Orcadia - by Mark Edmonds (Paperback)

About the Book

An account of the prehistory and archaeology of the Orkney archipelago - a fusion of archaeological, historical and topographic writing.

Book Synopsis

The Orcadian archipelago is a museum of archaeological wonders.

The Orcadian Neolithic is home to some of the best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe: here we can find evidence of a dynamic society with connections binding Orkney to Ireland, to southern Britain and to continental Europe. Yet there is much that remains unknown about the societies that created these sites.

In Orcadia, Mark Edmonds traces the development of the Orcadian Neolithic from the early fourth millennium BC through to the end of the period nearly two thousand years later, using artefacts, architecture and the wider landscape to recreate the lives of Neolithic communities across the region.

Review Quotes

"A thought-provoking, imaginative exploration of the archeological landscapes of Neolithic Orkney... Edmonds demonstrates so vividly, "a stone is rarely just a stone"'" --BBC Countryfile

"Edmonds is a visionary who combines intellectual rigour with creative imagination" --Alan Garner

About the Author

Mark Edmonds is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of York. He has published books on material culture and landscape, many of them exploring the intersections between archaeology and the visual arts. His recent books include Conversations with Magic Stones, The Beauty Things (with Alan Garner), and Stonework - a collection of poetry and prints with Rose Ferraby. Mark is co-founder of West Side Cinema in Stromness, Orkney, where he now lives.
Mark Edmonds is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of York. He has published books on material culture and landscape, many of them exploring the intersections between archaeology and the visual arts. His recent books include Conversations with Magic Stones, The Beauty Things (with Alan Garner), and Stonework - a collection of poetry and prints with Rose Ferraby. Mark is co-founder of West Side Cinema in Stromness, Orkney, where he now lives.