Stonehenge and Timber Circles

by Alex M. Gibson

Praised by The Archaeologist as "a very readable and stimulating review," the author’s ground-breaking study of 1998 is brought up-to-date in the light of the latest archaeological evidence. The author shows how Stonehenge can help us to understand the Neolithic and Bronze Age timber circles of Britain and Ireland, and how these timber circles aid our understanding of Stonehenge. He attempts their reconstruction, discusses their possible usages and functions, and describes how rituals may have changed through time. The relationship of timber circles with henges and stone circles is also explored.

189 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

Reviews

[Sophie Crane]

I had a feeling this was a classic, and I was right. It's not a huge tome, but it packs in a lot of information, with no padout woffle. Many excellent diagrams, and it covers sites in Europe too. Anyone interested in Stonehenge needs to know about the timber circle heritage. highly recommended, even though its a few years old now.

[Rhiannon Grant]

Helpful assessment of what evidence there is, or indeed isn't, for timber circles. Gibson mostly rejects European parallels, is splendidly clear about the limitations of various methods, and nevertheless manages to say some specific things about this now almost invisible monumental tradition and how it relates to Stonehenge.

[Susan]

Archeologists have identified the remains of a number of Neolithic/Bronze Age structures in Great Britain, Ireland and Europe. Little remains of the timber structures, usually somewhat circular in shape--this book reviews what is known and what may have been the purpose of the structures which persisted in some fashion over a period of 2,000 years in association with ditches, banks, causeways, stone circles, barrows and other structures. The presentation is thorough and methodical with many drawings and other illustrations, giving the reader the chance to see how archeologists reason from available evidence and the limitations on what is known. the author's final thesis, about Stonehenge, is intriguing, and I wish I had read this before visiting Stonehenge and Avebury.