The spectacular stone circles of western Europe, some nearly 6000 years old, have intrigued viewers through the ages. This beautiful book about these megalithic rings explores their ancestry, methods of construction, and eventual desertion. A substantially revised version of Aubrey Burl's highly praised book The Stone Circles of the British Isles, it offers new insights into the purpose of stone circles. It also provides a new interpretation of Stonehenge and of Callanish in Scotland, the first overview of the cromlechs in Brittany, a discussion of the problems of archaeo-astronomy as related to stone circles, and includes a greatly expanded Gazetteer, and an up-to-date list of radiocarbon dates and recent excavations.
Author Biography
Aubrey Burl was formerly principal lecturer in archaeology, Hull College of Higher Education, East Riding of Yorkshire. He is the author of many books, including Great Stone Circles: Fables, Fictions, Facts (ISBN 0 300 07689 4, #19.95); From Carnac to Callanish: The Prehistoric Stone Rows and Avenues of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany (ISBN 0 300 05575 7, #29.95); and Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany (ISBN 0 300 06331 8, #9.95); all published by Yale University Press.
