In November 1997 English Heritage announced the discovery of a vast prehistoric temple in Somerset. The extraordinary wooden rings at Stanton Drew are the most recent and biggest of a series of remarkable discoveries that have transformed the way archaeologists think of the great monuments in the region, including Avebury and Stonehenge; one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments, top tourist site and top location for summer solstice celebrations. The results of these discoveries have not been published outside academic journals and no one has considered the wider implications of these finds. Here Mike Pitts, who has worked as an archaeologist at Avebury, and has access to the unpublished English Heritage files, asks what sort of people designed and built these extraordinary neolithic structures - the biggest in Britain until the arrival of medieval cathedrals. Using computer reconstructions he shows what they looked like and asks what they are for. This is the story of the discovery of a lost civilisation that spanned five centuries, a civilisation that now lies mostly beneath the fields of Southern England.

For one brief moment in the third millennium BCE the galaxy levelled around the horizon, bringing into view stars that would not be visible again in the northern hemisphere for twenty thousand years. The spectacular Southern Cross dominated the night sky, and it is the contention of this book that this event was marked by the Neolithic people of Britain by monuments such as Avebury. Avebury Henge marries archaeology with astronomy to show that the people who built Avebury, West Kennet long barrow and Silbury Hill aligned them not only with the cycles of the sun, moon and planets, but also with the stars.

Land of the Gods is the historical, archeological story of the ancient inhabitants of Scotland, the Lothians and the Borders tribes, whom the Romans called the Goddodin. The Romans did not conquer these ancient inhabitants, though when they retreated from Britain, neighboring tribes tried to lay claim to their lands. Then a magnificent warrior emerged from these ancient Scottish tribes. Remembered as Arthur, he fought for the survival of his land and won, and his Camelot was the Lothians and Borders region. After his reign, the region was finally overrun and his people fled to Wales, where over time, the story of their magical kingdom to the north and their mythical hero coalesced into the myth of Camelot and King Arthur. Today, remnants of the spiritual architecture of these tribes are visible in Cairnpapple, Traprain Law and other ancient Scottish monuments. They accentuated their region's unique volcanic landscape to reflect their mythology, which spoke of gods descending to Earth from the sun god Loth.

Catalog for an exhibition at the Ruhrlandmuseum in Essen, honoring Georg Gerster for over 40 years of aerial photography of archaeological sites around the world.

In this thrilling novel, Dr. Liam Kelly PhD, SJ, is a renowned scholar of Biblical history who has spent a lifetime researching pre-Christian documents in the Vatican archives. With his knowledge of a dozen ancient languages, he compiles a dossier of the secrets of the archives and uncovers startling linked secret meaning of the Pyramids Stonehenge. But he learns the story can never be told, because twisted through the threads of pagan history are other dark secrets the Church does not want to reveal. Dr. Kelly wrestles with his inner demons, torn between loyalty to his Church and the temptation of telling the truth. At risk to his personal safety, he defies Church hierarchy to find a way to reveal the old knowledge of pagan mysteries.

The archaeological sites of Orkney give us an unparalleled glimpse into prehistory. Inscribed as the 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney' World Heritage Site in 1999, four great monuments - the village of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and the burial mound of Maeshowe - are also at the center of the archipelago's story. This book looks at what makes these monuments so special. Caroline Wickham-Jones explores the Neolithic world in which they were built, how they came to be a focus through the ages, and what they mean today. Picts, saints, Vikings, antiquarians and tourists populate Orkney's past: a history which is channeled through these 'dances of stones'. This new second edition replaces the highly successful and widely used first edition, which sold over 1,000 copies. The text has been fully updated to take account of recent discoveries and research including the now world famous site Ness of Brodgar. In addition there are over thirty new images including stunning photographs of Orkney's archaeology and landscape.

The story of the land that became Scotland is one of dramatic geological events and impressive human endeavour. Alistair Moffats gripping narrative ranges from the great thaw at the end of the Ice Age which was instrumental in shaping Scotlands magnificent landscape through the megalith builders, the Celts and the Picts, to the ascension of King Constantine II. Moffat deploys his knowledge with wit and deftness, interweaving the story with numerous special features on topics as diverse as cave drawings of dancing girls, natural birth control, the myth of Atlantis and the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence all of them valuable, sometimes quirky, additions to the whole picture. Rounding out the account is a selection of carefully chosen colour photographs that give a strong sense of the Scottish landscape and monuments. Erudite and entertaining, Before Scotland transforms our understanding of a neglected period. A story of dramatic geological events and impressive human endeavour, it is essential reading for anyone interested in the land that became Scotland.

The later Neolithic henges are a distinctive yet enigmatic class of monument. Taken as indicative of the emerging social complexity of the third millennium BC, they are often seen as the culmination of cultural achievement during this period. Yet little is actually known about these monuments -- their origins, the meanings behind their distinctive layout, the activities undertaken within their perimeters, or indeed their significance to later Neolithic society. Drawing on the full range of data available across the British Isles and on anthropological parallels, the author addresses these questions in a book that will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand Neolithic society.

Substantially revised including the latest on the newly discovered Stonehenge skeleton. Joint winner of the British Archaeology Press Award. First published by Century in 2000.