When Is an Ancient Site a Sacred Site (and Who Makes It One)?

Abstract

abstract:Britain has one of the richest collections of evidence for pre-Christian religions to be found anywhere in Europe. During the twentieth century it developed a body of historians and archaeologists to interpret that evidence and heritage managers to present it. During the same century Britain was also the birthplace of a revived Paganism, consisting of a complex of modern religions inspired by the pre-Christian past, which has spread across much of the Western world. Towards the end of the twentieth century, the two bodies of people increasingly interacted with each other, in contexts of both co-operation and confrontation, complicated in each case by the range of attitudes found within each group as well as those distinguishing them. The purpose of this study is to examine these interactions in the specific context of use of and attitudes to ancient ceremonial sites, and to ask what lessons can be drawn from them.