Stonehenge: A New Understanding: Solving the Mysteries of the Greatest Stone Age Monument

by Mike Parker Pearson

Despite its being one of prehistory s most alluring landmarks, before the Stonehenge Riverside Project led by noted archeologist Mike Parker Pearson, only half of Stonehenge itself and far less of its surroundings had ever been investigated, and many records from previous digs are inaccurate or incomplete.

With fresh evidence based on seven years of unprecedented access to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, this excavation replaces centuries of speculation about even the most fundamental mysteries of Stonehenge with hard proof. Stonehenge changes the way we think about the site, correcting previously erroneous dating, filling gaps in our knowledge about its builders and how they lived, clarifying the monument s significance both celestially and as a burial ground, and contextualizing Stonehenge which sits at the center of one of the densest prehistoric settlements in history within the broader landscape of the Neolithic Age.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Science, British Literature, Anthropology, Ancient History

410 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2013

Reviews

[Boudewijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Parker Pearson is an English archaeologist specialising in the study of the Neolithic British Isles, and is a professor at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. He was the director of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, which for a couple of years did some extensive archeological research on Stonehenge and its surroundings. This book is his view on the results and interpretation of the findings.

As a result of the project, a new understanding can be created for the function of Stonehenge. Stonehenge was a place of burial for a long period of its use, built on a geological feature that coincided with the solstice axis and was surrounded by a large settlement, where people came from far and away for seasonal feasting and to honour the dead. It also shows that Stonehenge was part of a much bigger complex, with large timber circles which haven't endured the test of time.

It gives some great new insights in the role and function of Stonehenge and may be interesting for the archaeological interests.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, Intriguing

Many people are interested in archeology today and this is a great book for laymen. It’s clear and fairly concise and it has lots of black and white illustrations and pictures as well as some stunning color photos. There’s something extremely intriguing about Stonehenge and the National Trust who oversees the site are very selective about letting scientists dig so this multiyear research project is a treat to read about.

Pearson put together a varied, multi cultural team of experts to help him dig and/or evaluate his findings. He was able to hone the dating of the various phases of Stonehenge’s construction and put together some theories on why and how it was built. Most fascinating was the woodhenge structure they found at Durrington Walls which was concurrent with Stonehenge and of similar construction though at Stonehenge they found human burials and at Durrington Walls they only found animal bones suggesting that Woodhenge was a site for the living where they had large Solstice celebrations that included feasts whereas Stonehenge was a site for the dead. They also found other related unknown or known sites in the area of the Avon River and found a previously undiscovered causeway connecting some of them. After Pearson lays out his findings and speculations the last two bring all the pieces together in summary format which I found helpful.

This review is based on an advance readers copy supplied by the publisher.
(Disclaimer given per FTC requirement.)

Goodreads friends if you happen to see my reviews on Amazon please do NOT vote on them.

[Mary Ronan Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old. Stonehenge is old. It has something to do with Druids and astronomical calculations, and it's out in the middle of nowhere (aka Salisbury Plain.) That's about all I knew about Stonehenge until I read Mike Parker Pearson's enlightening book, Stonehenge: A New Understanding: Solving the Mysteries of the Greatest Stone Age Monument.

How old? Well, that's not as easy to answer as you might think. It's a little like asking, "How old is Troy?" It depends on which Troy you're talking about, because there were a series of Troys, exposed one by one as the archaeologists dug down into the layers of the continually rebuilt city.

Stonehenge is much the same. There were five Stonehenge stages, with different stones and ditches and ridges as Neolithic, Copper Age, and Bronze Age peoples built and rebuilt the monument. It was begun in about 3000 BC and was abandoned in approximately 1520 BC. (May I just remark here how awed I am at the scientists who have been able to determine these dates and the centuries of work that have gone into the study of Stonehenge. Inigo Jones and Flinders Petrie among others studied the site.)

What about the Druids? They did not build Stonehenge. Scientists have irrefutable proof that the Druids had nothing whatever to do with Stonehenge. This does not stop people calling themselves "Druids" from considering Stonehenge theirs and petitioning the government to rebury the bones found in the area of the monument. Nor, for a time, did it stop UK government regulators more concerned with the possibility of injuring the feelings of New Age pagans than with hard science from ruling that the bones had to go back into the ground.

When American Indians complain that scientists are removing the bones of their ancestors from sacred ground and plead to have them returned it makes some sense. These really are ancestors, those really are sacred places for their tribe, and they can prove it. That self-described 21st century "Druids" should be given the same respect is ludicrous. Fortunately the government reversed their position and allowed archaeologists to proceed to conduct the 2003-2009 Riverside Project, which has vastly increased our knowledge of Stonehenge.

Is Stonehenge in the middle of nowhere? Well, when you look around when standing at Stonehenge you don't see a lot except for a highway that was build very close to the monument. (Who was the bureaucrat who allowed that to happen?) But as Pearson's book shows, Stonehenge was build in a complex of henges, some wooden and others of stone. A reconstructed map shows well over a hundred Stone Age henges, wooden circles, palisades, stones, barrows, trenches, burials, houses, and walls (indeed an entire village) in the area called the Stonehenge-Durrington Walls complex.

Astronomy? Indeed, Stonehenge stones line up perfectly to catch the midwinter sunset and the midsummer sunrise. The astronomer-priests who built it knew what they were doing. And now, thanks for people like Mike Parker Pearson and the other scientists who worked on this project, we know what they were doing too.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

- More like 3.5 stars
- A little too academic in style of narration, which can be dry most of the time. There is a lot of jumping around, which can be confusing to non-scholars like me, and it spoils the overall enjoyment of the work. I think you need to be comfortable in Neolithic and Early Bronze Age timelines to keep track of what is going on, but the book does have a section in the end that clarifies the confusion and puts all the bits of information in proper settings.
- This is a very important work to read for anyone interested in Stonehenge history. Due to conservation efforts and heritage preservation laws it is ridiculously hard to get a permit to dig on the site. Very little actual research is done there, and Riverside Project is one of the lucky few to get the front row seats. True, you cant take Pearson's theories as 100% true facts (since they are but one scholar's best educated guesses), but he provides vast archaeological evidence to support his claims. This book opens a lot of room for academic dialogue, and until more digging is done this is the latest and most detailed account you can ask for.

[Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a generous and detailed account of the author’s archeological excavations around Stonehenge and related Neolithic sites, with a good bit of discussion of previous digs. The writing is accessible and offers insight (for a lay reader like me) into how an archeologist chooses where to dig, puts a team together, recovers various materials, and interprets the data. One aspect that comes through strongly is the sense that modern archeology requires a team of excellent specialists - an expert on ground-penetrating scanners; another on dating and interpreting bones; another on geochemistry of certain rocks or soils, or bioturbation, or pollen.

With the book organized around a combination of the chronology of a multi-year project, and chapters on specific themes, I found it much harder to build a picture of the history uncovered by all the different findings. Chapter 19, very near the end, does that in an abbreviated way, and I’d recommend starting with that, and chapter 20, which sums up some interpretation, if you’re more interested in prehistory than the ins and outs of this particular project.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have interest about learning more about the famous Neolithic Stonehenge monument, this is a must read. This is an absolutely comprehensive read about anything and everything about Stonehenge. The author was one of the leaders who spearheaded a team of archaeologists in 2004-2009 to answer several questions about Stonehenge and area using modern equipment such as GPS, ground penetrating radar and other geophysical techniques as well as the tried and true method of digging trenches and holes. What was amazing that there was very poor and limited data in the area due to limited excavations around the area, or previous records destroyed due to bombing in WWII, or just pure mistakes in the field by previous archaeologists.
My head is still spinning from all of the information. The author goes into deep into the archaeological details into how and where trenches are dug, what they found and some of the post digging analysis such as radiometric dating, pollen analysis, isotope analysis of human remains and artifacts recovered. The author covers not just Stonehenge itself, but also nearby Neolithic monuments such as Woodhenge, the Curses, Avesbury and even in Wales where Stonehenge's bluestones are from. I found this stuff fascinating. I suspect some people might find it too scientific and the level of detail daunting.
One thing I couldn't help noticing how close archaeology and geology (which is what I do for a living) tackle a problem. Both are dealing with the past which there is limited record, plenty of gaps of information, and ones needs to extract as much information as possible that fits the data. I had a good chuckle as the author complains that the geophysics makes much more sense AFTER the dig. It is like me saying, of course that is a dry (unproductive oil or gas) well AFTER drilling the well because instead of seeing what we thought was an geophysical image of a hydrocarbon pool was actually a lousy shale interval.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to know more about Stonehenge.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, by archaeologist Michael Parker Pearson describes recent archeological excavations at Stonehenge and gave me a real appreciation for how multi-disciplinary the study of archaeology is. And it's also pretty amazing to see just how much evidence humans have left behind from more than four thousand years ago, and how much can be discerned from these clues. I'd never have the patience to be an archaeologist. At times, I didn't have the patience to read all of the details in this book about the size of post holes and the distribution of stone flakes, but I did enjoy reading about how this information is interpreted.

[SL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book about the Riverside Project studying Stonehenge and the surrounding area. Fascinating read for any armchair archaeologist. This read can be a bit dry, but is very interesting if you can get past that. Really enjoyed this.

[Steve Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book . I liked the format of the book . Chapters with specific focus points .
Now that I’m done , going to dig up the garden . U never know ??

[Tory Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very detailed account of Stonehenge and theories that have arisen based on archeological examinations. Mike Pearson gives an exhaustive account of various digs and pulls together research based on old ideas as well as conclusions based on new evidence.

[Frrobins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an exhaustive look at Stonehenge. Emphasis on exhaustive. I now know a lot more about Stonehenge than before I read it and much of it is fascinating. And it's also going to be a long time before I want to read about Stonehenge again. Or archaeology for that matter.

Written by an archaeologist, Dr. Pearson, it describes how he formed an hypothesis while talking to a follow archaeologist from Madagascar who it seemed obvious to him that Stonehenge was a monument to the dead with the nearby Woodhenge and the Durrington Walls settlement was a place for the living, something that people in Madagascar currently observe. At first Pearson discounted it, but the more he thought about it the more the idea grew on him and he formed some ways to test this idea and then started digging over a period of around 10 years and A. found evidence that confirmed his hypothesis and B. the view that Stonehenge is a monument to the dead and Woodhenge a place for the living now has a lot of acceptance.

What follows is an exhaustive account of what they found, not just at Stonehenge, but Woodhenge, Bluestonehenge, several other Neolithic sites, and the quarries where they had gotten the stones. The problem I ran into here is that I am not a very visual person and I am also a big picture person rather than a small details person, and description after description of geography, geology, and the layouts of cursus, Aubrey holes, and megaliths was difficult to follow. There was also a thorough listing of everything they found and everything that happened on the dig and it was a bit overwhelming. Basically there were so many trees it was easy to get lost in the forest. There were illustrations, and perhaps this was the fault of the ebook version, they didn't seem to follow along with what was being described or would show up several pages later. The color illustrations at the end were good.

There were also some rather abrupt transitions, dropping one line of inquiry rather fast and then moving to something unrelated.

While the book became a chore to read, the findings were fascinating enough that I didn't want to give up on it. I also think people from archaeological backgrounds or who are detail and visual types will have an easier time. And for people who want a well researched book on Stonehenge that isn't full of woo, I would recommend. For everyone else, here are the things I learned that I found most enlightening.

-Stonehenge was one of many megalithic sites in the Neolithic, several of which were in the area of Stonehenge.

-Stongehenge had an equivalent made of wood called Woodhenge and people lived in a nearby settlement known as Durrington Walls.

-Woodhenge and Durrington Walls were for the living, as evidenced by the amazing amount of Neolithic feast trash and houses. Stongehenge was a monument for the dead, as there is no feast trash, no houses, and plenty of cremated and buried remains. The idea that people in the Neolithic thought Stonehenge had healing properties is not supported by the evidence.

-Stonehenge was built and rebuilt over a period of 500 or so years, and the way it was originally constructed was very different from how it was at the end.

-It seems that during this time people moved megaliths from one spot to another, one site to another fairly regularly.

-So many people wonder how and why people would move giant rocks so far, this provided a lot of context for how this was done. Basically it wasn't one group of people moving it from Wales to Stongehenge, but people likely took them from Wales and then when they got to a certain town a new group would take over and then when they got the megalith to a new town another new group would take over, so it was more like a relay.

-The amount of time humans have been around is staggering to think about, especially the time before writing.

-Stonehenge is best explained as being built by people inhabiting Neolithic Britain, not Egypt or Greece and Dr. Pearson was right to not even entertain aliens.

-The place where Stonehenge was built has natural features carved by glaciers that aligned with the solstices, and when the Neolithic people realized it they likely chose to place Stonehenge where it was for that reason.

-I always thought the idea of aliens building Stonehenge to be ludicrous. After reading this, it is simply beyond preposterous to think of. And the idea also pisses me off because when you dismiss engineering feats like this as being aliens, you lose the opportunity to learn a lot about humans.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review title: What do you know about Stonehenge?
Much of what you know is about to be revised. Pearson led a multi-year series of excavations and scientific studies in and around the world's most famous stone monoliths to prove a theory, and what they found has revised or called into serious question established theories.

As it turns out Stonehenge is at the center of a whole neighborhood of Neolithic sites, including a "Woodhenge" and village a few miles away at a site called Durrington Walls along the River Avon. Pearson's extensive team (with specialists and students from many scientific, technical and academic disciplines) found the village based on the theory that if Stonehenge was a monument to the dead, there must have been a "village of the living" nearby. In other words, Stonehenge wasn't just an isolated place, but a place in context.

While sometimes the book veers off into archeological arcania, most of the time this is a fascinating account of what they found and how modern archeology works. Yes digging in the dirt is part of it, but now environmental and preservationist controls limit access, and much of the work is done on tiny samples of material in labs far away from and long after the eureka moments of the digs. And for a site like Stonehenge was has been dug into for sentries, historical research is a big component of the work. Pearson both relied on, re-excavated, and corrected past findings and theories based on them.

The net result is a new theory of who, how and why Stonehenge was built. Pearson takes a few (very few) sentences to dismiss druid magic and alien invasions, and focuses in on the findings in the context of the surroundings, culture, geography, and geology; for example one possible reason for Stonehenge's vaunted alignment with the summer and winter solstices is the glacial geology underlying the site, which the builders may have augmented by the above ground stones.

Because of Stonehenge's historical value and number of visitors getting permission to dig on the site is very hard, so it is likely that Pearson's team will be the last major dig there for a few years--but as you will learn in the book there are dozens of other potential sites and projects that could be proposed and funded that would continue to unravel the mysteries of Stonehenge. Maybe a reader of this book will be inspired to be one of those future history detectives.

[Gavin White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative read about the history and meaning of Stonehenge and the broader megalithic cultures of Great Britain. I decided to read this book and Mike Pitts' 'Hengeworld' at the same time to update myself on the current understanding of Stonehenge and Avebury.
In my opinion, this book by Parker Pearson is far better. It is interesting to see how two recent works based on the same data set come up with rather different reconstructions of Stonehenge! For Mike Pitts, the earliest phase of Stonehenge consisted of the ditch and bank and a set of wooden posts in the Aubrey holes; more surprising was his contention that the site was not used for burials of any kind at this period. Parker Pearson looks at the same material and understands it differently. For him the Aubrey holes originally housed the bluestones and the site was used as a cremation cemetery from its earliest days! All in all, Parker Pearson's analysis and the evidence he sets out make for a much more convincing argument.
The most enlightening aspect of this book is the coverage of the whole Stonehenge environment - including a number of other nearby sites - this really helped put the monument and its proposed purpose into a meaningful context. It may not be a complete solution but as far as I can tell it appears to be on the right track.
The text is clear and easy to read and the many illustrations and reconstructions really help to bring the subject to life.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an armchair archaeology nut, so when this book popped up on my local library's new arrival shelf I was thrilled. I had very little knowledge about Stonehenge prior to cracking the cover. I'd seen a few TV specials about Stonehenge which focused mainly on druids, paganism, and/or astronomy/astrology. None of that prepared me for this book, which is blessedly free of aliens and contains only a passing mention of druids. Virtually all the information shared by the author was brand new to me, which made for an extremely enlightening, if sometimes confusing, read. (So much of the terminology was new to me that I'd sometimes get confused over a term and have to page through what I'd already read to recall its meaning. The diagrams were very helpful as far as the actual layout of Stonehenge and the other prehistoric sites went, but it would also have been nice to have a glossary to reference.) Occasional befuddlement aside, though, I learned a tremendous amount about the process and unique challenges of digging for prehistoric artifacts, the popular theories among academics regarding Stonehenge and its contemporary sites, and the world of Neolithic Britain in general. I would definitely recommend "Stonehenge - A New Understanding" to anyone with an interest in prehistory in particular or archaeology in general.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fascinating story of the most recent discoveries of Stonehenge and related Neolithic sites. Pearson does not write in the style of pop-archeology; his motivation is not to entertain. However, the narrative, with its inclusion of details, is hardly boring. Pearson shows the reader why they should be excited about what antler picks found in the bottom of pits and the shape of a cremation burial can tell an archeologist about the building of a structure such as Stonehenge and the people who used it. He also offers a means for appreciating the laborious, time-consuming, obsessive work that must go into contributing to the body of knowledge about peoples whose traces can only be found in layers of soil revealed by the most careful of scientists. The number of illustrations that accompany this tale of excavating Stonehenge and related sites--and the tale of their building--help the reader to envision different stages of building and similar or connected sites.

This book does credit to the work of archeologists, past and present, whose work often goes under-appreciated, ignored, or, worse, romanticized to the point where only "big" finds are those worthy of note. Pearson's dedication to his subject matter and work is clear, and it's difficult not to be caught up in his admiration for his colleagues and his enthusiasm about the Stonehenge Riverside Project.

[Ashley E · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a non-fiction book, especially a long and detail-heavy one, I read this book incredibly fast. There's a good reason for that. I was absolutely fascinated from page 1.

Mike Pearson was one of the co-directors of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, a five-year project that excavated areas in and around the Stonehenge/Durrington Walls complex. Pearson and his colleagues had some new ideas about just what Stonehenge is, and they hoped to find some evidence to back up their theories. And with a lot of persistence and a little bit of luck, they did.

Pearson is a thorough, but very easy-to-grasp writer. The narrative of their digs and the history of Stonehenge, both ancient and more recent, are interesting and straightforward. And though occasionally he's a bit biased... he freely admits it. *grins*

Really, anyone who enjoys history, archaeology or England should love this book. It's an indepth view of not just the most recent excavations and theories, but all of them.

Let me tell you, I'm already looking at the ground differently, wondering what might be just under the surface....

[I received this book for free through First Reads and was not required to write a positive or any other type of review. All opinions stated herein are solely my own.]

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent description of current knowledge of Stonehenge and the surrounding area, written by Mike Pearson who was the lead archeologist on "the Stonehenge Riverside Project" completed between 2003-2008.
Since I was lucky enough to have had an excellent 5-1/2 hour tour of Stonehenge in July 2013 led by Pat Shelley (acknowledged on p. 172 of the book) who showed us Woodhenge, Durrington Walls, Bluestonehenge, the cursus and a round barrow, and led us up the Stonehenge Avenue prior to an after-hours tour at sunset into Stonehenge itself -- I could readily picture the landscape that Pearson is describing, so appreciated it even more.
The book, written in very accessible language, lays out the various hypotheses that could be tested at any point and the evidence that led to one conclusion or another (including evidence from other areas of Britain or elsewhere). He brings us up to date on what was learned in the past decade, and leaves us with the feeling that there is still much to be learned.
This book can certainly be appreciated and understood by a layperson, though it is not exactly light reading. Great for anyone really interested in Stonehenge and its place in Neolithic Britain.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I've visited Ireland's chamber at Newgrange and hiked up Knocknarea and marveled at the size of the unexcavated cairn at the top, I've never visited Great Britain and its 5,000 year old megaliths, Stonehenge being the world's most famous. This book really brought home to me the patient, fastidious work of modern archaeologists who must recognize and uncover the slightest of variations in soils to expose the clues of date, origin, and lifestyle. It is also surprising and humbling to realize how our human ancestors accomplished amazing work, and like us, went through changes in style and rearranged or remodeled by adding or moving pieces that weighed tons. As Pearson points out, we will never really understand why people went to such effort, but his work in the past 10 years has broadened our understanding of this one place, which is so much more than just those standing stones seen in postcards.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for the subject matter. Another five for the clear authority of the author, who directed the major excavations in the area. Three stars for the writing, which is at times clear, at times muddled, jumps around in time and subject, takes bizarre sideroads, and frustratingly avoids what sounds like fascinating subplots. The many did-you-know moments kept me going (copper ax heads actually cut trees very well, despite the fact that doing so dulls them and you need to pound them back into shape while chopping your tree - but it is that new technology which allowed the larger wood henges of the area to come into being). I may be insufferable at parties for a bit. My apologies in advance.

[Linda]

Picked up this book for research for WIP and it was interesting but not chock full of info I could use. There were some good bits but boy I learned a whole lot more about postholes than I ever dreamed existed (ramps, compacting, etc)! I could have skipped half of it but I did find some nice tidbits about things like burial goods, travel corridors and animals of the Neolithic as well as info about the suspected distribution of housing styles and pottery. Confirmed the belief of some about the area around Stonehenge being a landscape of worship as well as the existence of shamanistic type priests. So worthwhile in the end.

[Kimberly Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tying together many previous archaeological excavations of the area, the project which this books describes brings together many theories and uses technologies not available to many predecessors to form more unified theories. Even where the author disagrees with previous or contemporary theories, he is respectful of them and explains in great detail the reasons for his stance on any given issue. The author is obviously passionate and knowledgeable, but he does not take himself too seriously which would have made this work a dry academic tome and it most certainly is not that.

[Fenix Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This takes look at the whole of the area, not just Stonhenge itself,
to try to piece together when it was built.
Must is lost in time, by erosion and decay and human activity, so clues to teh far past are few.
Archeologists work slow, methodically, trying to extract what information they can from the bits
they can uncover.
A lot of fiction and myth surrounds this monument and others.
Bit by bit as technology advances the true story is starting to emerge from teh fog.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comprehensive and yet approachable look at what we've learned about Stonehenge and Neolithic Britain in the past decade and a half. Parker Pearson strays only occasionally, and is surprisingly successful at explaining complex technologies and theories in a manner understandable to reasonably literate readers. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Neolithic Britain or Stonehenge itself.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this two years ago and got distracted by something else.. then picked it up again and couldn't put it down. It's VERY well-written, extremely interesting, and the author makes me sorry I didn't go into archaeology! He does a great job making it fascinating and accessible to an ordinary reader without a scientific background. It's mostly about the history of Stonehenge, but ties Stonehenge in with the many, many other archaeological sites in Wiltshire and the entire UK.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on Stonehenge and, more importantly, it's context that I've read. The approach is evidence-driven, and Pearson shows, in layfolk's terms, how the archaelogical process works in obtaining, assessing, and interpeting the evidence. His style is enjoyable: easy to follow, considerate and sometimes striped with humor.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and descriptive, sometimes a little too so. Enjoyed author's first person accounting of research. Did not understand some of the terminology, but understood enough to get it. On the line between popular works and scholarly report.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable easy read. Sometimes I wished for more declarative thesis statements. His storytelling approach makes this better for casual reading than research, but that can be a strength as well as a weakness.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting way of describing what Stonehenge may have been all about.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for archaeology afficianados but I found it rather tedious and I was disappointed that the author provided very little insight into how Stonehenge was erected.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to be an archaeology geek to enjoy this book, and luckily I am. Well explained for the lay person for the most part, although fairly technical.