Stonehenge: The Story of a Sacred Landscape torrent

Stonehenge: The Story of a Sacred Landscape - Francis Pryor [epub]

A concise, beautifully illustrated account of the history and archaeology of an iconic feature of the English landscape, from one of Britain’s most distinguished archaeologists.

Perched on the chalk uplands of Salisbury Plain, the megaliths of Stonehenge offer one of the most recognizable outlines of any ancient structure. Its purpose – place of worship, sacrificial arena, giant calendar – is unknown, but its story is one of the most extraordinary of any of the world’s prehistoric monuments.

Constructed in several phases over a period of some 1500 years, beginning c. 3000 BC, Stonehenge’s key elements are its ‘bluestones’, transported from West Wales by unexplained means, and sarsen stones quarried from the nearby Marlborough Downs.

Francis Pryor delivers an rigorous account of the nature and history of Stonehenge, but also places the enigmatic stones in a wider cultural context, exploring how antiquarians, scholars, writers, artists, 'the heritage industry' - and even neopagans - have interpreted the site over the centuries.

Hardcover, 208 pages
Published July 14th 2016 by Head of Zeus