The Modern Antiquarian

The Modern Antiquarian is a comprehensive guide to Britain's megalithic sites, written by musician and antiquarian Julian Cope after eight years of field research. The book documents over 300 significant prehistoric locations including stone circles, hillforts, and burial grounds across the British Isles. The first section presents ten essays exploring British megalithic culture and its significance. The second section functions as a detailed gazetteer, organizing sites by geographic region and providing practical information such as coordinates, access instructions, and visual documentation through photographs and illustrations. The work spawned multiple related projects including a BBC documentary, an interactive website with user-contributed content on over 7,400 archaeological sites, and a follow-up volume covering megalithic sites across continental Europe. Since its 1998 publication, the book has sold more than 40,000 copies. This encyclopedic volume represents an intersection between academic archaeological study and accessible public scholarship, examining humanity's enduring drive to create monumental structures and their lasting impact on the landscape.

Readers describe the book as a detailed field guide to British megalithic sites, with Cope's personal observations and theories throughout. Many highlight the high-quality photos, maps and site descriptions that help locate obscure monuments. Readers appreciated: - Clear directions to find remote sites - Personal anecdotes and folklore - In-depth historical research - Quality of photography and illustrations Common criticisms: - Cope's spiritual/mystical interpretations can overwhelm the factual content - Writing style is meandering and unfocused - Physical book is large and impractical for field use - Some site coordinates are inaccurate Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.25/5 (108 ratings) Amazon UK: 4.5/5 (89 reviews) Amazon US: 4.4/5 (22 reviews) Multiple reviewers noted it works better as a coffee table book than a practical guide, with one Amazon reviewer calling it "beautifully produced but too heavy to actually take to the sites."

Sacred Places by Philip Carr-Gomm A guide to Britain's ancient spiritual sites that examines stone circles, holy wells, and burial chambers through historical documentation and site visits.

Stonehenge: Making Space by Barbara Bender An archaeological and anthropological examination of Stonehenge that connects prehistoric monuments to their landscapes and cultural contexts.

The Old Straight Track by Alfred Watkins A foundational text on ley lines that maps ancient trackways connecting prehistoric monuments across Britain's landscape.

Prehistoric Britain by Timothy Darvill A chronological study of British prehistory from the first human settlements through the Iron Age with focus on ritual monuments and burial practices.

The Sun and the Serpent by Hamish Miller, Paul Broadhurst A field investigation of earth energies and dragon lines connecting ancient sacred sites across southern Britain.

🔹 Julian Cope, the book's author, was previously known as the frontman of post-punk band The Teardrop Explodes before becoming a respected authority on megalithic sites 🔹 The research for The Modern Antiquarian involved visiting over 300 prehistoric sites across Britain over an 8-year period, often camping out at locations to experience them at different times of day 🔹 The book inspired a BBC documentary series of the same name in 1998, where Cope guided viewers through Britain's ancient sacred places 🔹 Following the success of this book, Cope wrote a companion volume called "The Megalithic European" covering similar sites across Continental Europe 🔹 The online community that grew from the book (The Modern Antiquarian website) has become one of the largest crowd-sourced databases of prehistoric sites in Europe, with over 500,000 photos and observations