The Neolithic or New Stone Age refers to the period when human groups first began to practice farming with domesticated plants and animals. Across the world, this development occurred independently at different times in different regions and was often accompanied by a change in symbolic practices.

This is inferred from building monuments and the discovery of new types of artefact, which may reflect a change in cosmological or religious beliefs. In Europe there was a culture of representing what we have termed the ‘Goddess’, as demonstrated by female figurines found in houses and within ritual sites. However, the goddess phenomenon was not seen in Britain, where instead we have found a number of phallic artefacts dating from c. 4000-2000 BCE.

In this talk Anne will discuss her research into prehistoric phallic objects and explore what importance they may have held for the people who built Stonehenge and the other megalithic monuments that we encounter today.