The Old Stones: A Field Guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland

Winner of Current Archaeology’s Book of the Year

Discover the iconic standing stones and prehistoric sites of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland--this comprehensive, coffee table travel guide features over 750 must-see destinations, with maps and color photographs

The ultimate insiders’ guide, The Old Stones gives unparalleled insight into where to find prehistoric sites and how to understand them, by drawing on the knowledge, expertise and passion of the archaeologists, theorists, photographers and stones aficionados who contribute to the world’s biggest megalithic website--the Megalithic Portal. Including over 30 maps and site plans and hundreds of color photographs, it also contains scores of articles by a wide range of contributors--from archaeologists and archaeoastronomers to dowsers and geomancers--that will change the way you see these amazing survivals from our distant past.

Locate over 1,000 of Britain and Ireland’s most atmospheric prehistoric places, from recently discovered moorland circles to standing stones hidden in housing estates. Discover which sites could align with celestial bodies or horizon landmarks. Explore acoustic, color, and shadow theory to get inside the minds of the Neolithic and Bronze Age people who created these extraordinary places. Find out which sites have the most spectacular views, which are the best for getting away from it all and which have been immortalized in music. And don’t forget to visit the Megalithic Portal website and get involved by posting your discoveries online.

All royalties from this book go to support the running of the Megalithic Portal: www.megalithic.com.

The Megalithic Portal is the world’s most-visited standing-stone website. It was set up by chartered engineer Andy Burnham in 2001 as a forum for megalith enthusiasts and to document, publicise and protect our prehistoric heritage, much of which is under threat today from development and intensive agriculture. This interactive website, run by Andy and a team of around a dozen other amateur editors, has input from thousands of contributors from all over the world, including professional photographers and archaeologists. Since 2001 they have assembled a worldwide resource of over 50,000 ancient sites and 170,000 images, serving half a billion pages.

Vicki Cummings is a Reader in Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire. Over the last decade she has excavated a series of Neolithic monuments, and is the author of a number of books and articles, including The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland (Routledge, 2017).