ABSTRACT

Atlantic Europe is the zone par excellence of megalithic monuments, which encompass a wide range of earthen and stone constructions from inpressive stone circles to modest chambered tombs. A single basic concept lies behind this volume - that the intrinsic qualities encountered within the diverse landscapes pf Atlantic Europe both informed the settings chosen for the monuments and played a role in determining their form and visual appearance. Monuments and Landscape in Atlantic Europe goes significantly beyond the limits of existing debate by inviting archaeologists from different countries with the Atlantic zone (including Britain, France, Ireland, Spain and Sweden) to examine the relationship between landscape features and prehistoric monuments in their specialist regions. By placing the issue within a broader regional and intellectual context, the authors illustrate the diversity of current archaeological ideas and approaches converging around this central theme.

chapter 1|14 pages

Introduction: Situating Monuments

The Dialogue Between Built form and Landform in Atlantic Europe

part I|55 pages

Atlantic Iberia

chapter 2|19 pages

Standing Stones and Natural Outcrops

The Role of Ritual Monuments in the Neolithic Transition of the Central Alentejo

chapter 4|19 pages

The Architecture of the Natural World

Rock Art in Western Iberia

part II|32 pages

Atlantic France

chapter 5|11 pages

The Perception of Space and Geometry

Megalithic Monuments of West-Central France in their Relationship to the Landscape

chapter 6|19 pages

Coast and Cosmos

The Neolithic Monuments of Northern Brittany

part III|74 pages

Britain and Ireland

chapter 7|15 pages

All Cultural Things

Actual and Conceptual Monuments in the Neolithic of Western Britain

chapter 9|13 pages

Knocknarea: The Ultimate Monument

Megaliths and Mountains in Neolithic Cúil Irra, North-West Ireland

chapter 10|25 pages

Megaliths in a Mythologised Landscape

South-West Ireland in the Iron Age

part IV|28 pages

Scandinavia

chapter 11|13 pages

Visible Intentions?

Viewshed Analysis of Bronze Age Burial Mounds in Western Scania, Sweden

chapter 12|13 pages

Conclusion

Long Conversations, Concerning Time, Descent and Place in the World