Great Stone Circles: Fables, Fictions, Facts (Hardcover)

by Dr. Aubrey Burl (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
British archaeologist Burl (A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany) has produced an academically rigorous book that can still be enjoyed by the lay reader. The first part examines legends that have been attached to a number of different prehistoric stone circles in Britain, such as the Rollright Stones and the circles at Stanton Drew in Somerset. Burl speculates on the origins of the stories and then uses fact to debunk them. The second part of the book is somewhat controversial and focuses on Stonehenge. It has long been argued that humans made an epic journey over hundreds of miles to get the bluestones used in its construction from southwest Wales to Salisbury Plain. Burl challenges this idea, methodically laying out his theory that glaciers carried the stones to the site. The third part of the book focuses on the construction of Swinside in Cumbria. Lavishly illustrated in both black and white and color, this is highly recommended for libraries where there is interest in the subject.AJohn Burch, Cumberland Coll. Lib., Williamsburg, KY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Scientific American
The ancient, haunting stone circles that dot the British countryside have had many explanations. As archaeologist Jacquetta Hawkes wrote in 1967 of the most famous of them, "Every age has the Stonehenge it desires--or deserves." Burl, retired principal lecturer in archaeology at Hull College of Higher Education in Yorkshire, considers the fables, fictions and facts associated with 12 such sites and ventures his own explanations. Writing in particular of one of them, Swinside, at the southwest corner of the Lake District, but generalizing to all of them, he says: "So far from being 'rude stone monuments,' unplanned and casually thrown up; so far from being celestial observatories for astronomer-priests; these were centers of magical protection. Swinside was a perfection of the encircling landscape built in stone, a unity of the physical and the imagination, a symbol of the determination of man to survive against the threatening spirits that loomed everywhere, invisible, high, inhabiting and affecting the precarious and dangerous world of the sky."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (April 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300076894
• ISBN-13: 978-0300076899
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #933,483 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to the best known stone circles., September 6, 2000

By	[e-mail] (London, England) - See all my reviews

This weighty book takes an original approach. Dr Burl has picked half a dozen of the biggest, best known and most studied stone circles in Britain and written what must be a definitive account of every significant fact and fable that has been documented about them. Ten sites: Stanton Drew, Swinside, the Rollrights, Long Meg, the Land's End cluster, Stonehenge and, as Burl points out, the sparsest site that we have learnt most from: Woodhenge. His discussion of the Heel stone is a good example of how he sieves the references and homes in on answers. Presumably Avebury is absent as he literally wrote the book on that in 1979. New discoveries there call for an update, but they would have been too late for this book. I'm sure this will come in time, indeed many of us hope Dr Burl will get round to an update of his 1976 Stone Circles of the British Isles.

Burl's style is direct and can be poetic. If you can get inside his pithy humour it is inspiring to follow him as he targets and eliminates one misconception after another. From antiquarians to excavators, with a nod to the dowsers and ley hunters, the book documents all the attempts to penetrate the silence of the stones. He has little time for idle speculators, but he does at least give their ideas a quick airing rather than shying away like so many of his archaeological peers. Alas though, even drawing all this together can only go so far to answer many of the questions posed.

Burl starts the Stonehenge section with a passionate argument as to how the Bluestones got there. I agree with him that the journey from Wales seems far-fetched, but I'm not convinced by the case for glacial erratics picked up from Salisbury Plain either! Burl's other heretical idea, the suggestion that the Bretons had a hand in building Stonehenge is convincing. Indeed his descriptions of anthropomorphic rock art at Stonehenge unwittingly lay the foundations for Terence Meaden to step in with his carved head ideas.

There are inevitable comparisons with Burl's Prehistoric Avebury. One interesting section in that was his description of how people probably carried out their daily lives. Great Stone Circles does cover the construction of Swinside, but I'd liked to have seen more of this. As with many of Burl's other works, the great attraction is the space given to the lesser-known sites. I hope he can repeat the process at other circles in the future. Not a book you will tire of quickly if stone circles are your thing. So full of information it is hard to take in and digest in one reading, but that is more the fault of the reviewer than the author. Superb.

Review by Andy Burnham - www.megalithic.co.uk

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Monuments built and tumbled, March 19, 2003

By	Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Burl is among the leaders of scholars studying the stone and wood monuments scattered about the British Isles. This book, in many ways, is the culmination of years of research and publications. It brings to light some of the latest thinking on the origins of monuments like Stonehenge, Stanton Drew and Rollright. The selected sites are each unique in their own way. Burl presents historical considerations of the stone circles, updated with his own and others' insights. He's a vigorous writer, sharply critical where needed - equally praising when appropriate. A great demolisher of myths and mistakes, he uses the selected sites to demonstrate valid methods of study. His aim is to sweep away false or inadequate explanations to bring the sites and their builders to life. He's keenly aware that these are the
constructions of real people. Bringing those people to life is a major aim of the book.

This tour of selected stone circle sites makes compelling eading. Burl's witty style is enhanced by outstanding photography and many informative line drawings. The illustrations alone might put this book in the "coffee table" class, but the serious scientific base grants the book better status. Burl stresses the complexity inherent in each of the sights. Stonehenge, the prime example, was built through several phases, each taking previous structures into account. We are misguided into thinking overmuch about the visible stones, when much more, often indications of wooden structures, lie underground at the sites. This evidence, according to Burl, conveys a fresh story about the people building them than do the stones, standing or fallen. Burl argues that the lithic evidence indicates woodworking techniques were used to form the rocks of Stonehenge.

For those new to the topic, this book may seem somewhat overbearing. Burl attempts to clarify many issues ["axes to grind" if you will], most particularly the astronomical orientations of many of the stone circles, and their means of construction. He is particularly emphatic over the question of transportation of stones from southern Wales. The feat, he stresses, is clearly implausible. His contention is that the stones were local to what is now Wiltshire. They were "erratics" deposited by glacial action. Neolithic peoples moved, shaped and placed them. At Stonehenge, construction techniques are more typical of woodworking, but in stone. Burl's suggestion is that the technology was imported from Brittany, likely through workers imported from that region.

Burl has provided a good starting point for those interested in our historical roots. Clearly, the Neolithic people who built Stonehenge, Swinside and the other sites have left a legacy we share in some part. The notes and reading list Burl provides will lead the interested reader to guides for further investigation. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting bits of meat, but hard to taste the whole stew, March 19, 2000

By	M. Broderick "mikebinok" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book has a lot of interesting facts, and based on the foreword, it appears the author is trying to illustrate varous general themes about stone circles in general through discussions of individual circles. In some cases I think I "get" the theme he's trying to illustrate, and in others I don't. I'd have been happier if he would have come out and bluntly stated the point he is trying to make in each chapter. I guess I just don't understand stuff unless I'm hit over the head with it! Despite this, there are lots of lovely photos, and some interesting facts in the text. The two improvements I'd suggest are 1) Tell the reader exactly the point you are trying to make (don't leave it as an exercise for the student), and 2) put in some diagrams with labelled parts showing the exact physical relationships between parts of various circles when these relationships are being discussed in the text. If this sounds too whiney, I must point out that I bought the book in preparation for a trip to Cornwall where I'm going to visit some of the circles described in the book, and I do believe I'll enjoy my visits more because of having read this book.