Records in stone : papers in memory of Alexander Thom / edited by C.L.N. Ruggles.
Cambridge [England] ; Cambridge University Press, 1988New York : Cambridge University Press, 1988Description: xvii, 519 p. : ill. ; 26 cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 0521333814
- 936.1 19
- GN790 .R43 1988
Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BOOK | NCAR Library Foothills Lab | GN790 .R43 1988 | 1 | Available | 50583000304794 |
Bibliography: p. [502]-519.
Part 1: Alexander Thom's life and work -- Part 2: Research papers: Archaeological research inspired by Alexander Thom.
Professor Alexander Thom, who died in 1985, was a distinguished engineer. Independently of his 'mainstream' academic career, he developed a deep and active interest in the prehistoric megalithic sites of Britain and Brittany, visiting and surveying many hundreds of them over a period of forty years. Thom's interpretations of the field data have aroused strong interest and some intense controversy. The main areas of debate are: geometry (the methods used to set out the megalithic rings, many of which appear to be non-circular); mensuration (the possible use of 'standard' units of measurement in setting out rings and rows); and astronomy (the connection between structures aligned upon the horizon and the rising and setting positions of the sun, moon or stars).