A highly illustrated talk based around many of the fascinating themes, new discoveries and mysteries highlighted in the book The Old Stones, along with a look at lesser known but interesting sites in the local area. The Old Stones is the most comprehensive and thought-provoking field guide ever published to the iconic standing stones and prehistoric places of Britain and Ireland, and was awarded Current Archaeology Book of the Year 2019. Andy is the lead author, along with other contributors to the huge Megalithic Portal web resource which he founded and has been running continuously since 2001.

Some of the topics covered in Andy’s talk:
• Megaliths and their connection to the oldest Neolithic Halls in Britain (in Kent)
• Dolmens, propped stones and ‘proto dolmens’ and how, why and where they were constructed
• Folklore of a Dartmoor stone circle
• Ancient trackways, the evidence for long distance journeys to Stonehenge, and seasonal feasting at Durrington Walls
• Use of colour in megalithic monuments (eg Anglesey)
• Strange experiences at sites
• Huge wooden monuments the size of four football fields, and how archaeologists think they were used
• and much more – presented as a fast paced ‘whistle stop’ tour with amazing photos of prehistoric sites from all over the UK

The Old Stones
A Field Guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland
By The Megalithic Portal and Andy Burnham

The Old Stones – a field guide to the megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland, has been announced as Current Archaeology Book of the Year 2019, chosen by public vote against competition from the many hundreds of other archaeology books published each year.
The award was presented to lead author Andy Burnham, by archaeologist Julian Richards at their conference held over the weekend at Senate House, University of London.
Andy, the driving force behind the project, is available for interview to explain why The Old Stones is THE outstanding book on popular archaeology, with something to interest everyone, from walkers to ancient history enthusiasts to dowsers.
• Created with huge community input from all over the UK (and Ireland) with photos, specialist articles on sites and the very latest research from archaeologists and amateur enthusiasts.
• The most comprehensive field guide ever created to over 1,000 prehistoric sites – exhaustively researched by contributors to the famous Megalithic Portal ancient sites web resource, which backs up the book with its huge ancient sites database and photo library
• Full of the latest archaeological information and theories explained in an accessible way, explained by top archaeologists, independent researchers and amateur enthusiasts, from archaeoastronomy and acoustic theory to phenomenology and photogrammetry.
• Beautifully designed with hundreds of photos, and specially created maps and plans
The book has an extensive Introduction by Vicki Cummings, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire and a Foreword by Mike Parker-Pearson, Professor of British Later Prehistory at University College London
You can read reviews and comments from readers on the Megalithic Portal’s page here (scroll down for comments)

https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146414341

 

Tuesday 12th November 2019 at 7.30 p.m  

Red Lion, East Street, Chulmleigh, Devon EX18  7DD 

 

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