Terence Meaden: How Pytheas the Greek Discovered Iron-Age Britain and Stonehenge

Submitted by Andy B on Tuesday, 08 July 2025 Page Views: 3035

...and Thule. Terence Meaden writes: Pytheas of Massalia, a Greek scientific adventurer of the fourth century BC was the first literate explorer to meet British countryfolk and write of their customs, crafts, food and farming practices. He explored parts of Britain including Kent, Stonehenge (*) and the Cornish tin mines, then sailed to Scotland, Shetland, Iceland and the amber coasts of Denmark.

His was a truly ambitious voyage, extremely risky for mariners in the boats of the time, especially in stormy conditions and near-Arctic drift ice. Consequences arising from Pytheas' inspection of Stonehenge are far-reaching because as a learned Greek he understood its purpose and, in the assessment of the present author, validly identified it as a Temple to the Sun.

Temples implicitly accommodate and safeguard in their inner sanctum one or more icons to the divine. Befittingly, the present author had previously noted a significant, hitherto-unrecognized, carefully-carved phallic icon (a fallen bluestone) in the middle of the monument, and in this volume makes it public knowledge.

Moreover, Pytheas describes the Stonehenge priesthood in enough detail as to indicate that the monument was still in use when he was there. Purposeful, exciting, audacious, this was a sensational exploit on sea and land. The 58 illustrations help to express the points under study, and allow readers to appreciate the mood of ocean and countryside that Pytheas encountered.

(*) Other writers, including Aubrey Burl have asserted that Pytheas must have visited and described Calanais stone circle in the Outer Hebrides, however I find Terence's hypothesis, including his description of Pytheas' land journey across southern England entirely plausible - MegP Ed.

Terence adds:
1. We learnt at school that recorded British history began with the writings of the literate Romans. This is no longer true. The intellectual Pytheas wrote about facts of life in Iron Age Britain in 325 BC.

2. Pytheas came from a land of 'temples of the sun-god Apollo’. He recognised Stonehenge for what it is and said so. This ends the 500 years of uncertainty among those academics who say that Stonehenge was built as a place for the dead [MPP, 2025, for latest comment] or definitely not a place of worship to the sun but instead only built with solar alignments [C Ruggles and A Chapman 2024].

3. Being a temple, there would be icons to the divinity. This is why I chose to announce at this time my discovery of a phallic centrepiece which everyone had missed spotting. Reminder pictures are added below.

4. Pytheas spoke with priests who were obviously bilingual. Their religious language was ancestral, because the priesthood was passed down through heritage, from the time when the monument was built.

5. Stonehenge was clearly still in use.

Items 2 and 3 are of the highest interest to all scholars who study stone circles. You do not need to know any Greek to appreciate this. It is now proven beyond all doubt that Stonehenge is a temple to the sun.

How Pytheas the Greek Discovered Iron-Age Britain, Stonehenge and Thule by Terence Meaden is an excellent read for anyone interested in stone circles and their connection to the wider ancient world. It is published by ‎ New Generation, available at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Contributor Bio for Andy B: Megalithic Portal Founding Editor.

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