How To Read Prehistoric Monuments

Butler has an engineering background, and he has studied astrology and prehistory, with particular interest in the megalithic in Europe. A prolific writer (see review of his coauthored Before the Pyramids, below), he here focuses on prehistoric sites in his native Britain, first defining terms such as barrow, cairn, and henge and describing their history and function, from sites with standing stones to Stonehenge. Butler never forgets the people who constructed the monuments. He writes, "We can only guess at the mindset of the people who chose to select such stones, hammer them into shape and drag them sometimes great distances across the landscape, before erecting them, often with great care, in specific shapes and designs." With this book in hand, a traveler will be able to look at hundreds of structures intelligently. Unfortunately, there is no bibliography.