ABSTRACT

First published in 1990. Of all the monuments left by the past, Stonehenge is the most evocative, the most memorable and the most mysterious. Whilst the monuments of other cultures have gradually surrendered their mysteries, Stonehenge alone seems to stimulate endless conjecture. Rodney Castleden's vivid presentation of the world of the megaliths answers many of the most baffling questions about Stonehenge. There are, he stresses, few absolute certainties, but from the vast body of evidence assembled during the last hundred years it is now possible to get much closer to the truth than ever before. Who built the monuments and for what purpose? How were the bluestones moved from the sacred mountains of the west to Salisbury Plain? Who were the people responsible for this amazing undertaking, and what did they think and believe?

chapter |2 pages

INTRODUCTION

chapter 1|8 pages

THE MYSTERIOUS MONUMENT

part |2 pages

PART 1 SETTLEMENT AND AGRICULTURE

chapter 2|19 pages

HERE IN THIS MAGIC WOOD

chapter 3|13 pages

HEARTH AND HOME

chapter 4|20 pages

THE BROKEN CIRCLE

part |2 pages

PART 2 INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

chapter 5|13 pages

OF THE EFFECTE OF CERTAINE STONES

chapter 6|9 pages

CLAY CIRCLES: THE FIRST POTTERY

chapter 7|24 pages

BY WHAT MECHANICAL CRAFT

chapter 8|12 pages

BY THE DEVIL’S FORCE

part |2 pages

PART 3 THE CEREMONIAL MONUMENTS

chapter 10|19 pages

THE OLD TEMPLES OF THE GODS

chapter 11|34 pages

DIALOGUE WITH DEATH

part |2 pages

PART 4 PEOPLE, POLITY AND PHILOSOPHY

chapter 12|11 pages

THE LAUGHING CHILDREN

chapter 13|17 pages

THE PEACEFUL CITADEL

chapter 14|22 pages

THE GREAT MYSTERY

chapter 15|12 pages

THE SPEAKING STONES

chapter |2 pages

CONCLUSION

chapter 16|9 pages

CHILDHOOD’S END