubrey Burl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 1986

An account of the prehistoric stone circles at Avebury, which not only date from an earlier era but are also larger than the more famous sarsen stone circle of Stonehenge. Written by an archaeologist, the text considers aspects of Avebury's history and construction and discusses the probable purpose of these massive structures, in the process seeking to create a vivid and moving picture of their creators - a primitive people whose lives were brief, savage and fearful.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Situated 18 miles from Stonehenge, Avebury, a complex of stone circles, barrows, earthworks and avenues, was built some 5000 years ago. Here archeologist Burl tells its stories in a text that "sets a high standard in archeological writing for a lay audience," PW stated.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"In this beautifully illustrated book, Aubrey Burl combines both archaeological and historical evidence to present an absorbing account of the mysterious stone monuments at Avebury and the life of the primitive people who erected them nearly 5000 years ago." Publishers Weekly "This beautifully illustrated book discusses Avebury today, where one can still wander among these fascinating stones, and relates the destruction of and excavations at this prehistoric site." Science News --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 10, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300036221
• ISBN-13: 978-0300036220
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,997,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They were real people, March 29, 2003

By 

Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prehistoric Avebury, Second Edition (Paperback)

A priceless treasure of information about the Neolithic world, this work will long endure. The physical evidence described here is enhanced with carefully derived suppositions about why stone circles, avenues, burial sites, ditches and banks were built. Burl has a keen analytical mind. He weaves inferences about Neolithic lifestyles with the information garnered from the available evidence. While the information he presents is almost overwhelming in its complexity, Burl's writing style keeps the account lively. You aren't submerged in arcane mysteries nor scholarly pedantry. His adroit presentation keeps your attention captured as he leads you through the likely history of Avebury, Stonehenge and other Neolithic communities.

"Communities" is a word you will have in mind throughout this narrative. Burl reminds us that Avebury's structures were built by normal people. They lived in the region, farmed, dug ditches, herded cattle and pigs, erected stones, traded with neighbours, and died. Life, he asserts frequently, was tenuous and brief. From this he derives their culture put much time and energy in dealing with the dead. Ancestor worship? Probably. Fertility rituals? Almost certainly. All this activity, however, was chiefly pragmatic. Neolithic society tried to propitiate spirits it could comprehend.

Burl scorns the modern mystical interpretations of Avebury and other sites. He lightly dismisses the astronomical alignments as overblown. The henges and stone circles may have marked some solar and lunar moon-rises and -sets, but only in a general way. These people had practical needs, he says. Precision alignments of stones or posts would be excessive effort. Much work went into just building these structures. Enough information to launch certain seasonal festivals or a reminder of births or deaths was sufficient. Burl has gleaned enough information to outline the growth and decline of prehistoric societies, with the Stonehenge ultimately supplanting Avebury in dominance of the area.

The text is enhanced with a finely balanced mixture of diagrams, old and new illustrations of people and places involved, topped off by a collection of excellent coloured photographs. One of the few shortcomings in this book is the selectivity of his Bibliography. Many works cited in the Notes are not listed there. Whether to keep the list short or to emphasise favoured works is obscure. A minor point, but a nuisance when delving further into the topic. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

4.0 out of 5 stars Very, very detailed, September 16, 2011

By 

Sean Knowes (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prehistoric Avebury, Second Edition (Paperback)

I got this book thinking there were more photos and that it was a larger size. I should look at the specs next time! Still, it was chock full of information about the stones and the people who built them. It is amazing that from seemingly so little left behind, that archeologists can discern so much! This is really more of a textbook than a sit back and read book.

5.0 out of 5 stars The one book for Avebury, August 9, 2011

By 

T. Johnson (Oregon) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prehistoric Avebury, Second Edition (Paperback)

This is the one book one must read before visiting Avebury.

It is the book that all of the other books refer to.

Full of helpful tips on visiting and a complete history of

the site.