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Hengeworld: Life in Britain 2000 BC as Revealed by the Latest Discoveries at Stonehenge, Avebury and Stanton Drew
As famous as it is mysterious, Stonehenge lies at he heart of our imagined past. Nearby at Avebury is one of the most extraordinary ancient religious landscapes. For the first time in over 40 years, an archaeologist close to both sites presents the story from the inside. Starting at he excavation that followed the collapse of a Stonehenge megalith on the last night of the 19th century, and ending with a dramatic discovery on Avebury at the close of the 20th century. Hengeworld tells how recent archaeology has revolutionised the way we think about these great stone circles and the people who built them. Finally, Pitts shows a pattern emerging from the archaeology of these sites which explains the relationship between then and reconstructs the ceremony that would have symbolised this.
Generations have tried to understand the meaning of this amazing monument...yet till now no one has been able to say with any confidence what it was for...an up-to-date, eye-opening book on our greatest prehistoric monument - Daily Mail
Reads like a...whodunit - Manchester Evening News
Mike Pitts is that rare thing, an archaeologist who not only makes the news...but who can also write it. This book is a gem - witty, charming, urbane, informative - Simon Denison, British Archaeology
Generations have tried to understand the meaning of this amazing monument...yet till now no one has been able to say with any confidence what it was for...an up-to-date, eye-opening book on our greatest prehistoric monument - Daily Mail
Reads like a...whodunit - Manchester Evening News
Mike Pitts is that rare thing, an archaeologist who not only makes the news...but who can also write it. This book is a gem - witty, charming, urbane, informative - Simon Denison, British Archaeology
409 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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August 16, 2021Lively writing. Tells the past and present Stonehenge stories: there's plenty on the archaeological chaos around Stonehenge and the frankly shockingly haphazard way it's been excavated and treated. We also get, if not a picture, a few possible sketches of the unknowable lost world of henges--what they might have meant to their successive builders, how they were erected and used and adapted. Intriguing stuff.
July 2, 2021
This is a lengthy and comprehensive non-fiction book about the megalithic structures of Neolithic Britain (Avebury, Stonehenge etc), the cultures who built them and how modern science arrived at what we currently know about those.
The early chapters go into detail about the often eccentric, individual personalities involved in the archaeological fieldwork, the evolution of excavation and investigation methods through modernity as well as the different theories that have been posited so far about how and why these megalithic structures were constructed.
If you ask me, the most interesting part of "Hengeworld" is finding out how much the archaeological theories about Stonehenge and similar henges have evolved with the evidence and analysis available. First they were thought to have been constructed in the Iron Age, then the Bronze Age before being discovered to be Neolithic. While the Henges were built by the pre-Indo-European Neolithic farming cultures related to those the late Marija Gimbutas waxed nostalgic about in books like The Goddesses and Gods of old Europe, 6500-3500 BC. Myths and cult images, these same megalithic structures were extensively modified by the invading Bronze Age Proto-Indo-European "Bell Beaker culture" for use in their own very different religious rituals! (perhaps to counter-act the magic set in place by the previous inhabitants, whom the Bell Beaker people viewed as evil?)
That is not all, either: Ritual burials around the area could be found from as late as the Iron Age, with one skeleton turning out to belong to a Saxon from the Dark Ages. The last chapter in "Hengeworld" revolves around the difficult forensic detective work in figuring out this person's identity.
It is also interesting to learn how the henges were first thought to be astronomical observatories, and it wasn't until the 1970's and 1980's anyone discovered burial places there. One chapter examines the evidence for how many astronomical observation uses are even possible for Stonehenge in the first place, something that is far from clear quite contrary to popular belief.
More of the insight to be found in "Hengeworld" which stands out revolves around the process of figuring out how the henges were built, complete with sarcastic comments about Erich von Däniken and company: The author Mike Pitts is not 100% sure how the construction of he henges went, but he leans towards the stones being transported to the construction sites using rafts and barges along the seas and rivers. Since this theory is not that popularly accepted in archaeology, he expends quite a bit of effort in arguing for that explanation.
I should at last mention that "Hengeworld" has around 70-80 pages of footnotes and appendixes, most of them focusing on radiocarbon dating the archaeological discoveries and artifacts from around the various henges. As I said in the beginning of this review, this is as thorough a book about the Megalith-builders of Neolithic Europe as you can find at least as far as books written for popular audiences go, and I would encourage anyone with an in-depth interest in the subject to give "Hengeworld" a read.
The early chapters go into detail about the often eccentric, individual personalities involved in the archaeological fieldwork, the evolution of excavation and investigation methods through modernity as well as the different theories that have been posited so far about how and why these megalithic structures were constructed.
If you ask me, the most interesting part of "Hengeworld" is finding out how much the archaeological theories about Stonehenge and similar henges have evolved with the evidence and analysis available. First they were thought to have been constructed in the Iron Age, then the Bronze Age before being discovered to be Neolithic. While the Henges were built by the pre-Indo-European Neolithic farming cultures related to those the late Marija Gimbutas waxed nostalgic about in books like The Goddesses and Gods of old Europe, 6500-3500 BC. Myths and cult images, these same megalithic structures were extensively modified by the invading Bronze Age Proto-Indo-European "Bell Beaker culture" for use in their own very different religious rituals! (perhaps to counter-act the magic set in place by the previous inhabitants, whom the Bell Beaker people viewed as evil?)
That is not all, either: Ritual burials around the area could be found from as late as the Iron Age, with one skeleton turning out to belong to a Saxon from the Dark Ages. The last chapter in "Hengeworld" revolves around the difficult forensic detective work in figuring out this person's identity.
It is also interesting to learn how the henges were first thought to be astronomical observatories, and it wasn't until the 1970's and 1980's anyone discovered burial places there. One chapter examines the evidence for how many astronomical observation uses are even possible for Stonehenge in the first place, something that is far from clear quite contrary to popular belief.
More of the insight to be found in "Hengeworld" which stands out revolves around the process of figuring out how the henges were built, complete with sarcastic comments about Erich von Däniken and company: The author Mike Pitts is not 100% sure how the construction of he henges went, but he leans towards the stones being transported to the construction sites using rafts and barges along the seas and rivers. Since this theory is not that popularly accepted in archaeology, he expends quite a bit of effort in arguing for that explanation.
I should at last mention that "Hengeworld" has around 70-80 pages of footnotes and appendixes, most of them focusing on radiocarbon dating the archaeological discoveries and artifacts from around the various henges. As I said in the beginning of this review, this is as thorough a book about the Megalith-builders of Neolithic Europe as you can find at least as far as books written for popular audiences go, and I would encourage anyone with an in-depth interest in the subject to give "Hengeworld" a read.
October 21, 2017
For the most part, Hengeworld is a thoughtful discussion of the various discoveries about henge sites, mostly in the Wessex area. It looks at dating and old digs, piecing together as accurate a story as possible and trying to put together the context of Stonehenge and the places like it. I’m pretty happy that, at least in 2000ish when this was written, Pitts was saying nothing controversial — his work aligns with that of Francis Pryor (notably not referenced, though) and Mike Parker Pearson.
One note, though — where Pitts discusses people protesting the dig at Seahenge, he insists that the protestors didn’t understand what was going on. Surely, he seems to think, if they’d understood the circle was going to be destroyed anyway by the sea, if they’d understood the importance to archaeology, they wouldn’t have had anything to protest about. But that ignores the link people still have with the prehistoric monuments like Seahenge. It was built of timber, so surely our ancestors knew it would rot in the end. It was built on the shore, for goodness’ sake — a liminal, impermanent place if there ever was one. They meant for Seahenge to be taken by the sea, perhaps. It may even have been important to them. Who is Mike Pitts, or any archaeologist, to claim that’s not worth respecting?
I share the curiosity about megaliths and henges — obviously. I’ve read this book. But sometimes I do wonder why we privilege our understanding of them over the symbolism they had for ancient peoples. On the one hand, of course those people are gone and won’t know what’s happening. On the other… maybe rescuing Seahenge is not a sign of respect for the past, but a desecration. However important you think the archaeology is, I think there should be room to consider that and accept that some people may feel it trumps the opportunity for radiocarbon dating, and freezing the remains of Seahenge in time in a climate controlled environment. That is not, after all, what Seahenge was built for.
When Pitts concludes that different eras have made what they will of Stonehenge and the other megalithic and megadendritic structures out there, he’s closest to recognising their real power, I think.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
One note, though — where Pitts discusses people protesting the dig at Seahenge, he insists that the protestors didn’t understand what was going on. Surely, he seems to think, if they’d understood the circle was going to be destroyed anyway by the sea, if they’d understood the importance to archaeology, they wouldn’t have had anything to protest about. But that ignores the link people still have with the prehistoric monuments like Seahenge. It was built of timber, so surely our ancestors knew it would rot in the end. It was built on the shore, for goodness’ sake — a liminal, impermanent place if there ever was one. They meant for Seahenge to be taken by the sea, perhaps. It may even have been important to them. Who is Mike Pitts, or any archaeologist, to claim that’s not worth respecting?
I share the curiosity about megaliths and henges — obviously. I’ve read this book. But sometimes I do wonder why we privilege our understanding of them over the symbolism they had for ancient peoples. On the one hand, of course those people are gone and won’t know what’s happening. On the other… maybe rescuing Seahenge is not a sign of respect for the past, but a desecration. However important you think the archaeology is, I think there should be room to consider that and accept that some people may feel it trumps the opportunity for radiocarbon dating, and freezing the remains of Seahenge in time in a climate controlled environment. That is not, after all, what Seahenge was built for.
When Pitts concludes that different eras have made what they will of Stonehenge and the other megalithic and megadendritic structures out there, he’s closest to recognising their real power, I think.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
September 9, 2014
Its been twenty odd years since I last explored Stone-circles and the like. A lot of new sites, interpretations and information has come to light in the meantime. Mike Pitts' book is a very readable summary of much of this new info - so for me it was a very good place to start catching up.
Unlike most archaeology books that are full of jargon and in-depth discussions of not very exciting artefacts, this book is refreshingly easy to read. Rather than a summation of current knowledge, the author tells the back-story of British archaeology associated with the great henge monuments. It is a rather depressing story of amateurish digs, professional rivalries and a reluctance to publish results. More than anything else, this shows why we have had so little certain knowledge on these unique monuments.
The good news is that things are starting to change. With a massive review of all the accumulated evidence, English Heritage, the current custodians of Britain's ancient monuments, have assembled a new chronology of events at Stonehenge that is a much more reliable basis for future work. The author bases his work on this revised corpus.
My main problem with the book was its novel-like structure. The narrative can jump around all over the place which at times is a significant distraction. And when it comes to trying to understand the broad sweep of events it is difficult to access the information I actually wanted.
I have just finished 'Stonehenge: A New Understanding' by Mike Parker Pearson which is much better in several respects.
Unlike most archaeology books that are full of jargon and in-depth discussions of not very exciting artefacts, this book is refreshingly easy to read. Rather than a summation of current knowledge, the author tells the back-story of British archaeology associated with the great henge monuments. It is a rather depressing story of amateurish digs, professional rivalries and a reluctance to publish results. More than anything else, this shows why we have had so little certain knowledge on these unique monuments.
The good news is that things are starting to change. With a massive review of all the accumulated evidence, English Heritage, the current custodians of Britain's ancient monuments, have assembled a new chronology of events at Stonehenge that is a much more reliable basis for future work. The author bases his work on this revised corpus.
My main problem with the book was its novel-like structure. The narrative can jump around all over the place which at times is a significant distraction. And when it comes to trying to understand the broad sweep of events it is difficult to access the information I actually wanted.
I have just finished 'Stonehenge: A New Understanding' by Mike Parker Pearson which is much better in several respects.
March 20, 2016
Hengeworld put the Neolithic henges of Britain into context. It is laced with interesting anecdotes which give insight into the way archaeologists work and think. The anecdotes do not come at the expense of accurate details about the actual archaeology. Pitts is a very clear writer. He gives the details about Stonehenge, but puts it in the context of the other large henges and the various monuments of the Neolithic.
I have now read the book cover to cover twice and referred back to it often. I recommend it highly.
I have now read the book cover to cover twice and referred back to it often. I recommend it highly.
December 4, 2013
An excellent, readable, comprehensive survey of the state of archaeological knowledge of late Neolithic Britain, along with the the history of the field.
Pitts brings crucial first-hand experience: some of the most interesting stories in recent discoveries come from his own work. He's readable for a general audience while *exhaustively* sourcing everything, and including extensive maps and charts.
Hengeworld attempts a synthesis of knowledge across a range of sites to explain the culture of the wood- and stone- henge builders. Like similar books, it also attempts too many other things at once to be an adequate cultural history, even given the paucity of data. The book succeeds more as a history of British archaeology, a narrative of the slow encroachment of scientific method and meticulous practice on a field that was breathtakingly half-assed well into the late 20th Century.
That history also provides an interesting look at the rise and fall of academic fads, and points out the problems of a field that, while grounded in pottery and ethnography, really doesn't grapple well with understanding sociotechnical systems.
Archaeologists have begun to make some very useful contributions to science & technology studies; I think there would be a lot to gain from an exchange running the other way.
That said, this book does an excellent job of placing Neolithic technologies in a cultural context, and calling out unfounded assumptions made by past scholars. It's a thought-provoking, fascinating book.
Pitts brings crucial first-hand experience: some of the most interesting stories in recent discoveries come from his own work. He's readable for a general audience while *exhaustively* sourcing everything, and including extensive maps and charts.
Hengeworld attempts a synthesis of knowledge across a range of sites to explain the culture of the wood- and stone- henge builders. Like similar books, it also attempts too many other things at once to be an adequate cultural history, even given the paucity of data. The book succeeds more as a history of British archaeology, a narrative of the slow encroachment of scientific method and meticulous practice on a field that was breathtakingly half-assed well into the late 20th Century.
That history also provides an interesting look at the rise and fall of academic fads, and points out the problems of a field that, while grounded in pottery and ethnography, really doesn't grapple well with understanding sociotechnical systems.
Archaeologists have begun to make some very useful contributions to science & technology studies; I think there would be a lot to gain from an exchange running the other way.
That said, this book does an excellent job of placing Neolithic technologies in a cultural context, and calling out unfounded assumptions made by past scholars. It's a thought-provoking, fascinating book.
February 27, 2008
Do you ever get tired of those goddamn modern "druids" and "wiccans" playing around with a made up paganism? Do you see hordes of hippies crowded around Stonehenge on a soltice and think, "Them folks have no hairy clue?" Well, this won't make you grit your teeth any less, but it is the best current study of the many henges and henge types and the people who built and used them over a thousand year stretch.
October 18, 2017
Well, I read 322 pages about stones. While I did learn a lot about Stonehenge and the surrounding “hengeworld”, I felt the manor in which this book was organized was extremely disjointed and hard to follow. The narrative: jumps from story to story, there is no chronological order, and the author jumps between different archeologists as if they are household names. With some heavy editing this book could have been much improved.
April 17, 2025
This book takes you on a rather deep dive (342 pages) into Stonehenge and other related "henges" (such as Woodhenge) constructed by ancient people in the British Isles and Europe. The author provides a number of sketches that give a good sense of where the giant monuments were situated, in addition, the maps show where there were burial holes and what was in them: skeletons, pottery, tools, deer antlers, and other artifacts. In addition, there are some black and white photographs that give readers a sense of size of these giant stones and methods used to erect and set these stones back into the spots where they were set in ancient times.
I must admit, I've been fascinated all things Stonehenge, since I was a young kid. Thus, I found this book extraordinarily compelling and full of surprising information that I had not anticipated or expected. I really enjoy Mike Pitts' writing and the way he brings history to life (I'm thinking specifically of his book "Richard III, which I loved).
Even though I finished reading the book, I have to admit, I'm still unsure how the stones were carved, moved, and erected. How exactly did ancient people accomplish this without the heavy-duty machinery that we have today?
In any event, I found this to be a fascinating and enjoyable read.
I must admit, I've been fascinated all things Stonehenge, since I was a young kid. Thus, I found this book extraordinarily compelling and full of surprising information that I had not anticipated or expected. I really enjoy Mike Pitts' writing and the way he brings history to life (I'm thinking specifically of his book "Richard III, which I loved).
Even though I finished reading the book, I have to admit, I'm still unsure how the stones were carved, moved, and erected. How exactly did ancient people accomplish this without the heavy-duty machinery that we have today?
In any event, I found this to be a fascinating and enjoyable read.
June 1, 2024
Mike Pitts sets out to explore the latest (2002) theories about the origins and development of Stonehenge, in the context of other ancient sites such as Avebury.
At times, the book can be frustrating as it’s not always evident what point Pitts is making in a chapter and his writing style is not always clear. Pitts is clearly knowledgeable about his subject and has done a huge amount of research and investigation into previous archaeological discoveries at Stonehenge and other sites. He is also clear in his thoughts about how Stonehenge was never a fixed monument, with several clear phases of construction and development.
This is an important book for anyone interested in the prehistory of Britain, but it’s not an easy read.
At times, the book can be frustrating as it’s not always evident what point Pitts is making in a chapter and his writing style is not always clear. Pitts is clearly knowledgeable about his subject and has done a huge amount of research and investigation into previous archaeological discoveries at Stonehenge and other sites. He is also clear in his thoughts about how Stonehenge was never a fixed monument, with several clear phases of construction and development.
This is an important book for anyone interested in the prehistory of Britain, but it’s not an easy read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2021
A little outdated, science has moved on, it even moved on between the first and second edition of the book. But a very good history of archaeology and a synthesis of ideas of Stonehenge and Avebury and other Hengeworld sites
June 16, 2012
As an bit of an archaeology buff, I appreciated that this book gave me a huge amount of balanced information without over-simplifying or over-embellishing. This book perhaps opens more questions than it provides answers, but the nuanced and extremely careful information helped me see through other books that are too reductive or (conversely) sensationalizing.
January 23, 2008
Fascinating and well-written, with a few unexpected odd bits of humor.
November 13, 2008
Research for novel
April 18, 2010
Great book for anyone interested in British henges, particularly Stonehenge.
July 20, 2011
Explains previous theories on the purpose of megaliths in ancient times, and develops a new theory to replace them.
July 28, 2011
excellent review of current thinking on the Neolithic
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews