Stonehenge

This chapter explores theories and speculations surrounding Stonehenge, in Rosemary Hill's book, Stonehenge (2008). From the twelfth century on, theories and explanations about the monument began to proliferate. The chapter takes a look at the ways in which Hill debunks commonly held misconceptions about Stonehenge, including various legends regarding its origin and the presence of druids at the monument, the latter of which the book argues is a historical inaccuracy. In addition to addressing these historical inaccuracies, the chapter remarks on how Stonehenge carefully unpicks them. It shows what made them attractive in their cultures, and how scholarly their adherents often were, apart from their brief descent into ‘Stonehenge madness’.