Latest News
July 30, 2016
July 27, 2016
Funds for excavation and preservation of Clachtoll, if funding secured.
July 22, 2016
July 16, 2016
July 15, 2016
One winter some 3,000 years ago, a development of highly desirable houses was built on stilts over a tributary of the river Nene in Cambridgeshire, by people whose wealth and lifestyle would still have seemed enviable to medieval peasants. Then six months later it was all over.
Disaster overwhelmed the people and they fled, leaving their clothing and jewellery, tools and furniture, their last meals abandoned in the cooking pots as they tumbled through the burning wicker floors into the water below. Nobody ever came back to retrieve the tonnes of expertly carpentered timbers and the masses of valuable possessions lying in shallow water, which over the centuries all sank together, hidden and preserved by the oozy silt......
July 12, 2016
Evidence of a prehistoric “farming collective” has been discovered after aerial laser scanning was carried out in the South Downs National Park.
July 11, 2016
Dig to uncover rare undisturbed Bronze Age burial in Lancashire
Full story here bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36756107
July 6, 2016
Drive west from Orkney’s capital, Kirkwall, and then head north on the narrow B9055 and you will reach a single stone monolith that guards the entrance to a spit of land known as the Ness of Brodgar. The promontory separates the island’s two largest bodies of freshwater, the Loch of Stenness and the Loch of Harray. At their furthest edges, the lochs’ peaty brown water laps against fields and hills that form a natural amphitheatre; a landscape peppered with giant rings of stone, chambered cairns, ancient villages and other archaeological riches.
This is the heartland of the Neolithic North, a bleak, mysterious place that has made Orkney a magnet for archaeologists, historians and other researchers.
For decades they have tramped the island measuring and ex- cavating its great Stone Age sites. The land was surveyed, mapped and known until a recent chance discovery revealed that for all their attention, scientists had completely overlooked a Neolithic treasure that utterly eclipses all others on Orkney – and in the rest of Europe.....
theguardian.com/science/2012/oct/06/orkney-temple-centre-ancient-britain
The dig has just started.
A panoramic view with a ‘panono’ ball camera
orkneyjar.com/archaeology/nessofbrodgar/2016/07/dig-diary-extra-tuesday-july-5-2016/
July 4, 2016
July 1, 2016
Prehistoric tombs may have enhanced astronomical viewing
Astronomers are exploring what might be described as the first astronomical observing tool, potentially used by prehistoric humans 6,000 years ago. They suggest that the long, narrow entrance passages to ancient stone, or ‘megalithic’, tombs may have enhanced what early human cultures could see in the night sky, an effect that could have been interpreted as the ancestors granting special power to the initiated.
Full story:
June 30, 2016
“A digital database of Scotland’s Neolithic and early Bronze Age rock art is to be created.
About 6,000 rocks are known in Britain to have ancient cup and ring carvings. More than 2,000 of the sites are found in Scotland.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has been awarded £807,000 by the Arts and Humanities Research Council towards the five-year project.
The database would include 2D and 3D models of some of the decorated stone.
The project will be launched next year and involve the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow School of Art.
The purpose and significance of rock art to prehistoric and more recent communities is poorly understood, HES said.
Archaeologists believe the markings may have been made for a number of reasons.
These include for rituals, as territorial markers or mapping the stars. They could even be the “doodlings” of bored, ancient shepherds.”
June 20, 2016
Archaeologists dive to save the disappearing story of how people first occupied Britain
Archaeologists are returning to a prehistoric settlement beneath the sea off the Isle of Wight this week. Gary Momber, of DigVentures, says the race is on to save evidence of the skilled craftspeople who first occupied Britain..........
June 15, 2016
The summer solstice is always very busy at Avebury – this year is likely to be no exception. If you are coming to mark midsummer at Avebury, do plan well in advance. Please consider coming for a shorter time so you don’t need to stay overnight and use public transport if at all possible.
Planning your visit during the solstice – Go online for full details
Solstice this year will be sunrise on Tuesday 21 June.
nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury/features/the-summer-solstice-at-avebury
June 14, 2016
wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/news/index.php?Action=8&id=174&page=0
I visited this exhibition in Devizes Museum yesterday – it wasn’t an exhibition in the regular sense as, although the items were numbered, they were interspersed among the museum’s excellent permanent collection. There were some surprises – a bowl from West Kennet Long Barrow, the Roundway Down Archer (neither of which I had seen before).
It seems to be a county wide project so worth checking the other museums too.
May 28, 2016
I’m not exactly sure why this is back in the news today – I’m guessing there’s a report or paper somewhere that’s just been released. The paintings are said to be amongst the best in Europe.
theguardian.com/science/2016/may/27/spanish-archaeologists-discover-cave-art-axturra-paleolithic
(The discovery of the paintings is mentioned in Goffik’s 2011 post below.)
May 27, 2016
300 meters from the surface, circles of broken-off stalagmites stacked against each other, dated at 176,000 years old. There’s a nice 3-D rendering in Nature and a nice photo in The Atlantic.
May 24, 2016
It is an archaeological conundrum that has baffled generations of experts.
Just how did prehistoric Britons manage to transport the huge bluestones of Stonehenge some 140 miles from the Presili Mountains in Wales to their final home on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.
The answer is surprisingly simple. The feat really isn’t as hard as everyone imagined......
and so on,
telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/05/23/stonehenge-wasnt-so-hard-to-build-after-all-archaeologists-disco/
May 14, 2016
Some scrote had carved more graffiti into a stone at nine ladies :(
heritageaction.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/yet-more-damage-to-nine-ladies-of-stanton-moor/
May 12, 2016
Get an introduction to studying archaeology, exploring exciting discoveries in the Vale of Pewsey, near to Stonehenge and Avebury.
Join now – starts 20 Jun
ABOUT THE COURSE
Join us at the University of Reading as we chart the progress of an archaeological excavation from dig to lab and beyond on this free online course.
Take a virtual field trip to the Vale of Pewsey
We’ll be showing you around our field school – a month-long excavation at the Vale of Pewsey, which is a relatively untouched site compared to its world-famous neighbours, Stonehenge and Avebury.
The Vale of Pewsey is an archaeological treasure chest and the jewel of its crown is Marden. Built around 2,400 BC, Marden is the largest henge in the country and one of Britain’s most important but least understood prehistoric monuments.
Every object has a tale to tell and we’ll investigate how archaeologists paint a vivid picture of what life was like in Neolithic times through the astounding assortment of discoveries made in this beautiful part of England.
Explore every aspect of archaeology
An archaeological excavation isn’t just turning up with a trowel to dig. Drawing on case studies from our field school, you’ll find out about every aspect of archaeology, from deciding where to dig to the collection, recording and storage of artefacts.
We’ll investigate excavation techniques such as topographic surveying and scientific coring. And through distinctive discoveries at the Vale of Pewsey, we’ll take a closer look at what you can do with an artefact once you’ve found it.
Learn how archaeology can study the dead
One of the most intriguing and eye-opening finds of all is a burial site or grave, which provides fascinating insights into the past. In Week 2, we’ll examine the archaeological methods employed in the study of the dead. What can skeletal remains tell us about where someone lived, their occupation and their health?
University of Reading
FREE online course
Duration: 2 weeks
3 hours pw
Certificates available
REQUIREMENTS
No prior experience of archaeology is needed. This course is designed for anyone interested in studying an archaeology degree at university. However, anyone with an enthusiastic interest in archaeology is very welcome to join us too.
Join the conversation on social media
Use the hashtag #FLdigtolab to join and contribute to social media conversations about this
May 10, 2016
An ancient and obscured piece of limestone has long guarded Cannon Street. It’s called simply London Stone (never ‘the’ London Stone). It might be a Roman milestone or druidic monument. Nobody knows. Very few people ever notice the venerable rock, which has long languished in a woefully unworthy niche opposite the station.
From this Friday, the mysterious artefact will finally get some attention when it goes on show as part of the the Museum of London’s War, Plague & Fire gallery.
London Stone was once much larger and more prominently positioned. The monument is mentioned in Shakespeare, and was first referenced in the 12th century. It is undoubtedly much older, and has been incorporated in the foundation myths of our city.
Display at the museum will finally bring London Stone back into public awareness after its long slumber. It will remain at the museum while work is carried out to rebuild its existing home.
The stone is shifting to the museum for temporary display, while its existing home is knocked down and rebuilt.
See London Stone at the Museum of London from Friday 13 May 2016. Entrance is free.
May 6, 2016
From the Orcadian:
“A prehistoric underground structure has been rediscovered in Harray – rediscovered in that the archaeologists found it to be full of Victorian rubbish!
But although it had obviously been opened, entered and used in the 19th century, the chamber appears to have gone unrecorded.
Martin Carruthers, of the Archaeology Institute UHI, and county archaeologist Julie Gibson made their way out to the site, near the Harray Manse, last weekend.
Martin explained: “It’s either a souterrain or a ‘well’ and, given similar examples elsewhere in the county, probably dates to the Iron Age”
Read More: orcadian.co.uk/2016/05/two-finds-one-harray-chamber/
May 2, 2016
When a prehistoric people built a large settlement in the Burren up to 3,000 years ago, why did they choose a mountain-top with no running water?
Was it the closest point to a sky god, or was the location selected for some type of ancient gathering or “Dáil”?
“Truly one of the most enigmatic places in Irish prehistory” is how NUI Galway (NUIG) archaeologist Dr Stefan Bergh describes the exposed summit of Turlough Hill in northeast Clare.
Continued.....
April 29, 2016
The skull and antlers of a deer dating back 4,000 years have been found.
Researchers from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David are examining the red deer remains, discovered on a beach in Borth, Ceredigion.
They were first spotted in early April, but were not recovered until Friday due to the tides.
Dr Ros Coard, from the university, said: “The individual was certainly in the prime of his life showing full development of the large antlers.”
When the skull was first seen, it was reported to the Royal Commission in Aberystwyth which alerted Dr Martin Bates, of UWTSD’s school of school of archaeology, history and anthropology.
The people who found it photographed the area where it was spotted and this was used by the team who manually searched the water at low tide until the skull was found under 1m (3.2ft) of water.
This discovery comes from a channel cut through an area which in the 1960s turned up bones of a large auroch, an extinct form of large wild cattle that once lived in Europe.
The forest and peat deposits either side of this channel date to between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago – the time of the last hunter gatherers and the earliest farmers in Britain.
Dr Bates said: “This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light.
“Although the exact age of the skull has yet to be confirmed, it’s probable that the channel within which the find was made is contemporary with the forest and so an age in excess of 4,000 years old is likely.”
Dr Coard, a faunal specialist at UWTSD, added: “Although the antlers and partial skull still have to undergo full analysis, the antlers can be said to come from a very large, mature male red deer.”
April 28, 2016
Half of Western European men descended from one Bronze Age ‘king’
Half of Western European men are descended from one Bronze Age ‘king’ who sired a dynasty of elite nobles which spread throughout Europe, a new study has shown.
The monarch, who lived around 4,000 years ago, is likely to have been one of the earliest chieftains to take power in the continent.
He was part of a new order which emerged in Europe following the Stone Age, sweeping away the previous egalitarian Neolithic period and replacing it with hierarchical societies which were ruled by a powerful elite.
It is likely his power stemmed from advances in technology such as metal working and wheeled transport which enabled organised warfare for the first time.
Although it is not known who he was, or where he lived, scientists say he must have existed because of genetic variation in today’s European populations.
Dr Chris Tyler-Smith, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, said: “One of the most novel and exciting things we have found in the study is the extraordinary explosion in numbers of males at specific times.
“In Europe there was huge population expansion in just a few generations. Genetics can’t tell us why it happened but we know that a tiny number of elite males were controlling reproduction and dominating the population.
“Half of the Western European population is descended from just one man. We can only speculate as to what happened. The best explanation is that they may have resulted from advances in technology that could be controlled by small groups of men.
“Wheeled transport, metal working and organised warfare are all candidate explanations that can now be investigated further.”
The study analysed sequence differences between the Y chromosomes of more than 1200 men from 26 populations around the world using data generated by the 1000 Genomes Project.
The Y chromosome is only passed from father to son and so is wholly linked to male characteristics and behaviours. Mutations reveal which are related to each other and how far apart they are genetically so that researchers can build a family tree.
Dr Yali Xue, lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, explained: “This pattern tells us that there was an explosive increase in the number of men carrying a certain type of Y chromosome, within just a few generations.
“We only observed this phenomenon in males, and only in a few groups of men.”
The team used the data to build a tree of the 1200 Y chromosomes. It shows how they are all related to one another. As expected, they all descend from a single man who lived approximately 190,000 years ago.
The most intriguing and novel finding was that some parts of the tree were more like a bush than a tree, with many branches originating at the same point.
The earliest explosive increases of male numbers occurred 50,000–55,000 years ago, across Asia and Europe, and 15,000 years ago in the Americas.
There were also later expansions in sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe, South Asia and East Asia, at times between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago. The team believes the earlier population increases resulted from the first peopling by modern humans of vast continents, where plenty of resources were available.
Dr David Poznik, from Stanford University, California, first author on the paper, said: “We identified more than 60,000 positions where one DNA letter was replaced by another in a man with modern descendants, and we discovered thousands of more complex DNA variants.
“These data constitute a rich and publicly available resource for further genealogical, historical and forensic studies.”
The research was published in the journal Nature Genetics.
telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/04/25/half-of-british-men-descended-from-one-bronze-age-king/
Sarah Knapton, science editor
25 APRIL 2016 • 6:14PM