Review by Choice Review
The British archaeological sites from the Neolithic that have left some kind of remains to be seen by visitors are listed and surveyed in this almost hefty field guide. The Neolithic constitutes the time when agriculture and animal husbandry provided much of the prehistoric diet, but also when stone tool technology still prevailed. In Britain, this was about 4700-2100 BCE. This era was also the time when megalithic chamber tombs, lunar/solar observatories, and other large stone monuments were constructed, so it has provided the most visible of prehistoric remains in the UK. Other less spectacular domestic, ceremonial, burial, and industrial sites are cited also in this listing, organized by realm (i.e., England, Scotland, and Wales, but no Ulster) and county. There is a brief introduction and some sites are given a detailed description and explanation by Castleden, an archaeological writer, who makes no attempt to provide any explication of the peoples, cultures, practices, and processes of prehistory. The book thus constitutes a reference gazetteer, and not something to be read in any particular sequential order. The 16 pages of black-and-white plates emphasize the megaliths, as do 100 line drawings, most taken from antiquarian publications; the illustrated plans are derived from more recent archaeological reports. General; graduate; faculty. R. M. Rowlett; University of MissouriDSColumbia
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
