Statements in Stone is the first detailed study of the great stone monuments, or megaliths, of Western Europe. The book places various megalithic traditions into a social context, relating these traditions to the changing structures in social organization. These megaliths cover a period of over 2000 years, from the Neolithic period to the beginning of the Bronze Age. Mark Patton shows how recent excavations have further contributed to our understanding of megaliths, with the discovery of early complexes beneath passage graves providing evidence for the multiphase construction of megalithic cairns and tombs.