Henges, Megaliths, and Dolmens

Beginning about the year 4500 BC in Portugal and up the sea coasts of France, Britain and Ireland to the far Shetland Isles, people began building large wooden ceremonial structures, circles of earth and rocks, temples, celestial observatories and burial chambers of large stones called megaliths.  Some sites were connected with what looks like processional avenues indicating a use for mystical, spiritual and social events.  These communal sites were built and used until about 1200 BC and all we know of them is from these earth and stone remains.  Who were these people, and why did they build these monuments?  What can we learn about how they were influenced by new farming, trade and technological ways?

We will cover not only the building and location of these monuments, but also the social, cultural, and geographical factors, as far as archaeological, anthropological and folklore studies have revealed to date.

The format will be some lectures with projected photos, printouts of texts and essays, a guest lecturer or two, and opportunity for class participation and short reports if any students desire.  There will be one or two suggested textbooks and a small amount of weekly reading.

Class is limited to 20 members.

DICK HOLBROOK, originally from the Boston area, worked in hotel, food service and college management fields.  He became interested in stone circles and the geology of the British Isles after his father mentioned that he had bivouacked at Stonehenege in April of 1944 with his MASH unit.  He has visited a few sites and plans on seeing many more.