Moonlight on Stonehenge and other stone circles

Aims

This course aims to: 

• offer a broadly chronological survey of Stonehenge and other major Neolithic and early Bronze age stone circles
   
• enable you to place your own research interests within the broader context of developments in human society/culture in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age
   
• gain understanding of the new discoveries relating to these sites, and how these discoveries affect our understanding of the Neolithic and Bronze Age monumentalising of their landscapes 

Content

The course will also examine the early Neolithic monumentalisation of key areas around the British Isles, as above. It will discuss the ‘big questions’ about the iconic stone circles, their landscapes and their backstories: Why are they where they are? What were they for? Where did the people come from who first used the landscapes and who later built and used them? 

Presentation of the course 

Class discussion (very important!), practical work, problem solving exercises, lecture and seminar formats (involving power points).

Course sessions

1. Ways of understanding stone circles and their landscape: why are they here? What are they for? New discoveries: the Ness of Brodgar, Orkney
    
2. New discoveries: Stonehenge
    
3. New discoveries: Callanish, Outer Hebrides, Artefact handling
    
4. New discoveries: the Mull Circle (Isle of Man), Knowth (Ireland) and Castlerigg (Cumbria)
    
5. Overview – Neolithic and early Bronze Age stone circles

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to demonstrate an understanding how the movement of people and ideas in the above areas contributed to the establishment of their later renowned ceremonial character
   
• to understand that how certain landscape contexts contributed to the selection of long term ‘special’ places that led to the establishment and adaption of stone circle monuments
   
• to appreciate the importance of multi proxy dating, pollen and animal DNA evidence and other artefactual evidence for understanding what went on in such monuments: what was different about them and what were potential common denominators in their design, use and symbolism

Required reading

There are no compulsory readings for this course. However, you may find the below recommended reading list of interest to supplement your course. 

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.