Avebury remains one of the most spectacular and enigmatic prehistoric monuments in Europe. Constructed in several stages during the course of the third millennium BC, the massive earthwork enclosure and stone settings have had a complex history; one which has included later episodes of avoidance, neglect and deliberate destruction, through to more recent antiquarian and archaeological "re-discovery", investigation and preservation. Incorporating evidence from recent research and guided by current themes within interpretative archaeology, this book provides an authoritative and comprehensive account of the site. Since its late Neolithic beginnings, Avebury has been the subject of a host of interpretations and understandings, each as valid for the community making it as any "original" imperative, and each of which has a crucial place in the developing life-history of the site - in effect making Avebury what it is today. This book explores these changing understandings and interpretations, charting the life of this unique monument from a small clearing in the forest to a designated World Heritage Site.

Mark Gillings is Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Leicester. Joshua Pollard is Lecturer in Archaeology and Prehistory, University of Wales College, Newport.