Gods of Prehistoric Britain

Britain has one of the richest of all pagan heritages in Europe, defined as the textual and material evidence for its pre-Christian religions. The island is possessed of monuments, burial sites and a range of other remains not only from several distinct ages of prehistory, but also from three different major historic cultures.

This lecture will look at what we know of prehistoric worship, focusing on Stonehenge and the bog body known as Lindow Man, to examine the difficulties of interpreting evidence for ritual behaviour for which no textual testimony survives.

A lecture by Ronald Hutton

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:

[unclemontypython]

Ronald is a national treasure. Utterly charming, hyper-intelligent and just a bit strange. An absolute darling man.

[thebarefootwitch]

“Ok that’s Gandalf looking at the Cottingly fairies, but you get the point.” 😂 I love how Professor Hutton is not only incredibly intelligent, he’s funny

[dannyr]

It was an absolute honour to have this man be my dissertation professor while at uni. He is a well of extraordinary knowledge

[williammorton]

Finally, a public forum where someone has stood up and said, "Most of history is a best guess and opinion." History has no place for dogma.

[karolw.]

The knowledge of Professor Hutton is one thing, but what fascinates an English as a Second Language student is his precise, crisp and careful pronunciation. A pleasure for the ears.

[Justificus]

As an aside, Ronald Hutton, as many English scholastics do - not only has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject, but also speaks without gaps or pauses in a continuous flow of ideas framed in a conversational style. Most impressive and natural.

[jhb]

I came for the antiquarian lore, I stayed for the sparkling wit.

[sawahtb]

What impresses me most is his incredible diction. His vocabulary and sentence structure. So clear, so easy to follow. He has incredible depth of knowledge but it's his ability to speak that is mind blowing.

[edgarsnake]

I could listen to Hutton speaking about the history of sneakers and be rapt with attention. His manner is both imperious and comical at once. VERY British. He speaks with authority on a subject with scant definitive evidence. This is when history's mysteries are most alluring. Hutton knows what he doesn't know and is comfortable with that. When a new brutally murdered ancient corpse is found, perhaps we will learn more. Cheers.

[hArtyTruffle]

Best lecture I’ve heard since Mr Hutton’s last lecture I listened to. He manages to make his lectures fascinating and so witty. Always a pleasure and an education.

[WildBillCox]

You, sir, have an exceptionally well tuned sense of humor. Much appreciated.

[tomharrison]

Professor Hutton - I met you at a few various garden parties in Bristol - though I don't you'd have remembered a dorky undergrad such as myself - and it was always a delight to hear you tell stories, both of the ancient past and of the ways that historians fight to establish interpretations of it that support their current politics.

Absolutely wonderful to finally hear you lecture, and bravo to Gresham College's commitment to open up lectures like this to the public.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Shineon]

I cannot thank GRESHAM COLLEGE enough for making the resources available to secure such a gifted and learned speaker….Well done!

[astrogypsy]

Every time I find a new work by Prof. Hutton I can't help but feel grateful for such a gift of and to humanity. In this instance, I am reminded of Mark Twain in that I have never heard such a comprehensive and decisive exposition of "I don't know." Thanks again Doc.

[MtheRat]

The passage where you discuss the issue of sensationlist interpretations of historical and archaeological findings is one I will be showing my students during our media and source critique lessons. Thank you, professor, for the hard work you put in

[garykeenan]

Professor Hutton is an international treasure and one of my favorite scholars. Thank you for sharing this lecture.

[jordanleighwheatley]

Stonehenge has always been my favorite Wonder. As a little kid in the 90s and early 00s, my parents got our first computer with the Britannica encyclopedia downloaded on it and I have vivid memories of sitting at the computer and reading about SH, the great wall, and manatees lol.

[Nozb]

Once again absolutely fascinating to hear not just the interpretation being presented but the encouragement for us to interpret and challenge.

[ArcanumV]

From the way he's dressed, he's clearly the Doctor. Can he not just use the TARDIS and pop back for a look?

Seriously, he's one of my favorite historians. I always love to see him in a documentary, and lectures where he gets to hold forth on big ideas on his own are extra special.

[BillSikes.]

One of the most brilliant minds of the current period,
Thanks Dr Hutton 🙏