Stonehenge

Is it a sundial? A burial ground? Or a ceremonial site? Stonehenge is one of Great Britain’s most mysterious landmarks. Built about 5,000 years ago, with no written record to understand how they did it and why, Stonehenge has puzzled peoples’ minds for centuries.

Archeologist Mike Parker Pearson, leading researcher on Stonehenge, has spent more than two decades studying this prehistoric stone circle. Through stone excavations, a careful study of the monuments’ surrounding landscapes, and comparing practices of prehistoric cultures across the world, he was able to make groundbreaking discoveries on the monument and the people who built it. What can the archeologist’s perspective tell us about this mysterious megalithic site?

Mike Parker Pearson is Emeritus Professor of British Later Prehistory at University College London (UCL). He is a fellow of the British Academy. He has worked on archaeological sites around the world. In 2004 he began the Stonehenge Riverside Project, which evolved into two further projects: Feeding Stonehenge, and the Stones of Stonehenge. His current field research is in West Wales, where Stonehenge’s bluestones were quarried.

In collaboration with CRASIS Mortuary Ritual Network.