The Archæology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland

Sir Daniel WilsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8
Word count
1.8M words
Chapters
182

Tags

English Originals Historical Geography Archaeological DiscoveryIllustrated GuideAcademic StudyField NotesEclectic ReadingPrehistoric CivilizationFolk CustomsScottish Flavor

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Archæology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland by Sir Daniel WilsonAuthor: Wilson, Daniel, Sir, 1816-1892,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Jan 12, 2015

Editor's review

This work by Sir Daniel Wilson, The Archæology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, is a key nineteenth-century text in British antiquarian studies. Writing as both naturalist and archaeologist, the author systematically surveys the material remains of Scotland from prehistoric monuments to the early historic period. Its value lies not in offering the latest conclusions of contemporary archaeology, but in showing how Victorian scholars observed, classified, and explained stone circles, burials, weapons, and settlement sites; readers can thus grasp the intellectual framework and discourse of archaeology as a discipline in the nineteenth century. The prose bears clear marks of its era, combining detailed field description with speculative claims fashionable at the time; precisely for this reason it serves both as a source for Scottish local history and as a specimen of the history of science and historiography. For researchers interested in British prehistory, the antiquarian tradition, or the history of science, the book offers a window for critical reading against modern archaeological findings. It is best read as a primary source rather than an introductory guide, ideally alongside modern archaeological surveys.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read the introduction or table of contents first to grasp the book's classificatory framework, then select chapters by type of monument.
  2. Read alongside modern surveys of Scottish archaeology and note claims that have since been corrected or overturned.
  3. Prepare a glossary of place names and terms, and jot down site names that recur throughout the book.
  4. Read together with background material on the author's intellectual milieu to understand his reasoning.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

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FAQ

Is this book suitable as an introductory guide to Scottish archaeology? Not really. Written in the nineteenth century, its classification and interpretive framework are now far removed from modern archaeology, and it is better read as a document in the history of scholarship. Beginners should start with contemporary general works and then return to this book as comparative material, so as to appreciate its historical value without being misled by outdated conclusions.
What background knowledge is needed to read this book? A basic knowledge of British history and geography is advisable, including the main regions of Scotland and typical prehistoric monument types such as stone circles, megalithic tombs, and hillforts. Some familiarity with nineteenth-century antiquarian methods will also make the author's perspective and reasoning easier to follow.
How difficult is the original English text? The original is nineteenth-century academic English, with long sentences and Latin terms and local place names interspersed, which may prove demanding for non-native readers. An annotated edition or a parallel translation is recommended, along with a specialist dictionary; locating site names on a map as you go will considerably lower the barrier to understanding.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Sir Daniel Wilson Author · Scottish-Canadian · 1816–1892

Sir Daniel Wilson (1816–1892) was a Scottish-Canadian archaeologist, ethnologist and educator. Born in Edinburgh in 1816, he published The Archæology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland in 1851, a work that introduced the word "prehistoric" into English and holds pioneering significance in the history of archaeology. In 1853 he went to teach at the University of Toronto, where he worked for many years and later served as president; he was knighted in 1888 and died in Toronto in 1892. His research covered prehistoric humanity and ethnography, and his other representative works include Prehistoric Man and The Lost Atlantis and Other Ethnographic Studies, as well as the biographical memoir William Nelson: A Memoir.