Staging the world of Stonehenge

Shrouded in layers of speculation and folklore, Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most awe-inspiring ancient stone circle, and its image is famous around the globe.

In 2022 the British Museum is staging a major exhibition on the world of Stonehenge (17 February – 17 July), the first of its kind in the UK. It will bring the story of Stonehenge into sharper focus, showing that rather than a shadowy age of mystery, the Britain and Ireland of four millennia ago were places of big ideas, commerce and travel.

This talk explores the exhibition with the help of its key objects from across Europe, including the first loan to Britain of the Nebra sky disc and several important objects kindly loaned to the exhibition by Dorset Museum.

Image: Nebra sky disc, Germany, about 1600 BC. State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt, Juraj Liptá.