Caroline Malone

Avebury (English Heritage)

David A. Barrowclough

Gods, deities, symbolism, deposition, cosmology and intentionality are all features of the study of early ritual and cult. Archaeology has great difficulties in providing satisfactory interpretation or recognition of these elusive but important parts of ancient society, and methodologies are often poorly equipped to explore the evidence. This collection of papers explores a wide range of prehistoric and early historic archaeological contexts from Britain, Europe and beyond, where monuments, architectural structures, megaliths, art, caves, ritual activity and symbolic remains offer exciting glimpses into ancient belief systems and cult behaviour. Different theoretical and practical approaches are demonstrated, offering both new directions and considered conclusions to the many problems of studying the archaeology of cult and ritual. Central to the volume is an exploration of early Malta and its intriguing Temple Culture, set in a broad perspective by the discussion and theoretical approaches presented in different geographical and chronological contexts.

Reconsidering Ritual in Archaeology

Cult in Context

Timothy Darvill

"Antiquity Publications announces the publication of the third volume of Antiquity papers, drawing on the 75-year tradition of publishing articles of enduring value. The third volume of reprinted classic papers explores the ever intriguing theme of British and European megaliths. Thirty-six papers examine four principal themes on megalithic studies. The earliest monuments - the great tombs and dolmens - reveal the extent of megalithic variety. Papers range from Daniel's early studies of British dolmens to more recent debates; the perennial interest in Stonehenge and Avebury has figured prominently in Antiquity and is brought fully up to date. The presence of timber and earth circles as precursors or alternatives to megalithic structures show further variety in ancient monument building. The final section, Beyond the Megaliths, through studies of ancient engineering, archaeoastronomy and sensory archaeology demonstrates the abiding interest in interpretations of function and meaning in the ancient stones."--provided by publisher.

Megaliths from Antiquity

Sarah Gormley

Barrie Hartwell

Catriona Brogan

Just six miles from the center of Belfast, County Down, on the plateau of Ballynahatty above the River Lagan, is one of Ireland’s great Neolithic henge monuments: the 200 m wide Giant’s Ring. For over a thousand years, this area was the focus of intense funerary ritual seemingly designed to send the dead to their ancestors and secure the land for the living. Scattered through the fields to the north and west of the Ring are flat cemeteries, standing stones, tombs, cists, and ring barrows – ancient monuments that were leveled by the plough when the land was enclosed in the 18th and 19th centuries. A great 90 m long timber enclosure with an elaborate entrance and inner ‘temple’ was first observed through crop marks in aerial photos. Excavation of the site between 1990–1999 revealed a complex structure composed of over 400 postholes, many over 2 m deep. This was a building in the grand style, elegantly designed to control space, views, and access to an inner sanctum containing a platform for exposure of the dead. By 2550 BC, the timber ‘temple’ had been swept away in a massive conflagration and the remains dismantled. Ballynahatty was one of the last great public ceremonial enterprises known to have been constructed by the Neolithic farmers in Northern Ireland, an enterprise proclaiming their enigmatic religion, ancestral rights and territorial aspirations. This report reconstructs the remarkable building complex and explains the sophistication and organization of its construction and use. The report sets the site and excavation in the wider development of the Ballynahatty landscape and its study to the present day.

Excavations in a Neolithic Monumental Landscape

Ballynahatty

Nancy Stone Bernard

Examines the site of the huge stone monument known as Stonehenge, discussing who built it, as well as theories on when, how, and why it was constructed.

Stonehenge

Simon Stoddart

The Cambridge Conference: The human landscape

This anthology provides a unique window on to people's experiences and perceptions of health and social care, demonstrating how communication and relationships lie at the heart of work in this field.

Caroline Malone

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