The Old Stones

Winner of Current Archaeology’s Book of the Year Discover the iconic standing stones and prehistoric sites of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland—this comprehensive, coffee table travel guide features over 750 must-see destinations, with maps and color photographs The ultimate insiders’ guide, The Old Stones gives unparalleled insight into where to find prehistoric sites and how to understand them, by drawing on the knowledge, expertise and passion of the archaeologists, theorists, photographers and stones aficionados who contribute to the world’s biggest megalithic website—the Megalithic Portal. Including over 30 maps and site plans and hundreds of color photographs, it also contains scores of articles by a wide range of contributors—from archaeologists and archaeoastronomers to dowsers and geomancers—that will change the way you see these amazing survivals from our distant past. Locate over 1,000 of Britain and Ireland’s most atmospheric prehistoric places, from recently discovered moorland circles to standing stones hidden in housing estates. Discover which sites could align with celestial bodies or horizon landmarks. Explore acoustic, color, and shadow theory to get inside the minds of the Neolithic and Bronze Age people who created these extraordinary places. Find out which sites have the most spectacular views, which are the best for getting away from it all and which have been immortalized in music. And don't forget to visit the Megalithic Portal website and get involved by posting your discoveries online. All royalties from this book go to support the running of the Megalithic Portal: www.megalithic.com.

This is the only book about standing stones created by the whole community of megalith enthusiasts, as represented by the archaeologists, photographers, theorists and stones aficionados who post on the Megalithic Portal. It offers unparalleled coverage of Britain and Ireland's Neolithic and Bronze Age sites: where they are, what to look out for, how to understand them. Featuring 1,000+ sites (500 with full photographic profiles), the book includes many places not covered elsewhere. An introductory essay by archaeologist Vicki Cummings helps readers interpret the sites and surrounding landscape through prehistoric eyes. Throughout the book are feature articles by different contributors on a huge range of topics, from archaeological analysis of key sites (including Stonehenge, Avebury, Durrington Walls, the Dartmoor stone rows, Grimes Graves, the Cumbrian axe factories, Newgrange and many more), reports on cutting-edge excavations at sites such as Must Farm and Ness of Brodgar, as well as discussions of 'mysteries', such as otherworldly experiences, dowsing, healing sites, archaeoastronomy and sacred geometry. Up-to-date archaeological approaches, such as sensory and experimental archaeology, are also explained. Andy Burnham's introduction offers tips for megalith enthusiasts in the field, as well as 'how to' features on drone photography and 3D modelling. With its stunning contemporary design combined with a durable flexi binding, this is a volume to gift and to treasure, to pore over at home and take out on expeditions.

There are many hundreds of fascinating prehistoric sites in Wales, in some of the most beautiful locations in Britain, from mountaintop settings, such as at Bryn Cader Faner, to headlands with all-round sea views, as at Coetan Arthur, or on truly remote moorland, as at Bannau Sir Gaer. The road links between North and South Wales are not that great, so it's probably best to choose one or the other as a destination unless you are up for a lot of motoring. In North Wales, Anglesey has a particularly dense concentration of megalithic sites, with many in Gwynedd and Conwy to visit on the way. South Wales stretches from Monmouthshire to Pembrokeshire, where there is the biggest and best variety of sites, including the iconic Pentre Ifan with its capstone apparently delicately floating over its three massive uprights. The Old Stones of Wales is part of a series covering the megalithic and other prehistoric sites of Britain and Ireland. The series is published together as The Old Stones: A Field Guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland, available as a book and an ebook.

Ground stone artefacts were widely used in food production in prehistory. However, the archaeological community has widely neglected the dataset of ground stone artefacts until now. 'New Approaches to Old Stones' offers a theoretical and methodological analysis of the archaeological data pertaining to ground stone tools. The essays draw on a range of case studies - from the Levant, Egypt, Crete, Anatolia, Mexico and North America - to examine ground stone technologies. From medieval Islamic stone cooking vessels and late Minoan stone vases, to the use of stone in ritual and as a symbol of luxury, 'New Approaches to Old Stones' offers a radical reassessment of the impact of ground-stone artefacts on technological change, production and exchange.

'a wonderfully atmospheric tale ... offers a brief, magical escape to a kinder, simpler time' – Roger Cox, The Scotsman It's 1968, and the fishermen of Kinloch are preparing to celebrate the old New Year on the twelfth of January. The annual pilgrimage to the Auld Stones is a tradition that goes back beyond memory, and young Hamish, first mate on the Girl Maggie, is chuffed that he's been invited to this exclusive gathering – usually reserved for the most senior members of Kinloch's fishing community. Meanwhile, it appears that the new owners of the Firdale Hotel are intent upon turning their customers teetotal, such is the exorbitant price they are charging for whisky. Wily skipper Sandy Hoynes comes up with a plan to deliver the spirit to the thirsty villagers at a price they can afford through his connections with a local still-man. But when the Revenue are tipped off, it looks as though Hoynes and Hamish's mercy mission might run aground. Can the power of the Auld Stones come to their rescue, and is the reappearance of a face from Hoynes' past a sign for good or ill?

Ireland.

A richly illustrated guide to the dolmen culture of Prehistoric Sicily. Scattered around the world in woods and on mountains dolmens have posed a mystery for hundreds of years. The interpretations of these mysteries have been extremely imaginative over the centuries. But in Sicily it has only been in recent years that the presence of numerous megaliths has been revealed. This manual provides a comprehensive guide to the dolmens of Sicily and the artefacts as well as historical and cultural associations of these prehistoric sites. With 26 black and white illustrations