Megalith: Studies in Stone

by Various

Following the success of Quadrivium , Sciencia , Designa , and Trivium in the acclaimed Wooden Books series, Megalith is a compendium of writings about stone structures throughout history.

How do you predict eclipses at Stonehenge? Why were stone monuments built where they are? What is the meaning of the designs in ancient rock art?

In this lavishly illustrated volume, eight expert authors guide readers through the history of rock structures from Stonehenge to the stone circles in France, Poland, America, and Africa. These monuments appear around the globe, connecting the modern world and ancient times.

Packed with detailed information and rare and exquisite engravings, woodcuts, and drawings, Megalith is a timeless and valuable sourcebook for our world's oldest buildings and our earliest visual art.

Genres: History, Reference

416 pages, Hardcover

Published October 8, 2019

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Mark Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A handy and wonderful reference book covering the main stone circles and standing stones in Britain, plus major examples across Europe, including the stupendous 3,000 (remaining) stones of Carnac in Brittany.
The chief delights of this beautifully produced book are delicately reproduced drawings and old sketches of the main sites, principally made during the 17th to the 19th centuries. In a respectful echo of the stones themselves, there is a pleasing conjunction of geometry and man-made images (no photographs). The nine chapters, each by a different author, are clearly written, with a judicious mix of openness to mystery and scepticism about the more absurd claims.
The great joy of these ancient European marks of massive human endeavour and wonder is that we do not know why they were built, though it seems clear that astronomy and communal celebration were key purposes: ancient science and religion were not separate. Our understanding and view of these great stones (the literal translation of ‘megalith’) keeps changing, as archaeology and attitudes to human society evolve.
Due to its unique trilithon circle, Stonehenge is the most famous Neolithic monument in Europe - though it is not the largest (Carnac) or the most ancient (Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, to stretch a geographic point). It was built and rebuilt over an extraordinarily long period, between 3150 BC and about 1500 BC. The huge sarsen stones were dragged 17 miles while the 80 famous bluestones came from over 150 miles away in west Wales.

[Benjamin Schupp · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn’t really a book ‘to read’ in the strictest sense of the terms. It’s a compilation of one page blurbs about megalithic sites. I’m sure the people who studied and surveyed these sites labored intensely and with due diligence. However, this ‘book’ does very little justice to anyone’s efforts. Even if one wanted to visit any of these sites, or find out more information about them, one would be hard pressed to do so. Very little basic information is given, even to which country the site is located. One would probably get better information from a google search of ‘megalithic sites in England’. Save your money and pass on this one.