Stukeley's cursus interpretation as racetracks persists as processional pathways in modern archaeology

Stukeley's cursus interpretation as racetracks persists as processional pathways in modern archaeology. Stukeley identified cursus monuments as racetracks, coining the term 'cursus' Modern archaeologists refer to cursus monuments as processional pathways Cursus monuments vary greatly in size, from less than 100 meters to several miles in length

Stukeley coined 'cursus' for those long earthworks — calling them racetracks. But the term 'cursus' stuck as the standard academic label, not 'processionary pathways' as some might speculate. The smallest is quite short while the longest stretches for miles — you can't call those the same thing, can you? Yet the terminology stuck. It's nuts.

Key Facts

• Stukeley identified cursus monuments as racetracks, coining the term 'cursus'
• Modern archaeologists refer to cursus monuments as processional pathways
• Cursus monuments vary greatly in size, from less than 100 meters to several miles in length
• The inconsistent terminology persists in academic literature despite the size variations making uniform classification problematic

Source: Were Our Attitudes to MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS Framed 300 Years Ago? by The Prehistory Guys