Stonehenge: Landscape, Culture and Meaning

Bruce Ward gives a one-hour talk on Stonehenge, the neolithic henge builders and what new archaeological discoveries reveal about their culture and purpose.

Bruce Ward discusses the profound changes in climate and culture that preceded the neolithic age in Britain and the lifestyles of the henge builders, who erected over 1300 stone circles between 3500 and 1500 BC. Drawing on new archaeological discoveries, he explores the builders' identity, their connections to landscape and seasons, and their contemplation of the boundary between the living and the dead. Ward, a former university researcher in microbiology and biotechnology, brings a long amateur interest in neolithic sites including Stenness, Ring of Brodgar, Calanais and Machrie. The talk lasts one hour.