| Temples of Stone: Exploring the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland |  | Author: Carleton Jones
Publisher: Collins Pr
Category: Book
List Price: $56.95
Buy New: $23.97
as of 9/3/2010 12:19 CDT details
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Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 947,806
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 346
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.7
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 9 x 1.3
ISBN: 1905172052
Dewey Decimal Number: 936.15
EAN: 9781905172054
ASIN: 1905172052
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Dolmens and burial chambers dot the Irish countryside and fascinate all. Once dismissed as `rude monuments' shrouded in mystery, fresh archaeological interpretations provide new ways of understanding these ancient structures. This fully-illustrated book looks at the builders themselves, how the megaliths were created, the rituals that took place there and finally why people stopped building them. All key sites in Ireland are discussed with a list of the 100 `Sites Worth Visiting' accompanied by photos, maps, and detailed directions for visiting each site.
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| Customer Reviews:
Serious Archeology for the General Reader May 27, 2008
S. Magliocco (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This lavishly-illustrated book details the history, distribution, form and content of Irish megalithic monuments, most of which contain some human remains, and are therefore classed as tombs. But as archeologist author Carleton Jones makes clear, these were much more than tombs. By studying them, we can learn a great deal about the people who built them: their social structure, worldview, and something of their beliefs and rituals as well. Don't expect gauzy twaddle about ancient goddesses and magic here. Jones is a serious archeologist; his work is theoretically informed by the processual and post-processual schools (groups of scholars who look at archeological remains for what they can tell us about the social origins of cultural change, and groups of scholars who use archeological data to hypothesize about ancient beliefs, rituals and human experiences). It is very clear when the author is laying out facts, and when he is hypothesizing or offering interpretations. What I liked is that he is also honest about what we DON'T know about the peoples who built these monuments. Still, it's fascinating to speculate about these ancient humans whose beliefs and practices were so different from our own -- and who, as humans, shared many of our own concerns and experiences, from creating and maintaining group identities to memorializing their dead. Gorgeous color photographs, black-and-white diagrams, tables and road maps enhance this book. The author provides detailed directions for locating each monument, including driving maps and indications of whether you will need Wellies (rubber boots) to visit the site. If you plan to travel to Ireland, photocopy the section in the back with the maps and locations of the monuments so you can make sure to visit some (the book itself is rather heavy and impractical to pack in luggage).
There's More to Ireland Than Newgrange... June 23, 2008
George Spelvin (New York, NY)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
An excellent descriptive survey of megalithic monuments and neolithic tombs of Ireland. Whether amateur or professional, or you simply possess a curiosity regarding ancient Irish culture, this book will be highly informative and enjoyable. There is wonderful detail about ancient sites in all counties, as well as a handy "finders guide" included in the book to help locate tombs and sites that are off the beaten path. Though the neolithic 'celebrity' sites are included, the many details on the lesser-known passage graves and wedge tombs sets this book apart. Beautifully written, both professionals and everyday enthusiasts will gain much from it. Excellent photos, diagrams, and I appreciated that the author focused on the significance and role that the surrounding landscape may have played in how the sites for these monuments may have been chosen. If you have an interest in this time period and want to be inspired further, I highly recommend Temples of Stone. Now, If Amazon would just correct the typo in the subtitle...
Irish Megalith Book of High Quality January 2, 2009
C. Volland (Kansas, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Temples of Stone is a book of very high production quality. It is filled will great photographs and illustrations. It also includes a remarkably thorough list of tomb sites with directions to facilitate visits and a series of color maps covering the entire country.
The book includes some detail that only an archaeologist could love. However the author goes beyond the academic to provide interesting interpretations of structural design, neolithic art and the setting within the landscape.
It's a great reference book for those who have a strong interest in the megaliths of Western Europe.
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