John gave a fascinating account of the excavators, scientists, theorists and artists who have fallen under the spell of the stones for centuries and been infected by '"megalithomania". In this talk, the master of combining the erudite with the entertaining, told the story of reactions both ancient and modern to these awesome relics of prehistory. The theories they have inspired have been variously attributed to the Phoenicians, Druids, Romans, Danes, Saxons, Brahmins, Egyptinas, Chaldeans, and even the American Indians. Looking at the work of William Stukeley, Lockyer, Watkins, and the Michell inspired earth mysteries renaissance in the 1960's and how it is reappearing today.

John launched the re-issue of the classic book Megalithomania: Artists and Antiquarians at the Old Stone Monuments exclusively at the 2007 conference.

See the other 2007 speakers here.