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Mark Pilkington in The Guardian
Thursday November 6, 2003

Were some ancient sites designed to be acoustically, as well as visually, awe-inspiring?

Ongoing research at Neolithic sites around the UK has revealed striking similarities in their acoustical properties. Key examples, both in Ireland, are the huge passage tomb of Newgrange and the burial mound known as Cairn L at Loughcrew. These sites contain passageways leading to large circular chambers, and have a resonant frequency (at which sounds naturally echo and reverberate) of about 110hz – the frequency of the male baritone, the second lowest singing voice. Standing waves, whereby sounds are reflected off walls and superimposed on to one another, and other acoustic curiosities, have been observed in these and other sites. Stone circles including Avebury and Stonehenge also appear to reflect sound in distinctive ways.

Archaeologists have suggested that chanting, singing and drumming at these sites would have produced reverberating echoes that might have been interpreted as voices of spirits or gods; they may also have induced physiological and psychological changes in people, adding to their potency as sites of spiritual importance.

These acoustic discoveries may also shed light on some of the visual motifs etched into the walls of many ancient sites. Experiments in a replica of the Newgrange passage, at Princeton University, showed that if a site was smoky or misty, standing sound waves would become visible as they vibrated particles in the air. Could this visualising effect account for the zigzag and concentric ring markings on the chamber walls?

Intriguing acoustic effects have also been noted at sites in the Americas, from Anasazi kivas (ritual chambers) in New Mexico, to Chichen Itza on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Here, the famed Mayan pyramid of Kukulcan, or Quetzelcoatl, is known for the way the solstices and equinoxes are reflected in its stones, but professional acoustician David Lubman has observed another aspect to its design. If you clap in front of the pyramid, the sound is reflected back by its stone steps, sounding, Lubman claims, like the chirp of the quetzal bird, sacred to the Mayans.

Acoustic archaeology is a young field finally gaining academic respectability. New discoveries are made constantly, so next time you’re at an ancient site, sing, clap your hands – and listen carefully.

Dramatic Scenes On North Cornish Coast
50 tonnes of headland soil moved
Trevelgue Head (Porth Island) was closed to public access earlier this week to enable an airlift of material to repair an ancient Bronze Age barrow on the island near Newquay.

Despite strong winds and heavy rain, on Wednesday 29th October, staff from Restormel Borough Council, in partnership with the County Council’s Historic Environment Service, co-ordinated an airlift of 50 tones of headland soil by 771 Naval Air Squadron Culdrose.

The repair became necessary to overcome the effect of natural erosion as well as the wear and tear of the many visitors who come to enjoy the spectacular coastal views. Transporting the quantity of material across the narrow footbridge by hand would have been impossible without the help of the Navy.

Cllr Michael Burley, portfolio holder for Tourism & Leisure at the Borough Council commented: “This barrow is one of a number along the North Coast near Newquay showing the importance of this whole area in the Bronze Age. We are extremely grateful that 771 Naval Air Squadron were able to assist us in repairing this prestigious site.”

Twenty-two staff from Restormel’s Parks Service, together with support from the BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) braved the atrocious weather to help with the unloading and distribution of the soil. Despite the conditions everyone pulled together in a good team effort, pleased to be involved in an important and exciting project.

Now that the soil has been deposited on the headland, a small team from Restormel will be carrying out conservation works on the Barrow and nearby footpaths in early November.

This project is the latest in an ongoing programme of work to preserve the archaeology and fabric of the Headland. A management plan drawn up in 1999 by English Nature identified a number of issues, including the need to repair to ramparts of Iron Age cliff castle, which made Trevelgue one of the most heavily defended headlands in Cornwall. In 2001 and 2002 damage to the cliff castle’s ramparts was repaired while the new footpath and steps were laid through the ramparts.

Further work on the island is planned, but staff are hoping for better weather next time! For further information or pictures, please contact Dick Cole, Archaeologist for Cornwall County Council or Andrew Pidgen Parks & Amenities Manager Restormel Borough Council.

Welcome to Restormel

From an article on the BBC News web site:

UK museums and universities could soon have to repatriate many of the human remains in their collections to indigenous peoples around the world.

MPs were told on Tuesday that a working group that has been looking into the issue will recommend a panel be set up to oversee the return of collections.

Campaigners have pressurised curators to hand over old bones so that they can be buried in their tribal homelands.

Some scientists have resisted the calls because they still study some material.

They have argued that this research has provided invaluable information about human origins and evolution.

More...

Archaeologists have discovered a previously unknown ancient settlement on a Westcountry island while carrying out a watching brief on the construction of a new playing field. Members of Cornwall County Council’s environmental and heritage services made their exciting find on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly.

Commissioned by Tresco Estate, their excavation has so far uncovered the remains of five houses, other stone buildings and some walls which have survived for centuries just a few centimetres below the present ground surface.

The main buildings were circular and rectangular. Some contained remains of porches, hearths, quernstones for grinding corn and also internal partition walls.

Fragments of carefully recovered pottery suggest that the settlement, like others on Scilly, dates to the Bronze Age of about 3,500 years ago.

The form of the buildings is similar to houses of Bronze Age origin which were excavated on Nornour in Scilly’s Eastern Isles in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a council spokesman said.

Nornour’s dwellings had displayed evidence of continuous occupation and modification throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Some of those buildings had been used as a Roman shrine up until the fourth century AD.

The buildings that have just been unearthed on Tresco would have been destroyed if the construction of the playing field had continued.

Because of the importance of the site, Tresco leaseholder Robert Dorrien-Smith decided to move the new playing field almost 20 yards to the north in order to preserve the remains.

The features uncovered have been cleaned and recorded by the archaeologists from County Hall, Truro, before being reburied for posterity.

Charlie Johns, one of the county council’s senior archaeologists, said: “We have been amazed to find these remains so close to the surface of the ground. It is great for the people of the Isles of Scilly that the Tresco Estate has decided to move the new playing field in an effort to preserve these historic findings.”

A report on the findings is expected to be completed in two months’ time.

Archaeologists say the earliest record of human habitation in Scilly comes from the Bronze Age. On nearly all its islands there can be found ancient barrows, passage graves and stone boxes in which the remains of the Bronze Age dead were laid.

From ThisisDevon

Cathy Tuck went on a 30,000-mile trek around Britain finding hundreds of sexually symbolic landmarks, buildings and gardens for her book Landscapes and Desire.

From phallic ancient standing stones to womb-like burial chambers, her odyssey of the sexual takes in sites dating back more than 5,000 years and explodes the myth that Britain is a sexually repressed nation.

See the third story down on this page for more...

Orkney may have been the largest prehistoric settlement or ceremonial site in Britain, new research reveals today.

Archaeologists using the latest techniques to map under the soil discovered the world heritage site covering the Ness of Brodgar in Stenness, was a massive centre of activity in Stone Age times.
Orkney’s landscape has largely managed to avoid the rigours of industrialised farming and may yet yield its secrets about the recently-surveyed site, which in terms of scale, puts the likes of Stonehenge, Avebury and Skara Brae in the shade.

Whole article here....

By Helen Briggs, BBC News Online

Scientists have pinpointed the likely birthplace of Oetzi the famous Iceman.
The ancient hunter probably spent his childhood in what is now the Italian South Tyrol village of Feldthurns.

Evidence suggests his lifelong travels were confined to a 60-kilometre (37-mile) range south-east of where his body was found.

The 5,300-year-old frozen mummy emerged from a melting glacier along the mountainous border between Italy and Austria in 1991.

Scientists have been carrying out detailed studies of how he lived and died ever since.

The latest research, published in the journal Science, looked at isotopes found in the Iceman’s teeth and bones. Whole story here...

Newcastle scientists are helping to save an ancient North site from destruction.

The archaeologists will help promote the little-known henges in Thornborough, near Ripon, North Yorkshire as tourist attractions.

The Neolithic site is said to be equal in importance to Stonehenge. Constructed in 3,000 BC, the triple henge occupies an area larger than Stonehenge itself.

Jan Harding, an archaeologist at Newcastle University, has spent six years leading a research project into the three henges.

Only limited archaeological work was done at Thornborough from the late 19th Century to the 1950s but Dr Harding’s research involved extensive surveys and field walking which yielded a number of flint tools.

Her work coincides with a BBC 2 series in which TV presenter and archaeologist Mark Horton expressed his horror that one of the most important ancient sites in the region will be destroyed.

During the making of the Time Flyers programme, Dr Horton tells of his shock at current proposals to quarry the entire surrounding area, “which will leave the henges on an `island’ surrounded by open gravel pits”.

He was horrified to discover the extent that quarrying to date had already removed substantial areas of the surrounding landscape, during which a vast amount of related archaeology was destroyed.

Dr Horton, head of archaeology at Bristol University, said: “I’ve been appalled by what I’ve seen at Thornborough. Archaeological sites like this should be protected and plans such as these shouldn’t even be proposed. That such destruction could even be considered around Stonehenge, or even lesser-known sites in the South, is unthinkable”.

Original article – Newcastle Evening Chronicle

Whilst constructing a reservoir at Testwood just outside Southampton, Southern Water uncovered the remains of a Bronze Age bridge.

wessexarch.co.uk/projects/hampshire/testwood/index.html

A TV archaeologist criticised a county council today over the destruction of the landscape around one of Britain’s top prehistoric sites.

Thornborough Henges, near Ripon, has the greatest concentration of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age sites in the country.

It represents the largest prehistoric quarrying operation in Britain and construction firm Tarmac has proposed extending its activities in the area.

Dr Mark Horton, a presenter on the BBC’s Time Flyers programme, criticised North Yorkshire County Council over the destruction of the landscape around the site.

Dr Horton, head of archaeology at the University of Bristol, said: “I’ve been appalled by what I’ve seen at Thornborough. Archaeological sites like this should be protected and plans such as these shouldn’t even be proposed.

“That such landscape destruction could even be considered around Stonehenge, or even our lesser-known sites in the south, is unthinkable. “Yet at Thornborough, it is OK to seriously consider the total loss of a prehistoric landscape, arguably as important, for simple economic gain.’‘

North Yorkshire County Council permitted Tarmac to quarry in the area in 1994 with “only a very limited archaeological survey’’, Dr Horton said. Nosterfield Quarry in Thornborough is one of the county’s most important quarries, producing more than 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel each year, but supplies from the existing reserves are expected to run out within three years.

Full Story:
thisisnorthallerton.co.uk/the_north_east/northallerton/news/NEWS0.html

Source: Orkneyjar Archaeology News (24 October 2004)

For centuries scholars and antiquarians have had their own theories over the activities that once took place in Orkney’s World Heritage Site covering the Ness of Brodgar in Stenness. From druid enclosures to ancestral monuments, each era had its own ideas about the Neolithic ceremonial centre. However, despite the advances in archaeological knowledge, technique, and technology, there is still very little known about the area.

But this looks set to change, with the continuation of a project to use magnetometry to scan the entire Brodgar peninsula. Magnetometry is the technique of measuring and mapping patterns of magnetism in the soil. Ancient activity, particularly burning, leaves magnetic traces that show up even today when detected with the right equipment. Buried features such as ditches or pits, when they are filled with burnt or partly burnt materials can show up clearly and give us an image of sub-surface archaeology.

The full article

Archaeologists are engaged in a race to save the remnants of an Iron Age settlement built by one of the most mysterious early peoples of Scotland.

The prehistoric site at Carghidown, near the Isle of Whithorn, Galloway, could illuminate the lives of an ancient tribe called the Novantae.

However, the promontory fort located 100ft above the sea, which has a number of extremely rare features, faces destruction after years of wave and wind action and could collapse into the sea... Whole story here.

October 22, 2003: cornwall24.co.uk/news/

Archaeologists from Cornwall County Council’s Environment and Heritage Service have begun a three-week excavation to investigate an ancient fogou at Higher Boden, near Manaccan on the Lizard, which was recently discovered by a local farmer.

Fogous were last in the headlines in 1996 when Channel Four’s Time Team devoted a programme to these puzzling Cornish monuments.

Named after the Cornish word meaning ‘cave’, fogous are remarkable prehistoric monuments consisting of a stone-lined passage roofed with massive capstones. Many also have side tunnels dug into the natural subsoil and a few have evidence of circular underground chambers.

They are found only in the extreme west of Cornwall, mainly on the Land’s End and Lizard peninsulas, and were always built within and beneath settlement sites. Evidence shows that they were built more than 2,000 years ago ago during the later Iron Age (400BC to AD43) and have similarities with underground monuments known as ‘souterrains’, which are broadly contemporary but are found in other parts of Britain and Ireland.

Charlie Johns, county council senior archaeologist and project manager, said: “Nobody knows exactly what fogous were built for. The three most popular theories are that they were refuges in times of trouble, cellars for storing food and livestock or that they served a religious or ritual function – perhaps it was a combination of all three. This is an amazing and extremely rare discovery.”

There are only eleven other definite or probable fogous in Cornwall, only two of which have been excavated in recent years – Carn Euny, near Sancreed, in 1978, and Halliggye, near Trelowarren, in the early 1980s – although these revealed little evidence as to the function of fogous.
This latest excavation is sponsored by English Heritage, which has provided specialist support for the project.

Site visits and tours will be conducted by county council and Royal Cornwall Museum staff. Students from Truro College, local volunteers and the Cornwall Archaeological Society have been assisting with the work.

All about fogous
A fogou, or underground tunnel, has been documented at Boden since the early 19th century, when it was viewed and recorded by Polwhele, the vicar of Manaccan and St Anthony. The reports of later writers (Cornish 1906, Henderson 1912 and 1916) appear to “embellish Polwhele’s original report without reference to any further field observations” (Linford 1998, 188).

The site lies on a southerly slope near the summit of a gentle hill, some 300 metres to the west of the Boden Vean settlement (SW 7685 2405) itself one kilometre south of Manaccan village on the Lizard peninsula. The below-ground remains have been part uncovered following two separate incidents in 1991 and 1996, while discussions with local residents have shown that the fogou had previously been exposed 75-80 years ago.

There are only 11 other known definite or probable fogous: Boleigh, Carn Euny, Castallack, Chysauster, Halligye, Higher Bodinar, Lower Boscaswell, Pendeen, Porthmeor, Treveneague, Trewardreva, and 20 or so possible ones. Of these, only two have been excavated in recent years – Carn Euny (Christie 1978) and Halligye in 1982

In the interim note on Halligye, Bill Startin pointed out that “despite revealing quite a lot of information about the Halligye site, these limited excavations have revealed little further evidence as to the function of fogous”.

A lecturer will be explaining the history of a sacred calendar – that could be Germany’s equivalent to Stonehenge – on the BBC’s Horizon programme in January

Professor Miranda Aldhouse-Green, a senior lecturer at the University of Wales College, Newport has been filmed discussing a Bronze Age sky-disc, which features in early man’s attempts to map the heavens.

Prof Aldhouse-Green, a European prehistorian specialising in the archaeology of ritual and religion, was filmed for the popular Horizon TV series.

“They spent a day interviewing me about the significance of an ancient sky-disc, dating from around 1600BC, which may have been used by priests as a sacred calendar,” explained Prof Aldhouse- Green.

Full story here

Archaeologists are investigating whether Wittenham Clumps was a centre for human sacrifice – after the chopped-up remains of a woman were found in a grave at Castle Hill.

The skeletal remains of the women were part of a remarkable discovery by archaeologists of a shared grave containing skeletons of a child and a man.
Read whole story here

From an article by David Whitehouse, published on BBC News web site:

A keen-eyed archaeologist claims to have found some of the oldest artwork ever – carved faces 200,000 years old.

The human images were found in 2001 by Pietro Gaietto on an expedition through the Borzonasca district of Italy.

He claims the rock has been sculpted into faces that look in opposite directions; one is bearded with what Gaietto calls an “expressive face”.

If this is genuine, the artist would have been an extinct human species that died out about 150,000 years ago.

More...

This walk may be more interesting to geologists but looks interesting....

The walk starts at the spring which rises from below the Upper Greensand. A huge quarry on the eastern side of Giant Hill, in the Lower and Middle Chalk, provided building stone for Cerne and probably other villages. The walk goes over the top of the hill, which is covered in a thick deposit of Clay with Flints. The valleys at Minterne Parva and Upcerne are also on the Greensand.

The main building stones in Cerne Abbas are the Lower and Middle Chalk and Lower Purbeck limestone from the Ridgeway quarries. The Lower Chalk may be identified by its gritty texture, with the occasional dark grain of glauconite. The Middle Chalk has been used in huge blocks in the medieval North Barn (now Beauvoir Court). The Lower Purbeck, a white laminated limestone, has been used in several buildings in the main street, and for the Hospice.

MORE INFO

Cost £1.50 per person

From an article by David Prudames, published on www.24hourmuseum.org.uk:

Using laser scanning technology to study Europe’s most famous ancient monument, a team of computer experts and archaeologists has discovered carvings of two axe heads on Stonehenge.

The most hi-tech investigation of the monument to date, the study was carried out between 2002 and earlier this year by a team from Wessex Archaeology and Archaeoptics Ltd.

Although similar carvings were first found at Stonehenge 50 years ago, they have never been fully surveyed or studied.

More...

From the Department of Culture Media and Sport

(For all its perceived benefits, does the new Act ultimately mean that people are reporting more finds purely for the financial rewards, and does this have any impact on where they’re going to dig next? I’m sure it raises lots of issues and different points of view. Not least about the use of the word ‘Treasure’).

“Large increase in treasure finds on the way says arts minister Estelle Morris”

The Treasure Annual Report published today shows that reported cases
of Treasure can be expected to increase further with the expansion of
the Portable Antiquities Scheme.From December there will be a network of Finds Liaison Officers across England and Wales actively working with finders to ensure the reporting of Treasure finds. A study in the latest Annual Report demonstrates that the presence of a Finds Liaison Officer can increase the number of finds reported as Treasure by up to five
times.

Arts Minister Estelle Morris said:” Once again this report demonstrates the success of the Treasure Act. It also shows how improvements to the Act and the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme have led to a substantial rise in the number of significant new finds that would otherwise not have been reported. I am also pleased to see that many objects are going to regional rather than national museums. This will enable people around the
country to gain a greater understanding of their local heritage. Every now and then a superb find like that of the Ringlemere gold cup reminds us of our hidden heritage – the treasure that lies under our soil waiting to be discovered. It brings the past to the surface
and provides tangible evidence about the lives and skills of those who preceded us. We now have a framework in place through the Treasure Act which enables the significance of such finds to be properly assessed by archaeologists and historians. That adds
immeasurably to the understanding we all have about the history of this country.”

Among other developments:
- although the number of finds was slightly down on previous years,
this was due to public access restrictions as a result of foot and
mouth disease and the long term trend still remains upward
- the Treasure Act has recently been extended to include deposits
of prehistoric base metal objects and a better Code of Practice
- the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a voluntary scheme enabling all
archaeological objects found by the public to be recorded, has now
been extended across the whole of England and Wales for the first
time
- the work of Finds Liaison Officers meant that a number of finds
were reported as Treasure that would otherwise not have been.
- 78 local museums around England and Wales acquired Treasure
objects in 2001. 15 were acquired by the British Museum.

The total value of finds in the Annual Report is about half a
million pounds. The figure represents 89 out of the 214 reported
Treasure finds. Confirmation of outstanding valuations means that the
final total will be higher.

The Treasure Act 1996 removed the worst anomalies of the old
common law of Treasure Trove and defined more clearly what qualifies
as Treasure. Under the Act the following finds are at present defined
as treasure provided they were found after 24 September 1997: a)
objects other than coins at least 300 years old with a minimum
precious metal content of 10%; b) all groups of coins from the same
find at least 300 years old (if the coins have a precious metal
content of less than 10% then the hoard must consist of at least 10
coins) and c) objects found in association with Treasure.

In 2001 the criteria for Treasure were extended to include any
group of two or more metallic objects of any composition of
prehistoric date that come from the same find.

The British Museum is due to hold an exhibition, Buried Treasure:
Finding Our Past between 21 November 2003 – 14 March 2004. The
exhibition includes some of the most spectacular finds from British
history, most of which have been found by chance, by members of the
public. These finds have come to light through the Treasure Act and
Portable Antiquities Scheme and have revolutionised our understanding
of the past. After London, the exhibition will tour to Cardiff,
Manchester, Newcastle and Norwich.

The skeleton of a muscular 30-year-old, who could have been an ancient Iceni warrior, was found buried face down in earth that was part of rich Fen lands (Suffolk, England) and now is behind the fortified fence of an American base.
These human remains are only one of five that have so far been unearthed during a dig that has produced remnants of buildings, pottery, animal bones and flint tools, dating to between 2500 BCE and 410 CE.
Archaeologists say finds made at the 25,000 sqm site at RAF Mildenhall reveal significant detail about how different peoples co-existed in the turbulent times of the late Iron Age and early Roman era, when the conquerors brought their new culture and religions into the country.
Suffolk County Council’s archaeological service’s senior project officer for the dig, Andrew Tester, said it was an important excavation. “It has been a settlement from pre-history; particularly, it was well-used through the Iron Age and Roman times. They used to herd cattle here through the Iron Age and Bronze Age,” he said.
The team of 15 has found a pear-shaped corral and a watering hole, in which they found cattle bones. “We have excavated three burials – two were crouch burials, which are more traditional to Bronze Age and Iron Age. We found one that is a proper interment, and he was buried face down. According to our bone specialist, Sue Anderson, he was aged 30 and had a lot of muscle.” said Andrew Tester.
“In the early Roman, late Iron, Age there were many changes in religious practice and ideas.” added Mr Tester, “People were choosing to be buried in different ways. He was almost certainly Iceni and he could have been an Iceni warrior. This was an Iceni area and they were a traditional people. The Romans adapted and adopted other religions.”
Within a few weeks, the dig will be over and work will start on turning the site into a baseball pitch for USAF servicemen.

Source: EDP24 News (10 October 2003)

A spoof news article, distributed by the Friends of Thornborough has attempted to raise the profile of the landfill site at Thornborough.

Astonishment as to how anyone could consider building a landfill close to the Thornborough Henge Complex was yesterday expressed by Dick Lonsdale, a resident close to the site.

“I was personally astonished that anyone could consider this,” Dick told the Friends of Thornborough yesterday.

Mr Lonsdale said anything considered in this region should be very carefully planned as the area was “way too sensitive” adding that ideally an alternative place for the landfill should be found.

“The message that UK seems to be sending to the rest of the world is that it dumps trash onto its treasures,” Lonsdale said.

And Mr Lonsdale’s belief was supported by a number of archaeological experts from around the world, who have registered their concern on the Friends of Thornborough online petition. The petition is trying to stop extensive quarrying from being allowed close to the 5,000 year old henge complex.

The Friends of Thornborough is a non-profit organisation that deals with the prehistory of Yorkshire, England. Education, research and observation activities are being planned, and profit from will be used to promote a campaign for the better protection of the UK ancient heritage.

Mr Lonsdale explained that the organisation was set up three years ago from a personal obsession about the henges, which he said were the largest, oldest and most important ancient site in England outside of Wiltshire.

Rest at

friendsofthornborough.org

BOSTF Director

Cynthia Busuttil

Astonishment as to how anyone could consider building a landfill close to the Mnajdra temples was yesterday expressed by Linda Eneix, the director and president of the North America based Old Temple Study Foundation (OSTF).

“I was personally astonished that anyone could consider this”, she told The Malta Independent yesterday.

Ms Eneix said anything considered in this region should be very carefully planned as the area was “way too sensitive”, adding that ideally an alternative place for the landfill should be found.

“The message that Malta seems to be sending to the rest of the world is that it dumps trash onto its treasures”, she said.

And Ms Eneix’s belief was supported by a number of archaeological experts from around the world, who attended a conference at the end of last month. The conference – Exploring the Maltese Prehistoric Temple Culture – was the first of its kind organised by the OSTF, and a number of issues regarding the local temples were raised.

The OSTF is a non-profit organisation that deals with the prehistory of Malta and Gozo. Ms Eneix explained to this paper that the organisation plans education, research and observation activities, and profit from these is used to finance research about the temples.

Ms Eneix explained that the organisation was set up eight years ago from a personal “obsession” about the temples, which she said were older than anything else.

The Mnajdra temples were at the centre of discussion during the conference not only because of the proposed landfill, but also because of its astronomical significance. Engineer Chris Micallef made a convincing case for an alignment for the equinoctial sunrise. But he asked: “If it was so important for the builders, why was it not applied in other temples?”

Full article: www.independent.com.mt

Dig unearths ancient mine and Roman road
Last posted: Friday 10 October 2003 12:10
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed evidence of a Roman road and Bronze Age settlement at a multi-million pound business and leisure park development.

The dig at the 300-acre Gibfield Park site in Atherton has revealed fragmentary remains of the badly damaged road, which linked Roman forts at Manchester and Wigan.

A 10-strong team of archaeologists from Manchester University spent the summer excavating the former site of Gadbury Fold, off Atherleigh Way. Their survey also revealed that mining had been carried out on the site since at least the 14th century.

Whole story here

Don’t know if this will turn out to be another misunderstanding (like this) but some strange carvings have been found near Wooler in Northumberland. Mr Beckinsall’s on the case though:
BBC News site at https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/3177822.stm

Mystery markings baffle experts

Experts are scratching their heads about a series of rock markings discovered in north Northumberland.
The markings – including a heart shape and one resembling a human footprint – are being investigated by archaeologists on rocks near Wooler.

The Newcastle University team, who were alerted to the carvings by a local farm-hand, have said they are baffled as to what they mean or who created them. And fellow experts they have consulted are equally confused.

The markings found on isolated sandstone boulder, include a group of concave spherical shapes of around 20 cm in diameter. Another resembles an adult footprint, several deep scores and a heart-shaped marking. People are now being encouraged to come forward with explanations and to help solve the mystery.

Dr Aron Mazel, research associate with the School of Historical Studies, has been investigating the markings with Northumberland and international rock art authority Stan Beckensall.

Despite having over 60 years experience of studying rock art between them, they have been unable to identify what they were.

Dr Mazel said: “They are not the cup and ring marks which we have been studying as part of the Northumberland prehistoric rock art project they appear to be more recent than that.

“There have been people in the Northumberland area since the start of the Mesolithic period around 10,000 years ago, but I would think that these markings were made after cups and rings, probably during the last 3000 years.

“Until we know more about these markings it would be hard to pinpoint which era they belong to.”

Mr Beckensall said: “As far as I know, these markings are unique and nothing like them exists anywhere else in Northumberland or in the British Isles.

“That’s why we are keen to draw people’s attention to them – seeing the pictures of the markings may prompt somebody to come forward with new information, perhaps relating to similar rock art samples they have viewed elsewhere.”

An estimated £300,000 will have to be spent over two years to make the case for turning the Lake District into a World Heritage Site, it has been claimed. The Lake District National Park Authority has been trying since 1985 to win World Heritage status by Unesco, which is part of the United Nations.
Organisers said it would bring the sort of kudos which might attract more visitors and help when getting finance from the government.

However, some people have expressed concerns it could lead to even stricter controls on development and damage the tourism industry.

Supporters have said that although the status would not attract money directly, the government would be more likely to give extra funding if the area had world status.

Inward investment

Paul Tiplady, from the National Park Authority, said the money would be well spent.

He said: “We believe the Lake District is the country’s finest landscape.

“We need the government to believe that too so that thy will start putting the resources into Cumbria that Cumbria desperately needs.

“One way of achieving that is to get the world to say that Cumbria has England’s finest landscape.

“World Heritage status gives a very simple marker that the area is very special.

“I estimate we would need something like £300,000 over two years to undertake the project work.

“Cumbria and the west coast needs more inward investment and £300,000 may be a very cheap way of getting it.”

Source: megalithic.co.uk/