The Avebury cycle

the long version

Avebury parish in Wiltshire contains an amazing collection of Stone Age monuments. Four thousand years ago this stretch of the chalk downs was the metropolis of Britain, with the tallest man-made hill (Silbury), the largest henge or sacred enclosure (Avebury), the great chambered cemetery of West Kennet Long Barrow and the two stone avenues of West Kennet and Beckhampton. This new edition, which takes into account recent discoveries, explores the mystery of the Avebury monuments and reveals their collective purpose. Making use of archaeology, ethnography and folklore the book argues that the monuments were key elements in the worship of the Great Goddess, each representing different aspects of the annual fertility cycle corresponding to the agricultural year.