- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: The History Press LTD; New Ed edition (30 April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0752414925
- ISBN-13: 978-0752414928
- Product Dimensions: 24.8 x 17.3 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,635,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
From the Back Cover
If only because timber is less permanent than stone, timber circles have been largely ignored as a major and significant type of ancient monument. In this pioneering work, Alex Gibson not only introduces the reader to timber circles in Britain, Eire, Holland, France and Germany, but argues that Stonehenge is essentially a timber circle: though made of stone, it is built with woodworking techniques and has closer parallels with timber circles than with stone ones.
Timber circles date from 3000 BC and continued in use until the Roman Conquest. Dr Gibson examines the key sites and their surviving artefacts, and uses evidence to reconstruct the appearance of the structures and their likely use. Excavation and reconstructions indicate that they are often sites of great sophistication and involved their creators in considerable effort. Used for religious purposes, many sites have lunar, solar and cardinal orientations; some involved processions, others feasting and still others may have been setting for human sacrifice.
Aided by a varied range of illustrations (including many in full colour), the author succeeds in bringing these forgotten prehistoric sites to life. The book, aided by a varied range of illustrations (including many in full colour), the author succeeds in bringing these forgotten prehistoric sites to life. The book is completed by a full, annotated Gazetter of timber circle sites.
Alex Gibson is an archaeologist working for English Heritage. One of Britain's leading authorities on prehistoric pottery, he is the co-author of Prehistoric Pottery for the Archaeologist, as well as being the author of numerous articles on pottery and timber circles.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book to find more about sites like Seahenge,
By A Customer
This review is from: Stonehenge and Timber Circles (Paperback)
If you think tackling the subject of prehistoric ritual sites that you can see (ie. stone circles) is a hard and thankless task often shunned by mainstream archaeology, imagine a book about timber (or pit) circles. Most of these are only seen in aerial photographs, and these require excavation to tell if the pits ever had any posts in them! The book covers the context, dating, possible functions and reconstructions of timber circles. I feel it is a little conservative, more imaginitive speculation (clearly labelled as such) is a feature of Aubrey Burl's books, and is instrumental in making an them interesting to a more casual reader.Dr Gibson suffered from rather unfortunate timing in the release of this book. Many of the topics are of great interest to those of us who've been following the saga at 'Seahenge', which has thrust the subject of timber circles into the limelight. This book fills in the background lacking in the TV programmes and web sites. In an interesting section on circles in Europe, he refers to a site in Terriers, France that strikes me as quite similar, and of the same data, as Seahenge - two menhirs surrounded by a 12.5m trench containing contiguous timbers, with a radiocarbon date of c.2100 BCE. Gibson describes this site as unique in Europe. It's a great pity this book predates the discovery of Seahenge - indeed a title of Seahenge and Timber Circles might well have shifted some more copies! Dr Gibson is a prehistorian with English Heritage, indeed he had a fleeting contribution to the Time Team Seahenge special shown in the Winter of 1999. At least one of his prayers has been answered. He writes: "Perhaps the argument is unanswerable, at least until a perfectly preserved, for example waterlogged, site is found... This may be a fanciful dream..." I don't feel this book has had the recognition it deserves. It's a brave attempt to explain this often overlooked area of archaeology, a difficult subject to bring to life, and this he does well.. If you want to learn more about sites like Seahenge, look no further than this excellent book. Review by Andy Burnham
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Introducing the reader to prehistoric timber circles,
By A Customer
This review is from: Stonehenge and the Timber Circles of Britain and Europe (Tempus History & Archaeology) (Hardcover)
If you think tackling the subject of prehistoric ritual sites that you can see (ie. stone circles) is a hard and thankless task often shunned by mainstream archaeology, imagine a book about timber (or pit) circles. Most of these are only seen in aerial photographs, and these require excavation to tell if the pits ever had any posts in them! The book covers the context, dating, possible functions and reconstructions of timber circles. I feel it is a little conservative, more imaginitive speculation (clearly labelled as such) is a feature of Aubrey Burl's books, and is instrumental in making an them interesting to a more casual reader.Dr Gibson suffered from rather unfortunate timing in the release of this book. Many of the topics are of great interest to those of us who've been following the saga at 'Seahenge', which has thrust the subject of timber circles into the limelight. This book fills in the background lacking in the TV programmes and web sites. In an interesting section on circles in Europe, he refers to a site in Terriers, France that strikes me as quite similar, and of the same data, as Seahenge - two menhirs surrounded by a 12.5m trench containing contiguous timbers, with a radiocarbon date of c.2100 BCE. Gibson describes this site as unique in Europe. It's a great pity this book predates the discovery of Seahenge - indeed a title of Seahenge and Timber Circles might well have shifted some more copies! Dr Gibson is a prehistorian with English Heritage, indeed he had a fleeting contribution to the Time Team Seahenge special shown in the Winter of 1999. At least one of his prayers has been answered. He writes: "Perhaps the argument is unanswerable, at least until a perfectly preserved, for example waterlogged, site is found... This may be a fanciful dream..." I don't feel this book has had the recognition it deserves. It's a brave attempt to explain this often overlooked area of archaeology, a difficult subject to bring to life, and this he does well.. If you want to learn more about sites like Seahenge, look no further than this excellent book. Review by Andy Burnham
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