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Ancient Traces: Introduction

There is still so little we know about neolithic monuments – the standing stones, stone circles, dolmens, passage graves and more.

We can deduce some of the functions, such as burial and ritual, although what those rituals were is a matter of conjecture. And we can theorize about how they represent stone- and bronze-age mankind's attitudes to and celebrations of life and death.

And if you're so inclined, you can load these remnants of the past with your own magical thinking about mysterious forces and long-lost powers.

What seems evident to me, though, is that these monuments represent a relationship with the landscape. They appear to be statements about the presence of people in the land. Whether they were simply marking their place, or perhaps claiming ownership, or attempting some form of incantation, we'll probably never know.

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