Seahenge: A Quest for Life and Death in Bronze Age Britain [Paperback]

Francis Pryor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

One of the most haunting and enigmatic archaeological discoveries of recent times was the uncovering in 1998 at low tide of the so-called Seahenge on the north coast of Norfolk. This circle of wooden planks set vertically in the sand, with a large inverted tree-trunk in the middle, likened to a ghostly "hand reaching up from the underworld", has now been dated to around 2020 BC. It focused national attention on archaeology to an extent not seen for many years, and the issues raised by its removal and preservation made it a "cause celebre". Francis Pryor has been at the centre of British archaeological fieldwork for nearly 30 years, piecing together the way of life of Bronze Age people, their settlement of the landscape, their religion and rituals.  "Seahenge" demonstrates how much Western civilization owes to the prehistoric societies that existed in Europe in the last four millennia BC.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Francis Pryor is President of the Council for British Archaeology and a prominent field archaeologist who has devoted his professional life to the excavation of wetland landscapes in eastern England. He has been a central figure in the so-called 'Wetland Revolution' of British archaeology, and has published a number of specialist monographs on his discoveries. He appears frequently on TV's Time Team; this is his first book for a wide general audience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007101929
• ISBN-13: 978-0007101924
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #795,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The life of an archaeologist, August 23, 2004

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seahenge: A Quest for Life and Death in Bronze Age Britain (Paperback)

First the negative, minor though it might be. The book is really rather misnamed. If anything, while Seahenge is a captivating title, it is way too limited. While the author discusses the wood circle at Holmes, he does so only briefly in the introduction and over a couple of chapters at the end of the book. What the main body of the volume contains is a very pleasant recitation of a life spent working in Neolithic and Early Bronze age archaeology in England.

For those looking for a more thorough description of the work and story of the remains at Holmes, it would probably be better to look to the journals. A visit to the local reference library for a bibliography will probably come up with what you want, and large public and certainly most university libraries will carry many of the journal entries on your list. These are likely to be quite technical, though, so be forewarned. More popular accounts might be available in journals like Archaeology, Archaeology Odyssey, or Scientific American.

Next, the positives. And they are major positives. First and foremost, the author has a very nice narrative style. It's readable and friendly, and while laced with some technical terms and ideas, these are usually fully explained without being labored. Furthermore, the author shares his knowledge of his field in practice so the reader has a first person, first hand account of an archaeologist at work. At one point Dr. Pryor quotes from his site diary, letting one in on his personal thoughts and experiences at a crucial point of his work at Seahenge.

Probably more than anything, the book offers a glimpse of what it means to be an archaeologist. In particular the reader learns how one goes about acquiring ones credentials, what the management of daily routine on the site is like, under what conditions one works and lives, what job opportunities there are, and how these effect ones personal lifestyle.

If one is inclined to follow up the information on archaeology and the archaeologist, the bibliography provides a good deal of material, some on specific topics from the journals and some on more general topics from books, most from 1980 to the present and some of historical interest from the 1960s and later.

I would definitely recommend this book for a school library serving students from forth grade and later. The book would be comprehendible to good readers of whatever age and gives a clear account of an archaeologist's life and what one has to learn to become one.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The life of an archeologist, May 18, 2005

By 

Hallstatt Prince (MA. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seahenge: A Quest for Life and Death in Bronze Age Britain (Paperback)

More of a book on the life of an archeologist than the discoveries themselves it nevertheless makes for an interesting read. I think many will be surprised, as I was, at the various facet involved in the life of an archeologist. In that way is it is a very generous book. A tale worth telling.