Seahenge: A Quest for Life and Death in Bronze Age Britain

More of a book on the life of an archeologist than the discoveries themselves it nevertheless makes for an interesting read. I think many will be surprised, as I was, at the various facet involved in the life of an archeologist. In that way is it is a very generous book. A tale worth telling.

First the negative, minor though it might be. The book is really rather misnamed. If anything, while Seahenge is a captivating title, it is way too limited. While the author discusses the wood circle at Holmes, he does so only briefly in the introduction and over a couple of chapters at the end of the book. What the main body of the volume contains is a very pleasant recitation of a life spent working in Neolithic and Early Bronze age archaeology in England. For those looking for a more thorough description of the work and story of the remains at Holmes, it would probably be better to look to the journals. A visit to the local reference library for a bibliography will probably come up with what you want, and large public and certainly most university libraries will carry many of the journal entries on your list. These are likely to be quite technical, though, so be forewarned. More popular accounts might be available in journals like Archaeology, Archaeology Odyssey, or Scientific American. Next, the positives. And they are major positives. First and foremost, the author has a very nice narrative style. It's readable and friendly, and while laced with some technical terms and ideas, these are usually fully explained without being labored. Furthermore, the author shares his knowledge of his field in practice so the reader has a first person, first hand account of an archaeologist at work. At one point Dr. Pryor quotes from his site diary, letting one in on his personal thoughts and experiences at a crucial point of his work at Seahenge. Probably more than anything, the book offers a glimpse of what it means to be an archaeologist. In particular the reader learns how one goes about acquiring ones credentials, what the management of daily routine on the site is like, under what conditions one works and lives, what job opportunities there are, and how these effect ones personal lifestyle. If one is inclined to follow up the information on archaeology and the archaeologist, the bibliography provides a good deal of material, some on specific topics from the journals and some on more general topics from books, most from 1980 to the present and some of historical interest from the 1960s and later. I would definitely recommend this book for a school library serving students from forth grade and later. The book would be comprehendible to good readers of whatever age and gives a clear account of an archaeologist's life and what one has to learn to become one.