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The origins of human artistry are being pushed even further into the past.

sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00083C99-D691-1FE0-969183414B7F0000

Carving out a safe future for nation’s most precious stones by Stephen Stewart of ‘The Herald’, December 22 2003

ONE of Scotland’s most valuable historic resources could be safeguarded for future generations by a consultation document published today.

Carved stones, from prehistoric rock art to gravestones, will be the focus of a three-month investigation involving owners, local authorities, special interest groups and the wider public.
Frank McAveety, minister for tourism, culture and sport, launched the consultation, due to finish at the end of March, which is designed to protect carved stones such as the Pictish cross-slabs at Glamis, Aberlemno and Eassie.

Other significant carved stones include the eagle from the Broch of Burrian in Orkney and the boar on the roadside stone at Knocknagael, near Inverness.

Whole story here

From BBCi, 22 Dec 2003
A cross-border heritage group has been protesting against plans to build a rubbish incinerator near the site of Newgrange and the Battle of the Boyne in County Louth.

The demonstrators called on the Irish Government to stop what they described as “cultural vandalism”.

Whole story here

A 5,000-year-old symbol from the Neolithic village of Skara Brae has been singled out by researchers as a potent symbol of arousal in men.
According to an article in The Scotsman newspaper, following random testing of males in different parts of the country, galvanic skin responses showed arousal when they saw designs based on ancient fertility symbols. Skara Brae’s “lozenge” symbol was singled out by the researchers as the most potent of all the designs used.
The symbol is found scratched close to where female bones were found buried under the doorway of one of the huts.
The survey has led to a reappraisal of jewellery market research, with new pieces now being designed in response to the unconscious signals being transmitted by the test subjects.

Source: The Scotsman

From an article on BBC News web site:

A Bronze Age gold disc used as an item of adornment at a burial 4,000 years ago has been declared treasure trove by a coroner at Aberystwyth.

The disc dating back 4,000 years was discovered at Cwmystwyth Mines near Aberystwyth – and is only the third known piece of gold from the Bronze Age discovered in Wales.

In November, the inquest had to be adjourned because the disk was not presented in court by representatives of the National Museum of Wales.

The find – roughly the size of a milk bottle top – is said to be as significant as the famous Mold cape – thought to have been worn as a garment for religious ceremonies by a great authority.

More ...

The site of archaeological remains which are thought to date back thousands of years has been saved from development. An area occupied by a Scheduled Ancient Monument was at risk of being turned into a small housing estate on the edge of Highbridge and West Huntspill in Somerset.

Land owners Alexander Holderness and Joan Dowling applied to Sedgemoor District Council for planning permission to build about 30 homes on land between Alstone Road and Alstone Lane. But members of the authority’s development control committee decided to preserve the site.

About 80 residents wrote to the authority saying they were against the proposal.

West Huntspill Parish Council also registered an objection as did Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society.

Among the objectors was Alistair Murray. He said: “I live on the boundary of the site and have been doing archaeological digs in my back garden for years.

“The area has been found to have been in occupation from the late Neolithic, through the bronze and iron ages, medieval times up to the present day. It’s an important site, there’s no doubt about it.

“There are other problems, like difficulties with the road access and the land is prone to flooding.”

But Mr Holderness told the Mercury: “We plan to appeal against the decision. We have been working with English Heritage and the Environment Agency and paid for a geophysical survey.

“We have also had specifications drawn up for archaeological digs which we would have paid for had we been given outline planning permission. It would have cost us up to £20,000.

“We have touched nothing so far and done everything by the book. But people in the village are jumping to conclusions and formed an action committee.

“Eventually we will get permission to build houses on at least part of the land.”

Source: megalithic.co.uk > Weston & Somerset Mercury 15/12/2003

Volunteers from Tavistock Conservation Project have been helping to restore the setting of an ancient Scheduled Monument on Dartmoor, almost totally obscured by vegetation.

The Pound at Deeper Marsh on Spitchwick Common, an earthwork enclosure and ditch, was covered by thick scrub and gorse bushes until the volunteers, under close supervision by archaeologists, cleared the area.

A survey is now planned of the site to discover its original function. Over the years it has been described as a Neolithic henge, a Bronze Age burial mound or an Iron Age hill slope enclosure.

It is thought the Iron Age suggestion is most likely, as it would tie in other sites in the area. This would date the pound between 700BC and 43AD.

Other conservation measures to archaeological sites on Dartmoor have also been carried out recently by Dartmoor National Park Authority.

They include repairs to the Yellowmead stone circle and row on Cosdon Hill and damage to the Langstone Moor stone circle on Merrivale firing range, where visitors to the site have built two crude stone walls between the stones.

A DNPA spokesman said: ‘The material used in the construction was derived from inside the circle and consists of the shattered remains of former standing stones, destroyed by American military during the second world war.‘

(c)Tindle Newspapers Ltd 18 December 03

from the Tavistock Times Gazette

Experts believe important prehistoric remains could lie under a proposed international sheepdog centre near Bala, in North Wales. Gwynedd Archaeological Planning Service stepped in after realising there is a prehistoric and Roman site close by.

“Our concern is that there might be similar remains at this site at Ysgubor Isaf,” said archaeologist Emily La Trobe-Bateman. “There is a very important prehistoric and Roman site in a nearby field, as well as similar sites further away, which did come to light in 1997,” she explained.

The scientists plan to use trace changes in the soil which would indicate remains, although there are no plans for a dig. “There may be nothing there, but bearing in mind the closeness to a known prehistoric site then we feel that a survey is necessary,” she added “We are in effect playing safe and the development will depend on what is found below ground.”

Source: icNorthWales (11 December 2003)

The Isle of Man has been continually let down by the British Government in its pursuit of world heritage status for Tynwald Hill, a member of the Tynwald House of Keys (MHK) has claimed. Martyn Quayle made the statement in Tynwald as he called for action to be taken to gain international recognition for the St John’s site, the hill which has been a focus for activities for nearly 4,000 years.

Mr Quayle said the site was first put forward as a site deserving world heritage status in 1984 when other sites, including the Laxey Wheel, were also considered. But it was not included in a list of sites favoured by the UK Government.

The motion on initiate action in gaining recognition for the site was passed unanimously. How it will be achieved has not been determined although members agreed the importance of the site to the people of the Island and its preservation is of more significance than the recognition of third parties.

Source: Isle of Man Online (12 December 2003)

The farmer who closed Dartmoor’s (England) Vixen Tor to the public has been charged with carrying out land improvements without an environmental impact assessment. Mary Alford, who owns the site at Merrivale, near Tavistock, Devon, will appear before Plymouth Magistrates in the New Year.

Vixen Tor, nicknamed the Sphinx of Dartmoor, is a well known landmark and a popular destination for walkers and rock climbers. Although lying on private land, the previous owner had allowed public access to the weathered outcrop for more than 30 years. But earlier this year Mrs. Alford stopped access to the site. Following the closure a walker reported Mrs. Alford to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, alleging that fertiliser had been spread on the surrounding moorland. Mrs Alford was charged following a Defra investigation.

Defra regards uncultivated land as a very precious resource: “If anybody wants to agriculturally intensify land, to basically change its use, they need to complete an environmental impact assessment. That would highlight any of the adverse effects. If (the change) is deemed unsustainable for whatever reason … it is possible that it would not be allowed to go ahead. When someone cultivates the land without completing an assessment they could be prosecuted. We are talking about the heritage of the countryside.” Defra has powers to insist that illegally improved land must be returned to its original condition.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority has said that the case was between Mrs. Alford and Defra, and had nothing to do with the Authority. But: “The National Park Authority’s viewpoint is that we have been deeply disappointed by the withdrawal of public access to the Tor. We are looking forward to 2005 when public access will be resumed under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.”

Sources: BBC News, Western Daily Press (7/9 December 2003)

According to ‘The Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine’ 2003, the current location of the Winterbourne Bassett stone circle is in serious doubt. Stukeley drew the circle in 1724 and Silbury Hill and Avebury’s church tower are clearly visible on the horizon. This has led archaeologists to question the current site’s location and speculate that Stukeley’s location may be correct [SU09307535], which is 50m south of a lane leading to Clyffe Pypard. Further evidence that supports Stukeley came from the earth resistance survey [June ‘98] which located a large number of sarsens that were interpreted ‘as part of a naturally occuring distribution without any deliberate pattern.’ Further more, the huge megalith which overlooks the so-called ‘recumbent stone circle’ was raised only recently. Until further excavations unearth the truth, I personally place my bet on William Stukeley’s location as the actual site.

In two separate incidents metal detectorists working in Kent have unearthed fascinating hoards of prehistoric coins, axe heads and jewellery.

A number of weeks ago two metal detectorists found an Iron Age hoard on farmland near Maidstone and last Sunday another detectorist dug up a Bronze Age hoard near Wye.
Whole story here

It seems that early clearance of forests for agriculture released huge amounts of CO2 and kick-started the warming process. The author also puts forward a possible reason for the “Mini Ice Age” before the 1700s.

newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994464

Here’s an interesting article by Madhusree Mukerjee, published on ScientificAmerican.com. This site has a very draconian copyright statement, so I’ve paraphrased a bit of text as a taster:

The Goseck Circles are the remains of a henge-like monument, visible only as crop mark in a field, near the town of Goseck in Germany. Archaeologists published their first findings in August having first discovered the site from the air.

The Goseck Circles are thought to be Neolithic, dating back to 4900 BCE, taking the form of four concentric circles, a mound (or bank?), a ditch and two wooden palisades. Three palisade gates faced north, southwest and southeast. The article describes an alignment with the Winter Solstice sunrise between the centre of the circles and the southern gate.

Last year an etched disk known as the Nebra disk was found 25km from the circles, reinforcing the theory that the site may have been used as a very early observatory.

Scientific American: Circles for Space [ ARCHAEO-ASTRONOMY ]
German “Stonehenge” marks oldest observatory

RESCUE – The British Archaeological Trust

Gloucester Archaeology Unit is threatened with closure. Gloucester City council are currently considering a number of ways to save money for next year, and the Archaeology Unit is a prime target.

Alex Hunt of the CBA reports that the proposal is apparently to cut the field unit section. According to the local Unison branch 5 out of 7 staff will go and the service will be reduced, relocated and refocused on providing purely planning advice and monitoring. The council plans to make a decision on the proposal on 16th October, so there is only a relatively short time in which to lobby them.

Not only is the unit a valuable service and an integral part of preserving Gloucester’s unique heritage, but closing it would save the council very little, only £28,000 in fact which is less than half of what the unit would have made in profit had it not been stopped from tendering for work.

Anybody who has ever dealt with the unit knows what an important role its staff play in protecting the archaeological remains of Gloucester city but also the incredible amount of ‘educational extras’ such as the yearly field school, events and work experience placements which will be lost.

Supporter Rebecca Briscoe, says ‘personally had it not been for the huge part the unit had to play in my archaeological awakening I would not be heading off to one of the top universities in the country to study archaeology at the beginning of this term. The presence of a unit so near to where I live and work was instrumental in the amount of works experience I and many budding archaeologists like me have gained. The incredible staff, whom I cannot praise enough, are too valuable a resource of experience and expertise to be discarded because of budget mismanagement by the city council.

In light of this anyone who feels strongly about this matter should write to
Kevin Stevens, Leader, or Paul Smith, Managing Director,
Gloucester City Council, The Docks, Gloucester, GL1 2EP,
or the local paper The Citizen

From the BBC website:

An Iron Age chariot from about 500 BC has been discovered by engineers working on the new A1 motorway in West Yorkshire.
The site at Darrington, near Pontefract, is said to hold articles of great significance.

In what seems to be a burial chamber, there are the remains of a man aged about 40 and the bones of 250 cattle, as well as the chariot.

It is thought the cattle could have formed part of a huge funeral feast.

Archaeologists say the chariot appears to have been placed in the pit intact.

Full story on the BBC website at –
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/3258186.stm

From the BBC-

A flint object with a striking likeness to a human face may be one of the best examples of art by Neanderthal man ever found, the journal Antiquity reports.
The “mask”, which is dated to be about 35,000 years old, was recovered on the banks of the Loire at La Roche-Cotard.
It is about 10 cm tall and wide and has a bone splinter rammed through a hole, making the rock look as if it has eyes.

Commentators say the object shows the Neanderthals were more sophisticated than their caveman image suggests.

“It should finally nail the lie that Neanderthals had no art,” Paul Bahn, the British rock art expert, told BBC News Online. “It is an enormously important object.”

Full story on the BBC website at-
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3256228.stm

Dimensions and probable date given here:

dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20021118/temple.html

2500~2300 B.C.
Max. 186 yard ovoid composed of trees roughly 2.2 yards across.

From an article on Ananova:

Archaeologists have discovered an arc of buried megaliths that once formed part of the great stone circle at Avebury in Wiltshire.

The National Trust says the existence of these enormous stones, originally constructed more than 4,500 years ago, has remained a puzzle for the last 300 years.

Visitors to Avebury will see most of the standing megaliths in the western half of the stone circle.

The famous map of Avebury drawn up by William Stukely in the 1720s showed that many of the stones in the south east and north east quadrants of the circle were missing.

Now, the first ever geophysics survey of these areas of Avebury, carried out by the National Trust, has revealed that at least 15 of the megaliths lie buried in the circle itself.

More from Ananova...
The same story in the Independent...
The same story on the BBC News site...

Scottish and Southern Energy plc have chosen Drumderg Hill near Alyth in Perthshire for the development of a sixteen turbine windfarm development.

I’m not sure which Irish paper this appeared in , I was handed a photocopy of the article by a bloke who knew I was interested in such things. The article is by Sean O’Riordan and was published on 19-11-03

“Archaeologists have discovered a Bronze Age settlement and a number of other significant finds on the proposed route of a multi-million euro bypass in County Cork.
National Roads Authority project archaeologist Ken Hanley confirmed yesterday that they had made a very exciting find near the village of Rathcormac.
Pottery found on the site at Ballybrowney lower, one mile west of the village indicates it was inhabited around 1,600BC.
The site had three large enclosures and was surrounded by timber defences which were probably around 10ft high.
“A site of this type was unknown in Cork before this,” Mr Hanley said.
Inside the defences there is evidence of a home which was lived in by a high ranking person, he said. A detailed report has been sent to Duchas who will decide where to extend the excavations. Some of the 65 archaeoilogists who worked on the project believe the site could be considerably larger. The site has been preserved in case of future research.
A number of other discoveries have also been made along the 17km route of the bypass which will link Watergrasshill and Fermoy.
The oldest site uncovered is Neolithic and dates from around 3,000BC. This was discovered at Curraghprevin, just south of Rathcormac.
There archaeologists found what appeared to be a temporary enbcampment occupied by “a small hunter-gatherer unit”. Mr Hanley said pottery had been discovered in pits and these items had been sent to specialists for analysis. Cooking pits were also found during the excavations.
A total of 15 of these cooking pits or Fulachta Fiadh have been identified along the bypass route.
“The vast majority are Bronze Age and radio carbon date from 1,800BC to 800BC” Mr Hanley said.
Evidence of a Bronze Age cremation and burial was also found on a hill slightly south of the town of Fermoy.”

From an article on BBC News web site:

An ancient gold disc which was used as an item of adornment at a burial 4,000 years ago has been discovered in Ceredigion.

Experts say the priceless sun disc is the first one of its kind to be found in Wales and only the third known piece of gold from the Bronze Age uncovered here.

The disc found by chance by an archaeologist digging at Copa Hill at the Cwmystwyth Mines – 10 miles outside Aberystwyth – was the subject of a treasure trove inquest heard by Ceredigion coroner on Tuesday.

More ...

A second prehistoric log boat has been unearthed in a Derbyshire quarry less than a mile from where a similar find was discovered five years ago.

Archaeologists found the 3,500-year-old log boat, which dates back to the Bronze Age, at Shardlow Quarry, Shardlow, in an area that used to be river channel into the Trent.

The boat lay 1km away from the area where a similar boat, now on display at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, the Strand, was found in 1998.

University of Birmingham archaeologists made the discovery in September while carrying out a study on behalf of the quarry’s owners, Hanson Aggregates, but news of the find has just been revealed.
More here at ‘This is Derbyshire‘

A GROUP set up to protect and improve areas such as Ilkley Moor in the South Pennines has won a grant of nearly £1 million from the European Union.

The Standing Conference of Southern Pennine Authorities (SCOSPA) has picked up a grant of £850,000 after joining forces with partners from four other European countries.

But major improvements to Ilkley Moor will have to wait until the next round of grant awards, according to the town’s countryside boss.

SCOSPA is made up of nine local authorities in Yorkshire and Lancashire which have areas of South Pennine moorland within their boundary.

The group, which is chaired by Bradford environmental boss and Ilkley district and parish councillor Anne Hawkesworth, bid for the cash with 15 other groups from Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

One of the main projects will be to launch SCOSPA as a rural regeneration company next year so that it can attract a wider membership, which should make it easier to bid for extra funding.

If the expected new funding comes on-stream, a wide range of improvements on Ilkley Moor could result, according to Danny Jackson, Bradford Council’s countryside officer for Ilkley.

Mr Jackson said: “In the future, the fact that this company has been set up will allow it to get money for the Ilkley Moor management plan.”

That could mean more stone slabs being laid to prevent footpath erosion on the path across the moor to Bingley, the cutting back of bracken and surveys of wildlife to make sure that the moor was being managed efficiently. Bradford Council manages Ilkley Moor as a traditional grouse shooting area but without issuing licences.

There could also be more education work done to make sure locals and visitors appreciated the significance of archaeological sites on the moor such as the Twelve Apostles stone circle or the Swastika stone.

Countryside officers would like to see more interpretation boards in areas such as the Cow and Calf rocks car park.

Mr Jackson said: “We have a management plan to cover the next ten years but we can only do a certain amount with existing resources.”

The bid for European funding was made by the Netherlands for the whole of the group and the grant was formally accepted earlier this month.

As well as conservation work, the grant will also help a project to enhance economic activity in Southern Pennine areas by promoting markets for local produce.

Councillor Hawkesworth said: “I am thrilled that we have managed to secure this money to help protect some of the most wonderful open spaces in the country and I am also honoured to be representing SCOSPA.

“This is a very good example of what people with shared interests can achieve when they work closely together, pool their resources and share their experiences and expertise.”

SCOSPA was set up in 1974 as a Southern Pennine conservation body and as well as Bradford, its members include Calderdale, Kirklees, Rochdale, Oldham, Rossendale, Burnley, Pendle, Lancashire County Council, United Utilities, the Southern Pennine Association and Pennine Heritage.

Source: thisisbradford.co.uk/bradford__district/ilkley/news/ILKL_NEWS4.html

Posted Thursday 20 November 2003

EDP24 November 19, 2003 09:41

Yesterday, West Norfolk area museums officer Robin Handley explained that about half the original circle would be displayed and gave an insight into what visitors had in store.

“The idea is that they would obviously be able to look at the timbers themselves, and the backdrop would be showing it as it was built,” he said.

“What we would be looking to do is to treat the circle quite respectfully. That was something that came out quite strongly in a public meeting at Holme.

“We are looking to be quite restrained in the interpretation we put on the circle, using light effects so people get a clear idea of how it would have looked.

“But in terms of telling the story, we would be looking to use a range of devices, including audio wands, so people can select a commentary. The interesting thing about Seahenge is the different levels on which it has a story to tell.

“We are looking to interpret it on a range of levels and give people the opportunity to decide what they want to hear about, but we are also looking to have some discreet computer-style interactives.”

As well as Seahenge, the other key element of the scheme is to restore the museum building to its former glory.

“Clearly the other thing we are looking to do and one of the advantages of having it in the Lynn Museum will be displaying it in the context of other sites and finds from the area,” said Dr Handley. “We have a very good archaeological collection here.”

The outcome of grant applications for £900,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £85,000 from Norfolk County Council’s capital fund will not be known until spring, but the new-look museum could open in autumn 2005.