The Modern Antiquarian. Ancient Sites, Stone Circles, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic Mysteries

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Burrough Hill (Hillfort)

Burrough Hill dig reveals 'sizeable' hoard of Iron Age metal


"A hoard of Iron Age metal found at a Leicestershire site could go on permanent display, archaeologists say.

The dig at Burrough Hill, near Melton Mowbray, has uncovered one of the biggest collections of Iron Age metalwork found in the East Midlands.

The finds include spears, knives, iron brooches, reaping hooks and the decorative bronze trim from a shield.

Burrough Hill is the site of an Iron Age fort but no major excavation had taken place there since the 1970s."

More on the BBC here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-22163174

Berkshire

Kingsmead Quarry dig unearths Neolithic settlement - BBC


"Four Neolithic houses found in a Berkshire quarry are thought to make up one of the oldest permanent settlements ever found in England.

Archaeologists unearthed the 5,700-year-old foundations at Kingsmead Quarry, near Windsor."

More here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-21719830

Stonehenge (Stone Circle)

Neolithic acoustics of Stonehenge revealed by academics


Following on from ryaner's post...

"A team of academics have revealed the "sonic experience" that early visitors to Stonehenge would have heard.

Scholars from the Universities of Salford, Huddersfield and Bristol used an American replica of the monument to investigate its audio history.

Salford's Dr Bruno Fazenda said they had found the site reacted to sound "in a way that would have been noticeable to the Neolithic man".

He said the research would allow a "more holistic" view of its past."

More here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17754949

Flag Fen (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork)

Flag Fen archaeology idea brings in public to dig deep


"Renowned Bronze Age archaeological site Flag Fen in Cambridgeshire will host a first-of-its-kind dig that makes the public integral to the project.

The idea combines both "crowdfunding" and "crowdsourcing"; for contributions starting at £125, donors can get their hands very dirty and dig for a day.

The venture's website will also stream live video from the dig as well as host lectures and interviews with experts."

More here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17211285

Wiltshire

"Then along came some druids, scavenging on Salisbury Plain... "


This could well be waaaay Off-Topic, but it does mention burial mounds! :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-16986737

Wales (Country)

Tax bill paid with 2,000-year-old Iron Age fire guard


"A 2,000-year-old Iron Age fire guard has been accepted into Wales' national museum in lieu of inheritance tax.

The Capel Garmon Firedog, once one of a pair on the hearth of a chieftain's roundhouse, is regarded as one of the finest surviving prehistoric iron artefacts in Europe."

More here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-16252711

And more about the artefact here...

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/2348/

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/rhagor/article/1940/

Wonder what the maker / original owner would have made of it being used like this?!!!

Stonehenge (Stone Circle)

Scientists discover source of rock used in Stonehenge's first circle


"Scientists have succeeded in locating the exact source of some of the rock believed to have been used 5000 years ago to create Stonehenge's first stone circle.

By comparing fragments of stone found at and around Stonehenge with rocks in south-west Wales, they have been able to identify the original rock outcrop that some of the Stonehenge material came from."

More here...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/news/scientists-discover-source-of-rock-used-in-stonehenges-first-circle-6278894.html

Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham (Region)

Neolithic finds 'best yet' at Borras Quarry, Wrexham


Fragments of Neolithic pottery and an ancient arrowhead represent the best finds yet from a dig at a quarry near Wrexham, say archaeologists.

Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) has been excavating at Tarmac's Borras Quarry site since 2008.

More here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-14930058

Scotland (Country)

Scottish prehistoric mummies made from jigsaw of body parts


DNA tests on British prehistoric mummies revealed they were made of body parts from several different people, arranged to look like one person.

The four bodies discovered in 2001 on South Uist, in Scotland's Outer Hebrides were the first evidence in Britain of deliberate mummification.

It is thought the body parts may have come from people in the same families.

More here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14575729

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/6447/cladh_hallan_round_houses.html

St. Kilda

Prehistoric finds on remote St Kilda's Boreray isle


The remains of a permanent settlement which could date back to the Iron Age has been uncovered on a remote Scottish island, according to archaeologists.

It was previously thought Boreray in the St Kilda archipelago was only visited by islanders to hunt seabirds and gather wool from sheep.

Archaeologists have now recorded an extensive agricultural field system and terraces for cultivating crops.

They have also found an intact stone building buried under soil and turf.

More here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13753643

Aberdeenshire

Archaeolink Prehistory Park could be saved


Following on from drewbhoy's post...

An Aberdeenshire tourist attraction facing closure after councillors decided to end a six-figure annual subsidy could yet be saved.

The trust that runs the Archaeolink Prehistory Park in Oyne said it was "fairly positive" about its future.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-12932458

Rombald's Moor

CSI Comes to Rombalds Moor


Investigators made their first expedition onto a wild and windy Rombalds Moor in a project to capture the images from hundreds of ancient carved stones.

The 30-plus CSI – or Carved Stone Investigation – volunteers began their first practical day of training on Saturday for a survey aiming to record prehistoric rock carvings for posterity.

Volunteers will spend the next three years investigating more than 300 carved stones scattered across Rombalds Moor.

As well as detailed written records of the ancient carvings, the teams of five will use photogrammetry techniques to create 3D computerised images of each stone.

The aim is to record the carvings before the destructive power of wind, rain, and growing vegetation erases them permanently.

The intensive survey is taking place with the help of cash from Pennine Prospects' £1.9million Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

Community Archaeologist Gavin Edwards, said: "The survey on Rombalds Moor will be the most comprehensive undertaken in over two decades, and with the help of the volunteers, we will have gathered very valuable information.

"Prehistoric carvings are a unique and valuable part of our heritage, providing a direct link with the people who lived here over 5,000 years ago.

" It is important to try and capture a detailed record of the carved stones and their surrounding landscape both for current studies and to guide conservation management, so we can protect them for future generations. Existing records indicate that over 300 carved panels lie on the moors between the rivers Wharfe and Aire."

Overseeing the volunteers are Tertia Barnett, who has worked on a range of international archaeological projects, rock art expert Kate Sharpe, and rock art researcher Richard Stroud.

Ilkley Gazette 11/02/11
http://www.gazetteandobserver.co.uk/news/news_local/8845120.Volunteers_gearing_up_for_carved_stone_survey/

Telegraph & Argus 11/02/11
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/archive/2011/02/11/Ilkley+%26+Wharfedale+News+%28ilkwharfe_news%29/8845120.Volunteers_gearing_up_for_carved_stone_survey/

Highland (Mainland)

Robbed burial cairn find at Dounreay nuclear dump site


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11936674
Nowt much to tell. Live in Lancashire, would like to live on the Isle of Lewis, enjoy hill-walking, playing on bicycles, attempting to play bass guitar, and spending time at ancient sites (preferably remote ones that have to be walked or mountain-biked to).

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