Michael Parker Pearson, University College London
“Stonehenge: New Discoveries”

Abstract: Stonehenge is one of the great mysteries of the prehistoric world. After seven years of new excavations and research, archaeologists now have a completely new understanding of the date and purpose of this enigmatic monument. A key break-through has been to understand how Stonehenge formed part of a wider complex of monuments and landscape features within Salisbury Plain. Professor Parker Pearson will present the results of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, and discuss the current theories about Stonehenge – an astronomical observatory, a centre of healing or a place of the ancestors – and the identity of its Neolithic builders.

We now know much more about the people who built Stonehenge – where they came from, how they lived, and how they were organized. Not only has the project discovered a large settlement of many houses, thought to be for Stonehenge’s builders, at the nearby henge enclosure of Durrington Walls, but it has also re-dated Stonehenge and investigated its surrounding monuments and sites, many of which were hitherto undated and unknown. This presentation will provide a brief overview of some of the project’s highlights, including the recent discovery of Bluestonehenge. One of the greatest mysteries – why some of Stonehenge’s stones were brought from 180 miles away – is currently being investigated and brand new results will be presented at the lecture.

Mike Parker Pearson

Mike Parker Pearson is Professor of British Later Prehistory with the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He holds his degrees from Cambridge University (Ph.D.) and the University of Southampton (B.A.); he is a past Inspector of Ancient Monuments for English Heritage. His research interests include Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain and Europe (particularly funerary analysis and the Beaker People), Madagascar and the Indian Ocean, and public archaeology and heritage. He is the Principal Investigator of a number of major research projects, including the Stonehenge Riverside Project (2004-2009) and the current Stones of Stonehenge Project. His recent publications include Stonehenge: Exploring the Greatest Stone Age Mystery (2012). Professor Parker Pearson was an AIA Kress Lecturer for 2011/2012, and is the inaugural Kress Alumni Lecturer for 2015/2016.

For more about Mike Parker Pearson: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/people/staff/parker_pearson

For more about Stonehenge: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0313/130311-stonehenge

Parker Pearson, Mike. 2012. Stonehenge: Exploring the Greatest Stone Age Mystery. Simon & Schuster Ltd, New York.