William Stukeley's Field Research At Stonehenge And Avebury

William Stukeley was a major figure in Eighteenth Century England in his contributions to natural history, astronomy and history of religion. Although Stukeley is widely known as an antiquarian, he held a prominent scientific background making him an intellectual in three separate fields: antiquarianism, physics and philosophy.

Stukeley is widely commended for his field research at Stonehenge and Avebury in the early 1720s. Prior to this fieldwork, he had trained as a doctor of medicine at Cambridge University, grounding him in a solid scientific background. However, in later years, Stukeley’s interests changed, and he converted from a man of science to a man of religion, despite being ridiculed by other antiquarians. His appreciation for

At a time where photographic evidence was unaccessible, Stukeley provided sketches of Avebury and Stonehenge (see fig.2), offering an alternative form of physical evidence for the monuments as they might have appeared in the 18th century. These sketches are of importance to the study and history of Stonehenge and Avebury, as they provide an insight to these historical monuments before they had been disturbed. This in turn provides archaeologists with essential information for the studies carrying on today in

As mentioned earlier, there was a steady growth in museums from the 19th century onwards. This growth, I believe, can be credited to antiquarians such as Pitt-Rivers. Pitt-Rivers, born Augustus Lane Fox, was a soldier, commissioned in the grenadier guards in 1845. Pitt-Rivers discovered he held a great interest in archaeology, and in 1867 went on to pursue this interest, devoting the rest of his life to the study of cultural anthropology and British archaeology.

It was his military career that inspired him to begin the study of archaeological remains, as he displayed a strong interest in the use and improvement of military weaponry, particularly the rifle. Pitt-Rivers became interested in the process of evolution and material culture after researching further into the adaptation of rifles over time.

The desire to prove and demonstrate the theory of material evolution motivated Pitt-Rivers to begin collecting large numbers of human artefacts, expanding from the basis of weapons to pottery, tools and many more (Van Keuren, 1984,