Re: Cup marks, or weathering? | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

Falkner’s Circle 2

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Cup marks, or weathering?

nigelswift Dec 31, 2003 08:27:39

Replying to Pete G

Pete, I've wondered about those myself. And there are loads of others in the Avebury area. The general views appears to be that there are no cupmarks at Avebury, or indeed Wilts, and there is a sort of cultural black hole between Cornwall and Derbyshire, which is strange in itself.

Naturally, that causes me to look all the harder, in the hope of a knighthood, and I can't walk past a stone without checking. I've found 2 intriguing things:

First, a stone in a hedgerow up on the downs, the other side of the Ridgeway, with several such holes, much deeper and more regular, with deposits of metal in the bottom of them. Are there other known instances of that in the area?

Secondly, the farm facing the junction of the "Avenue" road with the main road at West Kennet, in the stone wall projecting forward towards the road, a perfectly regular six inch deep hole drilled all the way through. I know there are holes left by roots that can be a bit like that, but this seems too perfect. Perhaps you could look.

Spaceship mark Dec 31, 2003 09:28:52

Replying to nigelswift

Not sure about those but on the fossil front I found some cool ones. On the south of one of the 'D-feature' stones in the south circle is a lovely bit of petrified wood. I also found some bifurcating(?) roots on the broken faces of a few stones.
The mad thing about the natural 'cupmarks' is that they were formed as solution hollows when the sarsens were still uncemented way back (if I remember) in the Tertiary.
The sarsen's so bloody hard now not much is gonna make holes like that!
At least that's what I remember. I actually did my disertation about the geological/geomorphological aspect of the sarsens but 'twas a long time ago...

TomBo Dec 31, 2003 12:59:18

Replying to nigelswift

"...a stone in a hedgerow up on the downs, the other side of the Ridgeway, with several such holes, much deeper and more regular, with deposits of metal in the bottom of them."

I've heard that pseudo-cups can be formed when metal deposits in a stone rust away - perhaps that's what's happened here?

Pete G Dec 31, 2003 14:19:07

Replying to nigelswift

There is only one stone on Fyfield that has been recognised as cup marked.
http://www.users.myisp.co.uk/~gtour/Cup.htm
I know the farm stone you mean and think it may be the one Stukeley mentions;
"In a close on the left hand of the avenue, or east of it, not far from Abury town, is a pentagonal stone laid
flat on the ground, in the middle of which is a basin cut, always full of water, and never overflowing. The
country people have a great regard to it: it proceeds from a spring underneath and for ought I know, it may
have been here from the foundation of our temple."
I'm sure there are more cup marked stones around but unless it is found by a Pro Archaeologist it won't officialy be recongnised.
PeteG