Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the world’s most mysterious places. Who built it, how and why are questions that have endured for at least 900 years but now, thanks to modern methods of investigation, its secrets are being revealed to offer up a completely new understanding of this iconic monument. In this volume Mike Parker Pearson draws on almost two decades of research, the results of recent excavations and cutting-edge scientific analyses to provide answers to many of the mysteries that this iconic stone circle has kept for 5,000 years. In doing so, he paints the most comprehensive picture yet of the history of the ancient monument, from its origins up to the 21st century, and reveals how in some ways trying to explain its power of attraction in the present is harder than explaining its purpose in the ancient past. Stonehenge’s ancient history straddles the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, a time of momentous changes in society, technology and population, though its story began long before it was built. Serving initially as a burial ground, it evolved over time into a sacred place for gathering, feasting and building, and was remodelled several times over its long history as different peoples arrived in the area, bringing with them new technologies and customs. In more recent centuries Stonehenge has found itself the centre of excavations, political protests and even conspiracy theories, embedding itself in the consciousness of the modern world.