The Stonehenge Landscape: Analysing the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (English Heritage) Paperback – 11 Jun. 2015

very informative

Excellent

I purchased this book at the Wiltshire Archaeological Conference 2016. It is a really good book. It does not go into great detail of al the main, accepted theories regarding Stonehenge as an individual monument set on the high chalk of Salisbury Plain. However, it presents the evidence from a landscape perspective (including geology, hydrology and geomorphology) integrating a whole range of finds and features from the Palaeolithic to the modern age. Many of these have been found using non invasive geophysics, lidar, aerial photos and careful landscape mapping. It places these in a chronological perspective which makes it both easy to follow and fascinating as each layer of landscape evolves and acknowledges its own heritage. It recognises the main theories and discoveries of the Stonehenge monument as it moves through this narrative. A great feature of this book is that it is packed with many really useful maps, plans and images which are both relevant and well integrated into the text. Some of which I think are completely new such as the solar absorption rates linked to the Bronze Age field systems.. It is an excellent book to have as a companion to other recent publications on Stonehenge itself and the Wessex region in general. Money well spent.