Stonehenge

This interesting LITTLE book is a good introduction to many of the major themes of British pre-history. It is especilly interesting in its treatment of the varying responses to Stonehenge through time by those 'discovering' it and trying to make sense of it. The treatment of some of the 'science' which has attempted to explain the form and function of the monument is a little uncritical but the major questions are identified. There is also a refreshing excursion into the 'Alternative Stonehenge, the loony fringe of dotty archeology', however Druids get never a mention! The book is copiously illustrated with drawings either antique or in the antique style which are informative but in some cases, frustratingly small.

The Egyptian pyramids were a monumental tomb; that's simple to understand. No one has yet uncovered the purpose for Stonehenge, which makes speculation about it a fascinating and centuries old pursuit of all possibilities. Heath isn't a pundit pursuing puzzles; instead, he offers a brief analysis of current knowledge about this 5,000-year-old site. His comments are to the point, obviously meant to introduce teen readers the great science and abiding mystery of Stonehenge. For youth, it is a fair introduction that also offers enough to whet the appetite those who will become interested in further study about one of the enduring mysteries of history. Unfortunately, his apparent contempt for competent anthropologists weakens the value of his book. Heath doesn't seem to understand the origins of urban culture date to at least Catal Huyuk and Jericho some 7,000 years ago, and probably long before that. The great stones of Stonehenge, which began as a "wood" -henge similar to hundreds of other "woodhenges" throughout England, are rather recent compared to other great ancient works. The great puzzle of Stonehenge is not its existence, but why it was built of stone when hundreds of others were built of wood. Of course, the reason may be as simple as understanding why the Vatican has artwork by Michaelangelo and my local church has sketches by Joe Sixpack. Sadly, Heath overlooks this fundamental aspect as do most interpreters of the site. The value of this book is its brevity, its "factoid" format consistently offers interesting snippets of information. The weakness is mixing an unsupported point-of-view with that brevity, it raises the question of whether unsubstantiated speculation is better than open-ended imprecision. It's a minor quibble, certainly not a reason to pass up this book. Fifty years ago, teachers thought ideas such as "continental drift" were total fantasy. Now, they're accepted orthodoxy. Likewise, current speculation about the use and meaning of Stonehenge may be orthodox in 50 years (or 500 years) -- if that happens, it may be the result of some young student inspired by a book such as this.It's a buy. If it whets your appetite, many other books can provide a fascinating range of greater depth and diversity. If not, you'll still learn a lot about the sophistication of the English long before they learned to write -- but apparently could calculate complex astronomical details.