The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles

This is the first survey of religious beliefs in the British Isles from the Old Stone Age to the coming of Christianity, one of the least familiar periods in Britain's history. Ronald Hutton draws upon a wealth of new data, much of it archaeological, that has transformed interpretation over the past decade. Giving more or less equal weight to all periods, from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages, he examines a fascinating range of evidence for Celtic and Romano-British paganism, from burial sites, cairns, megaliths and causeways, to carvings, figurines, jewellery, weapons, votive objects, literary texts and folklore.

Preface. Preface to the Paperback Edition. 1. The Mysteries Begin (c.30,000 - c.5000 BC). 2. The Age of The Tombs (c.5000 - c.3200 BC). 3. The Coming of the Circles (c.3200 - c.2200 BC). 4. Into the Darkness (c.2200 - c.1000 BC). 5. The People of the Mist (c.1000 BC - c. AD 500). 6. The Imperial Synthesis (AD 43 - 410). 7. The Clash of Faiths (AD c.300 - c. 1000). 8. Legacy of Shadows. Notes. Additional Source Material. Index.