Who Owns Stonehenge?

by Christopher Chippindale (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1990

  $3.55

  Stonehenge, over 4000 years old and the most massive and striking remnant of pre-Roman civilization in Britain, has fascinated man for centuries. Yet although many theories - archaeological and astronomical, mainstream and offbeat - have tried to explain its sense and purpose, it remains an enigma. Yet Stonehenge is not a quiet enigma, it is Europe's most contentious ancient monument. The question of who has rights to the place, and what they may do there, is a much-publicized issue. Annual fights over Stonehenge have become part of the summer ritual, as festival-goers, Druids and mystics gather there in June to practice rites that are ancient or modern, moving or bogus, according to your viewpoint. Five expert contributors now set out their contradictory ideas about Stonehenge, from the viewpoints of archaeologists, ancient Britons, earth-mystery students, civil libertarians and bemused bystanders. Their debate is informed, acute, extra-ordinary, funny - and essential to understanding why the past matters in the world today.