Religion in Britain from the Megaliths to Arthur: An Archaeological and Mythological Exploration

by Robin Melrose

Overview

The Druids and the Arthurian legends are all most of us know about early Britain, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age (4500 BC-AD 43). Drawing on archaeological discoveries and medieval Welsh texts like the Mabinogion, this book explores the religious beliefs of the ancient Britons before the coming of Christianity, beginning with the megaliths--structures like Stonehenge--and the role they played in prehistoric astronomy.

Topics include the mysterious Beaker people of the Early Bronze Age, Iron Age evidence of the Druids, the Roman period and the Dark Ages. The author discusses the myths of King Arthur and what they tell us about paganism, as well as what early churches and monasteries reveal about the enigmatic Druids.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476624266
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/11/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	284
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robin Melrose is a retired senior lecturer in English and linguistics at England’s University of Portsmouth. He lives on the Isle of Wight in southern England.
Robin Melrose is a retired senior lecturer in English and linguistics at England's University of Portsmouth. He lives on the Isle of Wight in southern England.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface: Routes to the Past
Introduction: Celts, Druids and the Age of Arthur
1: The Age of Megaliths (1): Stone Monuments and Neolithic Astronomy
2: The Age of Megaliths (2): Rich Burials and More Astronomy in the
Early Bronze Age
3: The Age of Depositions (1): Water, Fire and Earth in the Late Bronze Age
4: The Age of Depositions (2): The Sky God and Iron Age Hillforts
5: The Age of Depositions (3): Chariot Burials, Lunar Eclipses and Wooden Buckets in the Later Iron Age
6: The Romans in Britain: Roman Gods and British Gods, Roman Burials and Decapitated Burials
7: The Beginnings of the Age of Arthur: Arthur the ­Bear-Man
8: Arthur in the Underworld
9: Arthur the ­Witch-Slayer, Warrior and King
10: Arthur and the Early Medieval World: Holy Islands and the Arthurian Cycle in Cornwall
11: Druids and the Early Medieval World: the ­Bear-Druid of Welsh Mythology
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index