Stages and Screens by Richard Bradley
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 2011; 195pp, 41 b&w plates, 86 illus, 9 tables,
ISBN 978 0 903903 38 7 hb (£40)
The subtitle of this well produced and well laid out volume is perhaps more telling
than the main. It is effectively the excavation report of work at four Scottish henge
monuments: Broomend of Crichie, Pullyhour, Loch Migdale and Lairg. The
excavation reports themselves are well presented and illustrated. The accounts are
clear and, exploiting the indulgencies that a monograph offers in terms of space, the
specialist reports are presented in full. Not always, in this reviewer’s opinion,
particularly necessarily. Nonetheless fellow specialists will devour, the less
knowledgeable will flick.
In his introduction, Bradley introduces the concept of henges from Kendrick on. He
suggests how henges may have functioned and how single-entranced henges differ
from double-entranced sites in that they force entry and exit by the same route
whereas two-entranced sites allow passage through. He forgets that they also permit
entry from different directions which may be important in the meeting place/liminality
debate. The excavations were carried out to investigate these under studied sites
between Stennes and Perth; to date the sites, to establish individual site sequences,
and to suggest how the sites may have functioned. The environmental settings of
these sites are also important and many of the specialist reports focus on this theme.
Each site is not just discussed on its own but full antiquarian research has been
undertaken in an attempt to understand the recent history of each monument. This is
excellent archaeological detective work, particularly at Broomend of Crichie, and is a
fascinating read. It allows the reconstruction as far as possible of the original form
and environs of the henge with its associated avenue and cist cemetery, elements of
which now form parts of garden furniture. Related to this are fascinating descriptions
of the detritus that the original excavators left behind including bottles, inscribed
glass and railway trivia. It is a great pity that the central pit at Broomend of Crichie
could not be excavated and this seems a great opportunity missed.
The interesting pattern at Broomend is that the henge seems to enclose an area of
stone settings and burials that had existed in unenclosed form. This confirms
patterns seen and documented elsewhere however the henge also seems to attract
later activity: it did not close the site but rather marked a different emphasis in the
site’s biography. It screened the inside and diverted celebrants around the central pit
grave which maintained its importance throughout the site’s history.
Broomend is then placed in its context. Differences and similarities are highlighted
with other sites from Arbor Low in Derbyshire to other Scottish sites such as
Cairnpapple and to Stennes. A case is restated for the lateness of the earthworks
and the complex multi-phased nature of the monuments. Thus ends Part I which is,
in this reviewer’s opinion, the main meat of the book.
Part 2 contains the excavation reports of the other three sites and their layout mirrors
Part 1. The excavation reports are clear, concise and interpretations well argued.
The data are maximised by extensive specialist reports. Once again the main
interest is in Bradley’s conclusions and summing up. He places the sites in their
settings and draws on the conclusions to Part 1. He concludes not just that these
sites may have had long and complex histories but also that henge building had a
long life throughout the Scottish Neolithic and Bronze Age and their connections with
other contemporary circular monuments are far from clear cut.
This book is to be recommended to anyone interested in henge monuments. It is
thought provoking and lucid in its argument. Bradley constantly reminds the reader
that the data can be ambiguous or far from certain yet manages to make a
convincing case for the development and usages of these monuments. The main
questions of ‘what do we mean by henges’, and ‘is the term ‘henge’ now redundant’,
however, remain to be addressed.
Alex Gibson
University of Bradford
September 2011
“The views expressed in this review are not necessarily those of the Society or the Reviews Editor.”