William Stukeley
Rana Mitter considers the life and legacy of 18th-century clergyman, physician and antiquarian William Stukeley, the first person to survey Stonehenge and other ancient monuments.
Stone circles, Roman Britain, a fossil crocodile and the flood described in the Book of Genesis, the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, a fake monk's manuscript: these were all studied by William Stukeley, English antiquarian, physician and clergyman (1687-1765) who pioneered research into Stonehenge and Avebury. Rana Mitter brings together a panel of archaeologists, historians and writers to look at the works of the first secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of London. His guests are New Generation Thinker and Lecturer in Archaeology at University of Exeter Susan Greaney; Rosemary Hill, whose book Time's Witness: History in the Age of Romanticism is a study of 18th-century antiquarianism; Ronald Hutton, historian of religion who has written about Stukeley and the Druids; and Robert Iliffe, Professor of the History of Science at Oxford.
You can hear Susan Greaney discussing Stonehenge in a previous Free Thinking episode /programmes/m0014g7y and changing archaeological digs also heard from Alexandra Sofroniew, Damian Robinson and Raimund Karl /programmes/p03xpn5p
Ronald Hutton has taken part in discussions about witchcraft and Margaret Murray /programmes/m001271f and goddesses /programmes/m0014g7y
Producer: Luke Mulhall
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcast
- Wed 25 Jan 2023 22:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3
Discussions and talks from the Free Thinking Festival 2019
Click to listen to discussions, talks and music as the Free Thinking Festival 2019 Gets Emotional
CLICK to LISTEN & SEE programmes from the Free Thinking Festival 2018: The One & the Many
CLICK to LISTEN & SEE all programmes, images, clips & features from 2017's festival
Free Thinking Festival 2017: The Speed of Life