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Previous 5 | Showing 16-20 of 678 posts. Most recent first | Next 5 
Easter Island - Quarrymen |
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There are 887 moai on Easter Island. Ninety-five percent of them were carved from stone from the volcano Rano Raraku and later transported to their appointed place. No one knows exactly how they were moved. When the ancestor cult died sometime between 1722 and 1868, the stone quarry at Rano Raraku was abandoned, and the moai in the process of being carved were left precisely where they were. For the 21st century visitor it's a remarkable sight. Giant stone heads litter the hillside. They are the original monsters of rock. Many are partially buried from the shoulders up, their bodies now hidden by quarry spoil:  In the top right of this photo, you can see a massive moai, 71 feet tall, - yes, that's right 21ms - still attached to the crater wall.  How on earth they planned to free this monster from the rock and transport him to where they were going to put him is yet another mystery. Perhaps he was never intended to be moved?  A little path (from which you stray at your peril!) guides you through the giants as your mind is blown away…  Walking up the volcano and into the crater brings more surprises. The crater is filled with fresh water, banked by totara reeds. But look up onto the high slopes inside the crater and there are even more stone heads, peeping out from the earth where they were abandoned.  It's thought that different parts of the quarry were used by different clans. When the quarrying and carving stopped, another obsessive passion took over the minds of the Easter Islanders. The birdman. And he is the subject of my next blog. Photos: Moth Clark |
Posted by Jane2nd December 2011ce |
Easter Island - Stoneheads |
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Glossary Moai = huge volcanic stone head or figure of (usually) a man Ahu = large stone platform supporting the moai. Ahus often contain burials or cremated remains. It is still tabu to walk on them Pukao = red volcanic stone 'topknot' sometime placed on a moai's head When Dutch sailor Jacob Rogeveen moored his ship on the rocky shores of a triangular, volcanic speck of land only 12 miles long and 6 miles wide on Easter Sunday 1722 he was the first European to have clapped eyes on its tiny, treeless shore, dotted with stone platforms (ahu) supporting enormous stone statues (moai). While the moai and the ahu are positively modern by the standards of TMA's European chronology, they were built by people living a Neolithic lifestyle and therefore I feel they are within the remit of TMA. Polynesian settlers arrived there about 900AD from (probably) the Marquesas Islands, bringing with them stone tools, fish hooks, chickens and a passion for carving stone tikis. This love was to reach insane, almost industrial proportions as their isolated civilisation developed. The story of the initial discovery of Easter Island by the Polynesian settlers, the rise of their isolated civilisation, and its subsequent collapse after European discovery is one that has intrigued me ever since I can remember. It was inevitable that some day my curiosity would take me there. We landed at Hanga Roa, Easter Island's only village (population 4,400) and immediately strode out north from our hotel despite the fierce sun. Our first monument was Tahai, a complex of platforms, boat shaped houses, chicken houses, and moai, including one with its original pukao and restored eyes:  I can't begin to describe to you how I felt to finally see the moai for myself. Moth and I kept having to remind ourselves that we were REALLY here.  When you've been wowed by the moai, it's easy to overlook the intricate and carefully built stone platforms, the tops laid out in careful rows. Not all the monuments are on the shore. Ahu Akivi has a large stone platform and seven re-erected moai and is a long way inland.  Despite the searing sun (there's bugger all shade to be had on Easter!) I had to sit and draw it.  The monument at Vinapu is, like so many others on the island, unrestored. It was interesting to see the giant moai lying face down, deliberately toppled by the islanders some time between 1722 and 1868 as the power and sacredness of the ancestors ebbed away.  The locals called this magical spiritual essence mana, I call it 'woooo!' All die-hard stone-huggers like us, whether they believe in 'woooo' or not, understand the power of standing a stone up and the very real sense of loss of something when they are toppled. Seeing the now powerless moai at Vinapu reminded me of a pod of beached whales, still magnificent and wondrous but dead nonetheless. The seven moai re-erected by Thor Heyerdahl at Anakena's sandy beach (the only sandy beach on the island) are a magnificent sight, standing up there on their tall ahu, surrounded by Tahitian coconut palms that he planted 50 years ago. Isn't this exactly what you imagine the Polynesia of your dreams to be?  The sea, by the way, was freezing! This A-list Hollywood show site of moai on an ahu is at Tongariki and I make no apology for bombarding you with five photos of it:  Fifteen moai! FIFTEEN!!!! All re-erected but all in there original positions.  As I sketched I could see that each one was an individual, if not exactly a portrait, certainly imbued with the spirit of the ancestor it was meant to represent.  The place is simply breath-taking.  The moai look inland (nearly all of them do) towards the volcano Rano Raraku from where they were carved, the subject of my next blog.  Photos: Moth Clark |
Posted by Jane 2nd December 2011ce |
DESSO TO MISTRA November 12th 2011 |
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After the Out and About to Gurness it proved necessary to go back for a more leisurely photographic documentation of the broch and Viking settlement that had been buried beneath the Knowe of Aikerness. Inside the broch tower I found at least a couple of 'objets trouvé', being slabs with petrified mud tracks over them. One of these had at the top a rayed sun simulacrum, a most delightful find. Coming up from the Point of Hellia I finally spotted the Knowe of Desso. Like many early Orcadian kirks it had been built by water, a burn in this instance. At first all I saw was a small pointy mound, then another angle showed a long depression attached to this. In 1852 the Knowe of Desso (a.k.a. Denshow) was trenched by George Petrie, who found a 4' by 2'6" by 2" blue slate slab incribed with a cross in the style of the Papa Stronsay cross (which came from an early chapel dedicated to St Nicholas like the former Orphir and Holm parish churches). However perusing the map I may have seen the site other than where marked by others (though if so this would not be the first time one has been 'mis-placed'). At any rate I did capture it in low light, and there is a connection later. Following the track alongside the Bight of Bundy there are several grassy hollows. At first I only felt curiosity, but after climbing down I was gratified to see that these were nausts for hauling up boats into. The NMRS doesn't mention boat nousts but there is a record for old winches that may relate. A heron took flight from who knows where and passed close by before settling on the Sands of Evie. Coming to the PC I prowled around looking for old bridges/culverts to little avail. Then on the southern side of the small building now used by fishermen I spotted drystone walling. And when I came closer these were part of a pair of obvious nausts, with most of the stone walls still surviving. These appear slightly smaller than the grassy ones seen earlier and I think are relatively modern. A few skeins of geese flew overhead. By now the twilight held full sway and even the nearer of the broch mounds stood barely visible. So I took the path up to the main road. Along the way I turned right and took the broad track to the older graveyard. I still find that straight pile of stones by the entrance, the same white as those of the graveyard itself, highly intriguing. I climbed in over the devil's gate, slowing down coming down the other side to avoid slipping, and decided on a counter-clockwise perambulation in order to peer back out over the wall where a large linear mound of soil and refuse lies against it ahint the stone pile. Placing my hand on the wall I felt a snapped off stone and found that there had been another devil's dyke on this side of the entrance just as with South Ettit Kirk. Outside the next wall there were a few stones that looked to have been brought up by the plough but went as far as the soil pile where there appeared to be a few dark slabs sticking out. In the graveyard I saw a narrow linear depression that didn't match any gravestone - I nioticed several other miscellaneous anomalous depression elsewhere as I went around. A most peculiar thing is that most places along the walls there are stones that lie across the tops and project somewhat beyond the line. Most exciting of all is that there is another devil's gate near the NE corner which I somehow missed on my previous visit - and it seems that its lowest stone had been either level with the graveyard mound's surface or even below this. Fortunately my camera's flash proved up to the job of filming it. Jo Ben said that the mounds in this area were often seen playing host to mysterious lights. The graveyard is the site of St Nicholas chapel. This "poor small house in Stenso" had a thatched roof renewed every year. Sometime before 1778 it fell into disuse, and then one Sunday shortly after 1788 the walls themselves collapsed. On the odd occasions when a new grave is dug foundations have been known to disturb the spade. The farmtrack has not always been there. On the first 25" O.S. a track comes straight up fom the shore to the NE corner where the third devil's gate is, then goes around to snake into the present entrance whilst going up to a field edge and across to where the path down to the beach bends. The map also shows a rectangular structure central to the graveyard and a smaller square one in the SE corner. It is a safe hazard that the formerly upstanding remains of these now form part of the linear mound and the stone pile respectively. I think also that St Nicholas chapel took its dedication from the Knowe of Desso [though you could possibly argue Dens = St Denys] when this went out of use. The physical connection between kirk and graveyard has not always been. Earlier there could be several hundred yards between the two like there could between kirk and kirkhouse 'priest's house' (as with Houton). So it is not beyond the bounds that this was first an outlying burial ground - there is still a ford to the north of the Knowe of Desso. Both could have lain along the course of the Man's Body. St Magnus body was brought onto Mainland south of the Point of Aikerness. Two places spring to mind, the Noust of Aikerness and the Port of Aikerness. The first is north of Aikerness (near the field end S of Reeky Knowes) and the second to the south (just ENE of the Howea Breck legend on the 1:25,000 map). My bet's on the former. When I reached the main road there was still an hour before the bus. Fortunately unlike one small shop in Kirkwall the Mistra is open until six, so I had a cherryade to drink and a trurkish delight bar to eat and saved myself going to Tesco by buying a pint of milk. Anyway, it is always nice to take a gander around a new shop you come across or even one where I haven't been for many a year lke Mistra. Continued north on the road, then took pics of a golden moon on Rousay's skyline from the war memorial before heading back. Great relief on finding the bus shelter (I have a poor memory). Sat and saw the full moon swiftly and visibly rise until she hid her face behind a veil of cloud. For the most part the sky remained bright and clear. High up one of the planets twinkled at me throughout and after. Probably Venus. Not very good at night colour I had for a while confused this with Mars until this gleamed a more obvious red to my left, low over Dale. Better to be too early than too late I walked onto the verge opposite after the bus left uphill. Now I could see some stars - not many but enough to dazzle. High up above me the W of Cassiopeia shone bright on her throne. Over to my left the Great Bear's plough had an immense presence, Callisto superlarge this night. The cold was well worth the visions but I was glad to climb aboard the bus at long last. |
Posted by wideford13th November 2011ce |
A true relation of 'The Orkney Hood' |
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This twill hood is RCAHMS NMRS record. no HY50NW 21, find site unlocated. Anderson in 1883 thought it to be a Viking piece, as have others since. In the NMAS 1892 Catalogue (National Museum of the Antiquaries of Scotland, now the National Museum) this is described as prchased from Petrie's collection in ? 1867 and found in ? St.Andrews [and Deerness] parish. A.S. Henshall in 1954 compares it to a tablet-band found in County Antrim in 1893. The last piece on HY50NW 21 still attributes it to St.Andrew's only sometime before 1867, and cites a radio-carbon derived date of between about AD 250 and 615 i.e Broch Age or late Pict. All of which goes to show why it is of vital import that newspaper articles need to be part of the record. For a few days after the hood was found in 1863 the location is given as in the moss off Hurtiso in Holm (6' down under five peat layers). In 1877 the same newspaper finds it in Petrie's collection with the parish Kirkwall [and St Ola] which is the second parish from St Andrew's (as Petrie also 'misplaced' a barrow cemetery as to parish [if he has been reported correctly] this shows that even original sources aren't beyond checking). And, lastly, in 1881 cloth found with an Orkney skeleton some 3 miles E of Dounby is compared by that newspaper to the hood. Only in this account is the location finally placed as St Andrew's parish. When Friday's Radio Orkney announced that on The One Show that there would be an item on this they most specifically associated it with Groatster in the Tankerness tunship of St Andrew's, perhaps because its farmers have found articles deposited in the vicinity of White Moss in the northern part of their land. We can replace guesswork with the true parish where the hood was found. There are three places called Hurtiso in Orkney, but we can rule out the one in Rousay. The other two are in Holm. Upper Hurtiso is next to the extensive Muir of Meil and only a few hundred metres SE of Lyking where a Viking grave was found before 1870. More likely Hurtiso Farm (HY506105) south of this at the end of the road starting at St Andrew's school is meant. I wonder what age the church and manse to the north are because one time when I came down this road from St Andrew's to Holm in a ploughed field to their north I saw what looked to me to be the remains of a stone structure or structures. Certainly nothing could be found of the hood's site starting from the premise this was St Andrew's and Deerness. The Hurtiso Hood is made up of three seperate pieces; hood, upper band, fringe with lower band. As these are not of equal quality it has been said that this means someone used two already existing pieces and fashioned them into what we see now. But it could also mean that the whole was a collaborative piece, whether for some social reason or as a result of specialisation (though I incline towards the former). Orkney Herald : May 23rd 1863 "One day last week... in the Holm district... in the moss off Hurtiso... exposed unexpectedly an ancient article of dress... This article was a short woolen cloak, finely adorned with fringes {?19} inches in length, and having a hood of the same material... This curious relic was found embedded in the moss at a depth of six feet, and under five solid layers of peat." December 5th 1877 "in Mr Petrie's collection was a knitted woolen hood which was found in a moss in the parish of Kirkwall... which resembles in shape the old "trot cosy" of the last century... It had been done in bands, each with a seperate pattern, and round the edge is a fringe about twenty inches in depth." May 18th 1881 "Skeleton found... while engaged in peat cutting in the hills between Birsay and Evie... The remains... that of a female of about twenty years of age. Some pieces of cloth, apparently used for wrapping the body, or part of the deceased's clothing... The strongest of the three pieces of cloth is of a peculiar woolen fabric... a close resemblance in texture and style to the hood found in a moss in the parish of St.Andrews upwards of 20 years ago.." |
Posted by wideford 23rd October 2011ce |
NEWARK SLIP TO AIKERSKAILL August 31st 2011 |
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Passing over the narrow strip of land seperating St. Andrew's from Deerness at the place where the first road arc gives way to the second on the RH side at the bend is the beginning of two minor roads, taking the right fork (Geo Road) takes you past Delday to the 'new' Newark jetty. Near the fork the remains on your left are of the 19thC farmhouse of Cellardyke [cellar=siller 'silver', as in Siller-a-geo, but could be named for the Fife village] with its barn. We got out at the tiny car park high up above the beach. Everyone but me stepped gingerly over the rock formation down to the beach. I took the path instead until I came to a rivulet in full spate that brooked no crossing by only inches - the present 1:25,000 shows a ford here but the 1882 25" only shows a watery alembic shape appearing from nothing, no burn or wellspring to mark its start. Trowietown above post-dates the first O.S. and is a 'greenfield' site. The stream flows onto the beach, where it finally became passable by rushing it. Catching up to the rest as Newark came into view I mentioned that Norse skelly-wegs had been found here. So it was decided to leave the beach and get up onto the track so as to avoid any possibility of seeing the human bones that not infrequently erode out of the cliff-face above the taing of Lee Hamar. I would have loved to find something myself but I am not sure that we could have continued safely over the rocks anyway. The track passes between the buildings that make up the present farm. Just past the ones on the south side are the archaeological remains of a "manor house" and a chapel, including what is described as a souterrain. Unfortunately since my last visit nature has rather taken over the site, so I think my fellow walkers were a little underwhelmed when I pointed it out. It is mostly below ground level and yet stands well, however vegetation now covers the floors and climbs half-way up the walls (whose tops blend into their surroundings a little too well now). "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" I also pointed out the mound of Quoyburing 'broch enclosure' a.k.a. Howie o' Backland (Backland is the name given to the taing next to Lee Hamar, possibly evidence for greater erosion than currently known of from the Newark chapel - the old Work was perhaps located at the taing) that is split by a farmtrack from Skea to the shore, though this now mostly 'drain' above there. Even on it there is little to see. The biggest piece, and the tallest surviving part, is by the west side of the track. I assume that this is where the excavation of a 3m high wall took place and the broch tower stands. There is a ditch by the north side of this. As the site covers some 0.65 hectares outbuildings are suspected, and I would place these on that part near the east side of the track where there is a pool (though this lowering could always be due to earlier excavation). I expected us to be going on to the Point of Ayre, but our itinerary was a circular route rather than the linear walk of other guides. And since my last visit a metal gate has been installed across the track by the end of the Aikerskaill Road to control entry to the last section of the latter. Beyond here there are the scant remains of an early mediaeval settlement at Howe Geo. On the 1882 map a very thin nearly N/S rectangle is drawn and a little further east an almost E/W aligned oblong enclosure. Alas the first is much destroyed and the second has become incorporated within the broad track (which surely came after). When I went I took no notice of a line of stones across the track. Then a few yards further on another turned the lightbulb on over my head, so I turned around and the building foundations were very then much evidence, though only one of the walls stood clearly still vertical and several courses high. I could make out the doorway and discern the interior. But could I do so still or has climate change exacted its toll of the stones, obscured by turf as with many another formerly visible site ? In which case even more underwhelming to those I wished to show it, so mebbe best left to my solitary investigations alas. Instead our route turned left up Aikerskaill Road. Barely have you started on this than it feels as if the road has reared up in front of you like a wall of tarmac. Quite steep then. Once surmounted I realised that this led to Lighthouse, the last stop of the Deerness buses. Hadn't realised Lighthouse corner lay that near. Fortunately before then we turned right onto Quoys Road past Oback (when a 19thC cottage was demolished at Quoys in 1974 very strong evidence for a Norse settlement came to light). To me my first view of Oback looked like a typical old Orcadian school, or at least the building at the western end had that architectural look. In 1882 the track preceding the road went west only went as far as entering Oback, a track coming the other way stopping well short of Oback before both were joined to make the modern road. As I looke along the road I noticed a series of hills on the twilit horizon, drawing my attention. A must-have camera moment. We continued up to the junction with the road from Glenavon and then turned right again, back to Newark. Along the way we were much taken by the array of plants filling a garden fence and growing against it. One some of us felt we recognised, with many-fingered leaves most pleasant to gaze upon, but without flowers we could not put a name to it. As we headed down the road I saw a large dun bird flying amongst the hollows and hillocks behind Newark. My first thought was whaup. Too dark a brown for curlew though, as though the bird had been dipped in various bark mulches is the best I can describe the plumage. And again the flight wasn't that upward whippoorwhill accompanied rise and long slow glide typical of a whaup. Instead it rose in short flights and then dropped down. Finally I realised this bird was a long-eared owl looking for prey and at last finding it. I have vague recollections that these undulating features covered a settlement. CANMAP only shows the chapel site but Canmore Mapping does have a record 'dot' in the right area. Unfortunately the beta does not have an info button to direct us to that road - I wonder if this could be the 'mystery' dig I was taken to in 1986, would be so good to finally put a name to it. There is a possible mound recorded near Little Cottage, and there are similar features to those behind Newark a little east of south of Little Cottage (in a smaller area though). Could all simply be buried dunes though. After a slight detour I joined the rest of the party on the beach. The sea had well receded now and I scurried through left behind pools to reach the new tideline. To me this is always the best part of a beach, the limin of old tide and new, province of seabirds and scatty dogs and me (and the occasional shellfisherman oot for spoots [razorshells] ). The jetty is more complicated than I thought. My attempts to climb up it were thwarted by slippery seaweeds. As I went over to a corner I spotted hard into it a small arrangement of triangular stones that must have been put there for just such a predicament. Some followed in my steps whilst others crawled over the batter of the seawall flags. On the cliff there is an art installation comprising two pieces of old machinery. Their shadowed shapes brought to mind an antique Springer sewing machine. Back in the minibus we decided to go ahead with a meal at the Quoyburray Inn over in Tankerness (close to the St Andrew's Community Centre and the 'Mine Howe road' - I am not sure Mine Howe is open even in the tourist season except by prior arrangement now if a tourist is correct). As evening meals had only just started we had the eating section to ourselves throughout. The cauliflower I found cooked right, neither turned to mush like mine often is or nor barely cooked as at the last place we had been. The windows here provide an unusual view as the inn is sunk into the ground behind so that their bottoms are level with the track. |
Posted by wideford 12th September 2011ce |
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