Product Description

The archaeological sites of Orkney give us an unparalleled glimpse into prehistory. Inscribed as the 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney' World Heritage Site in 1999, four great monuments - the village of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and the burial mound of Maeshowe - are also at the centre of the archipelago's story. Caroline Wickham-Jones looks at what makes these monuments so special. She explores the Neolithic world in which they were built, how they come to be a focus through the ages, and what they mean today. Picts, saints, Vikings, antiquarians and tourists populate Orkney's past: a history which is channelled - like the sun entering Maeshowe on the winter solstice - through these 'dances of stones'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #458698 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

About the Author
Caroline Wickham-Jones is an archaeologist specialising on the early settlement of Scotland. She graduated from Edinburgh University and has worked on the archaeology of Orkney for thirty years. She is the author of numerous academic papers as well as several books on archaeology including Scotland's First Settlers and The Landscape of Scotland. In 1998 she published a guidebook to the history and archaeology of Orkney. She is a regular columnist for British Archaeology and also the presenter of BBC Radio Orkney's award winning programme: Orky-ology. In 2002 she moved to live in Orkney where she enjoys both open spaces and wide skies.