<< Books/Products >> Book Review: A Neolithic Universe by Jonathan Morris
Submitted by Sem on Sunday, 06 December 2020 Page Views: 5517
Reviews
The book opens with a description of what each future chapter contains, something that is very useful when reviewing a book or just wanting to refresh your memory. The early chapters then give a short history of Stonehenge including the currently accepted stages of construction and the various theories put forward for its use. In a book this size (242 pages) there are always going to be omissions but the author has managed to include all of the salient facts.
Chapter 5 lays out the meat of the theory and I found myself very sceptical at this point. However, as the book progressed through further chapters - each of which is designed to be self-contained and can be disregarded if the reader wishes - more ‘coincidences’ emerged and I found myself being so drawn to the whole idea that by the end I wished the book had been much longer. Throughout these chapters the author consistently refers to ‘coincidences’ and alongside his own interpretations for them gives theories that other researchers and archaeologists have come up with.
This leaves you with the impression that he is being entirely honest and not just trying to score points over alternative interpretations, nor that he is trying to make a fast buck from it. Regarding the latter and given the amount of work involved in visiting hundreds of monuments, I doubt he will even cover his expenses, which is a shame when a project like this deserves more exposure.
In this part (from Chapter 5 on) the book includes sections on possible reasons Neolithic people would have for developing this idea of the cosmos, a way to measure the height of hills and the size of the world, possible precursors to the idea and ways it was later refined or improved, possible echoes of the idea in folklore and much more, all involving only materials and methods available at the time. This is rounded off with a comprehensive set of notes that includes the appropriate monument numbers to enable the reader to check his research. Finally there are two appendices, the first explaining the movements of the sun, earth and moon, and the second a full description (including photos) of a ‘solar collector’ built by the author and for which he holds a patent.
If the book has one downside it is that all the photographs and diagrams (all 279 of them) are in black and white, when colour would have improved it – but of course raise the price in the process.
All-in-all, if this was an adventure book by someone like Jack Higgins I would describe it as a ‘rollicking good read’, taking in as it does such an enormous array of subjects. BUT ... does the author actually prove that Stonehenge could have been used to demonstrate the movements of the sun above earth in a geocentric universe? Well, read the book and decide for yourself. To me, Jon seems to have stumbled across something that no-one has really given much thought to - a pre-17th Century view of a geocentric universe.
Even if the author’s ‘proofs’ are not to your liking, I am sure you will agree with me that in this case the book’s journey is equally as important and fascinating as its destination.
This book has to be the best I have read for many years. Highly recommended.
Review by Simon Charlesworth (Sem)
A Neolithic Universe by Jonathan Morris
Published by Handow (Hanwell & Dowling)
Price £12.99 paperback from Amazon, plus of course others.
You can read more about Jonathan Morris' Stonehenge research here.
<< 2021 Megalithic Calendars, Diaries and Winter Solstice Cards now available
New Book: Nuragic Settlement Dynamics on the east coast of Sardinia >>
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.