A synthetic account of medieval and post-medieval destruction events at the Neolithics site of Avebury.

Lead Research Organisation: University of Leicester
Department Name: Sch of Archaeology and Ancient History

Abstract

During the medieval and post-medieval periods, the stones comprising of circles and alignments of the Neolithic monument of Avebury were systematically dismantled and destroyed. In the medieval this took the form of deliberate burial; during the post-medieval, a systematic campaign of stone-burning and breaking. Although the impact of these acts upon Avebury, and subsequent histories of the sit, was dramatic, we know little of the motivations, longevity, or variety of practises encompassed by the terms 'stone-burial' and stone-breaking'. Drawing upon a substantial new body of excavation date and archival research, this project seeks to interpret and understand these dramatic processes.

Publications

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