John Aubrey & Stone Circles: Britain's First Archaeologist, From Avebury to StonehengeAmberley Publishing Limited, 2010 M10 15 - 320 pages The career of eminent archaeologist John Aubrey and his revolutionary work on stone circles. John Aubrey is best known for his gossipy Brief Lives, but Aubrey Burl, the world expert on stone circles, argues he should be equally celebrated for his discovery of the age and wonders of prehistory, Britain's stone circles. In 1649, out hunting he chanced upon the wonders of Avebury. They fascinated him. The stones were clearly some form of temple, and as they were found in places where neither Roman, Saxon nor Dane had been they must have been erected before them when the only priesthood were the Druids. Aubrey was the first to have that heretical insight. Over the years John Aubrey compiled the first, objective compilation of pre-Roman monuments in Britain from the Merry Maidens in Cornwall to the moon aligned recumbent circles of Northern Scotland. Between lay famous rings like the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire and Long Meg and her Daughters in the Lake District. For years her was 'never off horseback', searching. His scribbled notes formed the foundation of stone circle studies. |
Contents
giants the Devil witchcraft ignorance | |
two plans of Avebury | |
Aubreys fieldwork at Avebury | |
stones | |
Devils Arrows stonerow Boroughbridge Yorkshire | 21 |
198 | |
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Common terms and phrases
ancient andthe Anthony à Wood Antiquities archaeological asthe atthe Aubrey’s Aubreywas Aubury Avebury Avebury’s avenue Barrow Brief Lives Britain Britannia Britons bythe century Charles Charleton church Danes Danish death Devil Diary died ditch Druids earlier England erected fieldwork foot Garden Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey’s giants hadbeen havebeen hehad hewas hundred inhis inthe Ireland Itwas Joan Sumner John Aubrey John Evelyn Jones Kennet king King’s later letter Lhwyd London manuscript MB,I medieval megalithic tomb Merlin miles monument Monumenta Britannica ofhis ofstone ofthe onthe Oxford Powell prehistoric published Puritans ring Rollright Stones Romans Royal Society Salisbury Plain Samuel Pepys sarsens Saxons Scotland Somerset standing stones Stanton Drew stone circles Stonehenge Stukeley superstition Templa Druidum Temple thatthe thestones theywere tobe told tothe village visited Vortigern Wales Walter Charleton wasa wasthe William Camden William Stukeley Wiltshire witches Wood’s wrote