This first title in the new Oxbow Reflections series celebrates the academic career of leading British prehistorian Richard Bradley as seen through his many contributions to collected works and monographs published by Oxbow Books. In collaboration with the author, we have selected papers that reflect some of the major themes that have been the subject of his long-term research, including many aspects concerning the origins, development and demise of monumentality in prehistory; the analysis of rock art in its landscape, ontological and cultural setting; the role and significance of maritime connections and persistent places in coastal areas in the Neolithic and Bronze Age; and possible interpretations of the deliberate deposition of materials and objects across a variety of temporal and cultural settings. In these papers we see demonstrated the breadth and development of some of Richard’s key interests and most influential ideas that continue to inspire scholars and that have guided and often refocused our fundamental understanding of peoples, places and polity in British and European prehistory. Includes an introduction by the author.

Richard Bradley is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Reading University and an Honorary Research Associate in the School of Archaeology at Oxford. Recent publications include: Monumental Times (2023) Maritime Archaeology on Dry Land (2022), Temporary Palaces (2021), A Comparative Study of Rock Art in Later Prehistoric Europe (2020), The Prehistory of Britain and Europe (revised edition 2019), and A Geography of Offerings (2016).