Sun, Moon and Standing Stones

Over the last twenty years, the picture of prehistoric archaeology in the British Isles has been profoundly changed by new discoveries and the development of new techniques of investigation. One of the most controversial topics has been the claim by several scientists that communities in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages devised their own geometry and units of length, invented accurate methods of observing the sun and the moon, produced a calendar, and predicted eclipses. This 'excellent book' (The Listener), now issued in a revised edition in paperback, collects and assesses the evidence, and, though the writer considers the case proved, permits the reader to make his own judgement. Previous books on this subject tend to be either too difficult for the non-specialist or superficial and sensational. Dr. Wood is concerned to separate fact from fiction. The approach is scientific but with a minimum of mathematics, and assumes no previous knowledge of astronomy. Several famous sites, such as Stonehenge and Carnac, and many less well known ones, are described in detail and reinterpreted in the light of the new ideas. The final part of the book looks at the impact of the astronomical theory on our understanding of the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages, and of the prehistoric societies existing in north-east Europe.