The study of stone circles has long played a major role in British and Irish archaeology, and for Scotland most attention has been focused on the large monuments of Orkney and the Western Isles. Several decades of fieldwork have shown how these major structures are likely to be of early date and recognised that that smaller settings of monoliths had a more extended history. Many of the structures in Northern Britain were reused during the later Bronze Age, the Iron Age and the early medieval period. A series of problems demand further investigation including: when were the last stone circles built? How did they differ from earlier constructions? How were they related to henge monuments, especially those of Bronze Age date? How frequently were these places reused, and did this secondary activity change the character of those sites? This major new assessment first presents the results of fieldwork undertaken at the Scottish recumbent stone circle of Hillhead; the stone circles of Waulkmill and Croftmoraig, the stone circle and henge at Hill of Tuach at Kintore; and the small ring cairn at Laikenbuie in Inverness-shire. Part 2 brings together the results of these five projects and puts forward a chronology for the construction and primary use of stone circles, particularly the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age examples. It considers the reuse of stone circles, long after they were built, and discusses four neighbouring stone circles in Aberdeenshire which display both similarites and contrasts in their architecture, use of raw materials, associated artefacts and structural sequences. Finally, a reassessment and reinterpretation of Croftmoraig and its sequence is presented: the new interpretation drawing attention to ways of thinking about these monuments which have still to fulfil their potential.

About the Author
Richard Bradley is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Reading University and an Honorary Research Associate in the School of Archaeology at Oxford. Recent publications include: Maritime Archaeology on Dry Land (2022), Temporary Palaces (2021), A Comparative Study of Rock Art in Later Prehistoric Europe (2020), The Prehistory of Britain and Europe (revised edition 2019), and A Geography of Offerings (2016). Courtney Nimura is Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Curator of Later European Prehistory at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Lecturer at Magdalen College, and Research Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford. Her research ranges from later prehistoric art to maritime archaeology in Europe.

Reviews
The picture that is drawn is both complex and richly patterned, but it quite brilliantly manifests how such megalithic monuments were built, modified, and valued, in one way or another, by the people who lived among them for more than three millennia. * Current Archaeology *
This is a rich and attractively produced volume that offers much food for thought. The presentation of excavated evidence offers a model of readable and intelligent communication in which the prupose of undertaking fieldwork (to address research questions) is never lost. Most striking of all is the pay-off between work on a modest scale - small teams, small trenches, patchwork funding - and the significance of the results. * Archaeological Journal *
...make[s] signal contributions to the study of stone circles, and will be widely consulted and influential. * Antiquity *
Bradley's latest book explores circles in a completely different way from anything that has gone before. * Journal of Skyscape Archaeology *
...a good read, and well written. * Medieval Archaeology *
...thoughtful and well-illustrated... * British Archaeology *



Book Information
ISBN 9781785702433
Author Richard Bradley
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Oxbow Books
Publisher Oxbow Books