Places of Special Virtue - Megaliths in the Neolithic landscapes of Wales (Paperback)

This volume explores the landscape settings of megalithic chambered monuments in Wales. Set against a broader theoretical discussion on the significance of the landscape, the authors consider the role of visual landscapes in prehistory, meanings attached to the landscape, and the values and beliefs invested in it. Wales is rich in Neolithic monuments, but the general absence of certain classic monumental forms found in the rest of Britain and Ireland, such as causewayed enclosures, henges, and cursus monuments, seems to have marginalised the Welsh record from many wider discussions on the Neolithic. Instead of seeing Wales as an area which lacks many of these 'classic' components, Cummings and Whittle argue that Wales has its own unique and individual Neolithic which is simply different from the Neolithic found further to the east. It is suggested that this difference may relate to an essentially mobile existence, with strong links back to the Mesolithic period. The authors present three detailed case studies, examining the settings of sites in south-west, north-west and south-east Wales. They outline the history of research for each region, including the previous classification of the monuments and any excavations, and describe the specific landscape settings of the monuments. They assess the significance of a variety of landscape features which would have been visible from the monuments, in particular emphasising the mythological and symbolic significance of the sea, rivers and mountains. An illustrated inventory of sites completes the volume.

General

Imprint:	Oxbow Books
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Cardiff Studies in Archaeology, 16
Release date:	December 2016
First published:	June 2004
Authors:	Vicki Cummings • Alasdair Whittle
Dimensions:	297 x 210 x 14mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	224
ISBN-13:	978-1-84217-108-0
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Books > Humanities > History > British & Irish history > General Books > Humanities > Archaeology > Archaeology by period / region > Prehistoric archaeology Books > History > British & Irish history > General Books > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE
LSN:	1-84217-108-9
Barcode:	9781842171080

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!