The Modern Antiquarian

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He may be a weird character, and maybe he doesn't shower enough, but he's put out a lot of fine music, and his memoirs are a load of fun. After eight years he had The Modern Antiquarian, a massive and impressive labour of love, and an ideal introduction to and overview of megalithic Britain. Cope is also a recognised authority on Neolithic culture, an outspoken political and cultural activist, and a fierce critic of contemporary Western society (with a noted and public interest in occultism, paganism and Goddess worship). My all-time favourite prehistoric artefact’: the silver Gundestrup cauldron, uncovered in 1891 in Denmark. Photograph: British Museum

Cope: Adelle Stripe On The Modern Antiquarian A Glimmer Of Cope: Adelle Stripe On The Modern Antiquarian

One piece -- "The Book of Ur" -- includes a detailed etymosophy (your guess is as good as ours) of words such as "Ur" and "Koeur". It also serves as a welcome reminder that there is a world of archaeological wonder still out there in Britain, a heritage that must be taken care of (bravo to Cope for his efforts in this regard). Some of it sounds fairly nutty, but Cope has done his research and his opinions are at least well-founded. Julian Cope studies William Stukeley’s book at the Celts exhibition. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The GuardianCurators Farley and Weetch are refreshingly defiant in defining the Celt as inclusively as possible – at pains throughout to provide maps and more maps of the Celtic worldview as its truth has migrated down the centuries. We moderns may too-often suffer from a mixing up of historical sequences, but better that, surely, than risk raising a population that is entirely not-arsed about its past. The proliferation of armchair archaeologists across the UK attests to the continued fascination that the ways of our ancestors invoke in so many of us. By keeping steadfastly to their inclusive vision of all things Celt, Farley and Weetch are helping to instil in future generations the kind of open-mindedness that has enabled our democracy to thrive. His obsessive traits seem to have served him well (although his enthusiasm for toy cars, as related in Repossessed, may be a bit much for some), and they do so again with this unexpected undertaking. Ah me, what Stukeley started! For this Lincolnshire rector was the most successful antiquary of the mid-1700s. His books – grandly illustrated publications every one – were lapped up by the population. To watch the migration of Stukeley’s thoughts from 1723’s overly Romanised Itinerarium Curiosum – via Stonehenge and Abury – to his posthumous (and entirely megalithically revisioned) Itinerarium of 1776 is to view at first-hand the manner in which the Celts have seduced the romantic imagination.

Modern Antiquarian by Julian Cope - AbeBooks Modern Antiquarian by Julian Cope - AbeBooks

Schneider, Martin (16 June 2017). " 'THE MODERN ANTIQUARIAN': JULIAN COPE'S GUIDED TOUR OF THE MEGALITHS OF BRITAIN". Dangerous Minds. Julian Cope is one of Britain’s best known and most-celebrated post-punk visionaries. In this historical masterpiece, he takes us on an unforgettable journey across the British Isles, uncovering the first temples ever built and their myriad descendants, the relics of which can still be seen today. Universally praised by The Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Independent, Mail and their ilk, the first edition of 20,000 sold out in under one month! But it was the specialists and academics who really revealed the depth of Julian's new work: Ronald Hutton has called The Modern Antiquarian 'the best popular guide to Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments for half a century', whilst Aubrey Burl wrote 'such a splendid book, splendid in both its illustration and its prose, rare partners in the archaeological world. I shall use it, of course.' Even the hoary archaeology magazine Antiquity asked Julian to write for them, and has warned its crusty readers not to 'miss its message... or bury our heads in the sand.' Some of the most striking are small circles -- or larger arrangements that can only be fully appreciated at a distance.Welcome to Head To Head, Head Heritage's discussion forum suite. There are various forums to choose from, covering most things that fall within the Head Heritage remit including music, megaliths, protest& direct action. We're sure you'll find topics of interest, and hope you'll join in if you have something to contribute. Climbing aboard the 1781 bandwagon created by Iolo Morganwg’s brand new Society of the Ancient Druids, towns across Britain revived or even invented their own Celtic-styled festivals, my personal favourite being the “ancient” Cornish street theatre of Padstow’s Obby Oss, first recorded in 1803. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth His voice was rich, velvety and ever so slightly posh; Cope was unlike anyone I had ever seen or heard before. In the grim meat-and-potatoes land of late-90s fashion, he looked like he had landed from outer space. And not in a contrived way either, though truth be told he did look like a bit of a berk. What he said that night connected with me on a superficial level. Why would we travel halfway around the world to visit the Nazca Lines or Chichén Itzá, when there were equal treasures on our doorstep, he asked. Easy for you to say that, I thought to myself, when I could barely afford the bus fare into town that night, never mind a trip to the Isle of Lewis to look at some old stones. However, my interest was piqued, as I had recently devoured a copy of Head-On and thought perhaps there was something of interest in what the Arch Drude had to say. According to Cope, Avebury, in the Marlborough Downs, was as culturally significant as The Stooges, which gave me cause to investigate his claims further, and even now, 22 years later, I am still chipping away at this idea. I enjoyed this immensely. I found his arguments convincing and it fired my enthusiasm for visiting more of these places.