Research to be published this month may bring us a step closer to understanding how bluestones from Pembrokeshire ended up at Stonehenge.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25004282
(I wasn’t sure whether this should go under Stonehenge or not)
Latest News
November 20, 2013
November 18, 2013
West Penwith Crisis
In 2008, in spite of much local dissent and against the wishes of local elected bodies, Natural England (NE) commenced its agro-environmental “fence-all and graze all” scheme in the archaeologically rich Land’s End peninsula of Cornwall (West Penwith) and, as predicted from the outset, it has been an archaeological disaster.
The scheduled Tregeseal stone circle has been damaged 13 times since then by the activities of an absurdly large breed of Longhorn cattle that was selected to graze a moor which requires little management. A fragile field system associated with Chun Quoit is currently under threat; breaches of Scheduled Monument Consent have gone unpunished with NE’s sister quango, English Heritage (EH), turning a blind eye to each.
Now, the world-famous Men-an-Tol has been reduced to a dung-spattered morass, the public footpath serving rendered almost impassable by further cattle activity instigated by NE. A letter of deep concern sent to EH on Oct. 8 has yet to receive a response (Nov. 17). The uncaring intransigence of one quango, and the complete indifference of the other, are placing our most precious sites and monuments at serious risk.
The pressure group Save Penwith Moors (SPM), led by well-known local archaeologists Ian McNeil Cooke and Craig Weatherhill, and environmental expert Steve Yandall, has consistently sought more benign methods of landscape management since 2008, but we require wider support. Please consider joining our Facebook page (“Save Penwith Moors”) or study our website at www.savepenwithmoors.com
Meur ras (Many thanks)
Craig Weatherhill
November 9, 2013
Kerry County Council last night confirmed it had given the go-ahead for a donkey sanctuary and roadway now under construction in a unique Bronze Age valley near the Conor Pass which contains dozens of archaeological monuments.
The council said it had made its ruling “based on the information” it was given. No archaeological survey was demanded by the council.
The donkey sanctuary is within an archaeological complex of recorded monuments and the proximity to the monuments is causing concern.
Archaeologists from the National Monuments Service and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht are on their way to the Loch a Dúin valley near Cloghane amid concerns the development may be too close to a large fulacht fiadh (a Bronze Age cooking pit) and other archaeological monuments.
The council was approached by the proposer of a donkey sanctuary about whether permission would be required. The council said as the shed and road were agricultural in nature no planning was needed.
Kerry County Council last night issued a statement saying “based on the information it had received” it had decided the works did not need planning.
The valley in question has 90 monuments including fulachtaí fiadh and 12km of pre-bog field walls dating from the Bronze Age.
More than half a kilometre of roadway has been constructed and work has begun on the donkey sanctuary. Much of the valley — apart from a small forested section — is a special area of conservation, including Scorid River. Forestry and fisheries officials have also visited the site.
A statement from the council last night read: “Based on the information received and the nature of the development, a certificate of exemption was issued, confirming that the development, as proposed, did not require planning permission.
“An initial inspection of the site has been undertaken by the council’s planning staff and the county archaeologist to determine if the development is being carried out in according with the exemption issued. The matter has also been referred to the National Monuments Section of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.”
The council said it would be carrying out further detailed inspections and will contact the developer in the coming days.
An archaeologist who has part-surveyed the valley said the entire area with its structures thousands of years old was to the Bronze Age what the Céide Fields in Mayo were to the Stone Age in terms of significant monuments.
irishexaminer.com/ireland/council-approves-donkey-sanctuary-on-ancient-site-249042.html
Conor Pass; dingle-peninsula.ie/conor.html
November 4, 2013
Wed Nov 6 12:05am – 1:55am Film4
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting. He puts 3-D technology to a profound use, taking us back in time over 30,000 years.
November 2, 2013
WORK to create a brand new £1million Hengistbury Head visitor centre is almost complete and it will be welcoming visitors from December 14.
Construction work has taken place over the last year at the thatched barn adjacent to the Iron Age Double Dykes.
Once open, the new centre will offer an exhibition area for archaeology, ecology and geology, a dedicated space for learning and community use, outdoor learning areas, wildlife garden, toilets, a shop and work space for centre staff, volunteers and other community groups.
The work has included an eco-build extension to the existing barn cottage which has a range of environmentally-friendly features, including a green roof, solar panels and straw bale walls.
The new centre will give the public the opportunity to see and handle some of the archaeological collections unearthed at Hengistbury Head over the past 100 years. Residents will also be able to get involved as heritage volunteers in the running of the centre and nature reserve.
Stuart Clarke, conservation and countryside manager at Bournemouth council, said: “This is a really exciting project for Hengistbury Head and we look forward to welcoming visitors to explore the new centre which promises to be a fantastic resource for the area.
. .
“Hengistbury Head attracts more than one million visitors every year and for the first time, we will have a unique and dedicated visitor centre where members of the public will be able to come and learn about the area’s rich heritage, including the wildlife, geology and archaeology that can be found here.”
The centre will be open from December 14 until January 5, 2014 before closing for the fit-out to be completed. It will then open fully on February 1, 2014.
bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10763529.New___1m_Hengistbury_Head_visitor_centre_nears_completion/
November 1, 2013
Arminghall Henge
Further evidence of the significance of sacred hills arises out of a study of the alignments at Arminghall henge in Norfolk by researchers at the University of East Anglia.
Their paper can be found at: www.uea.ac.uk/~jwmp/CAA2003.pdf
October 30, 2013
Reiach and Hall, one of Scotland’s leading contemporary architectural practices, has won the commission to design the £3 million museum housing some of the country’s oldest known artefacts.
The Kilmartin Museum in Argyll, near the site of Dunadd hill fort, seat of the first recorded kingdom in Scotland, is to be transformed, with new museum and gallery spaces, an education centre, a café and expanded storage areas.
The commission follows the Edinburgh firm’s success in securing the contract for the new Bannockburn visitor centre, a £9.1m project funded by the National Trust for Scotland in partnership with Historic Scotland, due to open next year. Acclaimed recent commissions include the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney and Forth Valley College in Stirling.
Dr Sharon Webb, director of the Kilmartin Museum, said: “We are a victim of our own success – our archaeological collections have grown hugely over the last 10 years and we need more space to care for them and ensure people can enjoy and understand them.”
David Anderson, senior associate at Reiach and Hall, said: “What makes the job interesting is working with passionate clients who care very deeply about what they do.
“Neolithic Orkney is very well known, but Kilmartin, where pieces of pottery have been found that pre-date anything found at Stonehenge, is now coming into the spotlight.”
Kilmartin Glen in mid-Argyll, 90 miles west of Glasgow, contains more than 800 historic and prehistoric monuments, cairns, standing stones, stone circles and rock art, some dating back 5000 years.
October 27, 2013
I picked this up in Bantry yesterday;
skibbereenbookshop.com/books/irish-interest/751-the-sun-circles-by-jack-roberts.html
Not an academic volume, but very comprehensive and worth getting hold of if you’re interested in the circles of West Cork.
Anthony Murphy has a podcast here;
blog.mythicalireland.com/2013/09/podcast-interview-with-jack-roberts.html
October 20, 2013
A study on a Jersey site that revealed a significant piece of late Neanderthal history has been published.
Scientists working on an archaeological dig in St Brelade said teeth found at La Cotte suggest Jersey was one of the last places Neanderthals lived.
October 18, 2013
Archaelogists are to finally start work on reconstructing Giant’s Quoit, a Stonehenge-like structure built 5,000 years ago by early man living near Camborne.
Following three years of fundraising the ancient scheduled monument is being restored with final excavations taking place between October 21 and 31 with an open day scheduled for the 27th.
“Weather permitting we anticipate the erection of the first support stone, or orthostat, during the morning of 31st October,” said Pip Richards, director of the Sustainable Trust.
The Sustainable Trust, which owns the field, known as Cromlech Parc or Frying Pan Field, has £55,000 funding to carry out the work, which has been approved byEnglish Heritage.
Ms Richards added: “Restoration to the second and third orthostats (standing stone) will be in spring with the capstone placed near midsummers day in 2014.”
There will also be educational and outreach events taking place throughout this period.
She added: “We are delighted with this long awaited news and are looking forward to fulfilling our ambition to restore this unusual iconic monument.
“Bringing Neolithic history into focus through what was once considered just a pile of old stones, and giving the local community something to be proud of, makes us happy to undertake the work. So much good feeling and encouragement was engendered during the last phase of the project, it makes it all worthwhile.
“We can only guess the original uses prehistoric man had for these monuments. Burials and ancestor worship are thought to have occurred here.
“This is the only such monument in the area, as most of the existing quoits are on the moorlands of west Penwith.”
Volunteers have also pledged to carry on the work after taking part in the first phase of archaeological investigations last year.
A film, depicting the site’s history and archaeological significance is being made, and a bi-lingual ballad is also being commissioned along with the creation of a special App to help guide visitors around the site.
Several exhibitions and talks will be held along with education days for schools once the work has been completed.
The Sita Cornwall Trust is funding the excavations and restoration, and the Heritage Lottery Fund are funding the education and outreach side of the project.
The Sustainable Trust also thanked the re also grateful to the Tanner Trust, Cornwall Heritage Trust, The Council of British Archaeology and Cornwall Archaeological Society, for making the project possible.
Ms Richards added: “Support has also come from the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies & Camborne Old Cornwall Society. Without this diverse interest, the larger bids would not have been forthcoming.”
Taken from ThisisCornwall
October 16, 2013
HUNDREDS of treasures from the golden age of Stonehenge went on permanent display this week for the first time.
Worth a visit I think.
October 15, 2013
The Irish Independent reports that -
“A dig at the Blick Mead site, just a mile from Stonehenge, near Amesbury, Wiltshire, led to the discovery of a charred toad’s leg alongside small fish vertebrate bones of trout or salmon as well as burnt aurochs’ bones (the predecessor of cows).
“According to the researchers from the University of Buckingham, the find, which dates back to between 6250BC and 7596BC, is the earliest evidence of a cooked toad or frog anywhere in the world and 8,000 years earlier than the French and even before the Czechs who recently claimed it as a traditional dish.”
More here – independent.ie/world-news/and-finally/toads-leg-found-at-blick-mead-dig-29661413.html
October 10, 2013
Heritage! The Battle For Britain’s Past – BBC 4
Interesting 3 part series on Bbc4 started last night.
Features the move to protect prehistoric sites by Lubbock and Pitt-Rivers.
October 4, 2013
The lovely 17th century thresher barn, at the heart of Avebury, is also a museum housing a selection of Alexander Keiller’s finds, along with interactive displays and activities which bring the history and landscape of the area to life. The Barn Gallery roof however now needs re-thatching and this has been made possible thanks to a grant of £75,000 to the National Trust.
September 30, 2013
English Heritage announced today that the first phase of the long-awaited improvements to the setting and visitor experience of Stonehenge will be launched to the public on Wednesday, December 18.
Visitors will be welcomed at a new visitor building, located 2.1km (1.5 miles) to the west of Stonehenge.
For the first time ever at the site, they will be able to learn more about this complex monument in a stunning, museum-quality permanent exhibition curated by English Heritage experts.
A 360-degree virtual, immersive experience will let visitors ‘stand in the stones’ before they enter a gallery presenting the facts and theories surrounding the monument through various displays and nearly 300 prehistoric artefacts.
The archaeological finds on display are on loan from the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, and the Duckworth Collection, University of Cambridge. All were found inside the World Heritage Site and many are on public display for the first time.
Set in Stone? How our ancestors saw Stonehenge, will be the first special temporary exhibition. It will chart more than 800 years of ideas and debate – from 12th-century legends to radiocarbon dating reports in the 1950s – on who built Stonehenge and when, and features objects on loan from many national museums.
Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: “English Heritage announced today that the first phase of the long-awaited improvements to the setting and visitor experience of Stonehenge will be launched to the public on Wednesday, December 18.
Visitors will be welcomed at a new visitor building, located 2.1km (1.5 miles) to the west of Stonehenge.
For the first time ever at the site, they will be able to learn more about this complex monument in a stunning, museum-quality permanent exhibition curated by English Heritage experts.
A 360-degree virtual, immersive experience will let visitors ‘stand in the stones’ before they enter a gallery presenting the facts and theories surrounding the monument through various displays and nearly 300 prehistoric artefacts.
The archaeological finds on display are on loan from the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, and the Duckworth Collection, University of Cambridge. All were found inside the World Heritage Site and many are on public display for the first time.
Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: “This world famous monument, perpetually described as a mystery, finally has a place in which to tell its story.
“The exhibition will change the way people experience and think about Stonehenge forever – beyond the clichés and towards a meaningful inquiry into an extraordinary human achievement in the distant past. It will put at its centre the individuals associated with its creation and use, and I am very proud with what we have to unveil to the world in December.”
Visitors will have a heightened sense of anticipation when they arrive at the visitor building as Stonehenge is not immediately visible; it will only emerge slowly on the horizon during the 10-minute shuttle ride to the monument.
At the stones, there will be opportunities to walk and explore the surroundings of the monument including the Avenue, Stonehenge’s ancient processional approach, guided by new interpretation panels specially developed with the National Trust. The Avenue will have been reconnected to the stone circle after being severed by the A344 road for centuries, the whole area will be free of traffic, and newly sown grass will be establishing on the former route of the road.
The new visitor building, designed by leading practice Denton Corker Marshall, is reaching the final stages of construction and interior fit out has started. It is a low key structure featuring many enhancements over what is on offer now, including:
• an environmentally sensitive and fully accessible building with a high BREEAM rating (the industry standard assessment system for sustainable building design and construction). There are a number of green features such as an open loop ground source heating system, mixed mode ventilation and a treatment system for recycling grey water;
• dedicated education space;
• a bright and spacious café with indoor and outdoor seating for up to 260;
• a bigger shop;
• a visitors’ car park with space for 500 vehicles and 30 coaches;
• ample toilets, including disabled toilets;
• a pre-booked timed ticket system to help minimise queues and avoid over-crowdedness at peak times; and
• new, downloadable and hand held free audio guides in 10 languages
In Easter 2014, visitors can look forward to the opening of a group of reconstructed Neolithic houses. The Neolithic houses are the highlight of the outdoor gallery and will be built from January 2014 onwards by volunteers based on houses where the builders of Stonehenge may have lived, complete with furniture and fittings.
The final phase of the project – the restoration of the landscape around Stonehenge – will be completed in the summer of 2014. Work to demolish the existing facilities and return the area to grass will begin immediately after the new visitor centre has opened and will continue for a few months.
The £27-million Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Programme is the largest capital project ever undertaken by English Heritage.
It is financed almost entirely by Heritage Lottery Fund money (£10m), English Heritage commercial income and philanthropic donations including significant gifts from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Linbury Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.
From December 18, entrance to Stonehenge will be managed through timed tickets and advance booking is strongly recommended. Online booking opens on December 2 at www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge
September 24, 2013
Cashel Man has had the weight of the world on his shoulders, quite literally, for 4,000 years.
Compressed by the peat that has preserved his remains, he looks like a squashed, dark leather holdall.
Apart, that is, from one forlorn arm that stretches out and upward and tells us something of the deliberate and extremely violent death that he suffered 500 years before Tutankhamen was born.
Cashel Man is now being studied at the National Museum of Ireland’s research base in Collins Barracks, Dublin. He was discovered in 2011 by a bog worker in Cashel bog in County Laois.
When the remains are brought out of the freezer, it is hard to tell that this was ever a human being.
September 21, 2013
An archaeological dig on the site where a priceless Bronze Age gold cape was found has unearthed new finds.
It had been thought nothing was left at the site at Mold, Flintshire after it was last excavated in 1953.
But a community dig led by archaeologists has now turned up tiny burned fragments of bone and small pieces of pottery.
They could turn out to be older than the Mold Gold Cape which was made 3,700 years ago from a single sheet of gold.
The cape, which was discovered in 1833, is one of the British Museum’s most prized artefacts and it has been on show at Cardiff and Wrexham this summer.
It was found with a skeleton in a burial site.
The latest discovery could mean the site had some significance further back than many expected, according to archaeologist Mark Lodwick, who is finds co-ordinator for Wales for the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
This manages artefacts unearthed by the wider community.
“The cape is one of Britain’s, one of Europe’s best artefacts in fact, it’s a fantastic object,” said Mr Lodwick.
“But the site where it was found has been neglected somewhat and it has been great to work with the community to fill in some of the gaps”.
Mr Lodwick, who is normally based at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, has been working with colleague Alice Forward, a community archaeologist and they believe the community dig may have unearthed fragments which pre-date the cape.
“We might have small remnant pieces of the early Bronze Age monument,” he said.
“We’ve got to take them back to the museum for proper examination but at the moment it’s looking very exciting.”
“What we might have is earlier use of the land.”
A suspected burial site belonging to the early medieval period, is also thought to have been discovered nearby.
But it will not be excavated during this dig as the whole excavation site is to be closed on Saturday.
And Mr Lodwick said that may mean experts returning to the site in the future to explore further.
September 17, 2013
September 16, 2013
Note; do check both photos, as one shows the ‘crystal’ pavement found in 1935...
Bronze Age crystal pavement described as “unique” by archaeologists is to be uncovered for the first time since the 1930s.
The monument, at the Hurlers stone circle on Bodmin Moor, is believed to be the only one of its kind in the British Isles. Scientists and historians hope that by studying it they will gain a better understanding of early civilisations.
Organised by the Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project, “Mapping the Sun” will be led by a team from Cornwall Council’s Historic Environment department. Archaeologists will be setting up at the site close to the village of Minions this weekend and the excavation will be open to the public between Tuesday and Saturday.
Described as a community archaeology project, a range of activities will take place throughout the week. These will include astronomy workshops with Brian Sheen from Roseland Observatory, a sunrise equinox walk, a geophysical survey, a display of Bronze Age artefacts and an exhibition of archive photographs. There will also be opportunities to actually lend a hand in the delicate task of excavating the pavement.
The only time the 4,000-year-old causeway is thought to have been uncovered since it was originally laid took place 75 years ago, when workmen stabilised the site and re-erected a number of stones.
The existence of the quartz pavement only came to light again when Cornwall archaeologist Jacky Nowakowski was undertaking unrelated research at an English Heritage store in Gloucestershire. As she looked through files, Jacky came across an unpublished report and photographs from the Ministry of Works’ excavation of the Hurlers in 1938.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I’d certainly not seen anything like it before. A feature such as this, which suggests a possible linking of the circles, is very unusual. The pavement is nationally unique as far as I know.”
Internationally renowned for its line of three impressive stone circles, the Hurlers’ original use has long been the subject of speculation and argument. Some believe its alignment mirrors the celestial bodies that make up Orion’s Belt, while others claim it was used for religious purposes. Whatever the truth, there is no doubt that it was of major importance to the people who inhabited the moor 4,000 years ago.
The entire area around the Hurlers is peppered with archaeology. From a burial barrow, which contained the Rillaton Gold Cup, to Stowes Pound hill fort, Minions Mound to Long Tom, medieval streamworks to 19th century engine houses, the landscape is of enormous interest to historians. Jacky Nowakowski will explain many of the features when she leads a two-hour walk around the ancient monuments next Monday and Friday.
“I really hope the entire project and the series of linked events at this multi-faceted site will excite people,” she said. “Our role will be to inform people about the site and to learn more about why it was built. Our other role is to help safeguard it for the future.”
One important aspect of the dig will be to attempt to accurately date both the circle and pavement.
Jacky and her team have been given permission to excavate a portion of the original layer beneath the pavement in order to gauge whether it is contemporary with the circles. She said the discovery of pollen or other material will assist in dating the monument.
Mapping the Sun has been organised by Iain Rowe, of Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project. Iain, who had to obtain special permission from the Secretary of State for the Environment, said he was grateful to everyone involved in bringing it to fruition.
“We’ve had great support from the Duchy, which owns the site, English Heritage, which leases it, and Cornwall Heritage Trust, which manages it,” he said. “We’ve also had a lot of help from commoners, graziers and local people.
“It promises to be a very interesting week because no-one is sure what will be revealed and what we may learn about the pavement’s origins.”
The site would be backfilled and the ground fully restored following next week’s excavation. “There will be no sign we have been there,” he added.
For full details of the week’s events, visit caradonhill.org.uk
thisisdevon.co.uk/Excavation-reveal-secret-Hurlers/story-19797335-detail/story.html#ixzz2erry7bkA
September 13, 2013
An ancient ceremonial pathway linking Stonehenge and the nearby River Avon has been unearthed during work to close the road alongside the monument.
September 12, 2013
A proposal to display human remains at Stonehenge has been endorsed by English Heritage governors, despite a druid’s legal challenge.
September 11, 2013
ARCHAEOLOGISTS who discovered a new passage tomb near Newgrange want it declared a national monument.
Using light detection and ranging imaging known as LiDar, an underground passageway and several other previously undetected features have been discovered near the river Boyne, Co Meath, on private land south-west of Newgrange.
The LiDar imagery showed a mound with a circular enclosure, while further work involving new technologies, known as magnetic radiometry and resistivity, unveiled a definite passage, leading northeast out of the newly discovered tomb.
PROBING
It is the first discovery to be made without any archaeological digging, instead being found through use of LiDar and other “ground-probing techniques.” The archaeologists who made the discovery, led by Kevin Barton, are calling on the Minister for Heritage, Jimmy Deenihan, to declare the site a national monument.
Because the new discovery is on private ground, the team of archaeologists need the Minister to do this as without Government designations, an excavation would be impossible.
In order to fully understand the results of the LiDar study, which was performed in and around the Bru Na Boinne UNESCO Heritage site, archaeologists feel a fully comprehensive excavation would be necessary.
Activist group ‘Save Newgrange’ are backing the archaeologists’ request to the minister, as well as requesting that Meath County Council include the new findings in the Management Plan for the World Heritage Site. Vincent Salafia, spokesperson with Save Newgrange, says that there is an obligation to allow an excavation of the site, as well as a council obligation to include findings in the management plan.
“With this exciting discovery, the onus is on the Minister to obey the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and fully protect the site.
“The State is under a duty to fully investigate the entire World Heritage Site, and to give the monuments the highest legal protection possible, which is national monument designation under the National Monuments Act,” he said.
The results of a full scale excavation could lead to an expansion of Newgrange and could halt any further plans for an N2 Bypass of the site, which would be critical if there were any more requests from local council to build the motorway.
In 2012, An Bord Pleanala refused an application for the bypass because of proximity to the monument. Local politicians, however, are still hoping to procure a bypass.
herald.ie/news/new-tomb-and-passage-found-at-newgrange-29568097.html
September 10, 2013
“OPPOSITION is mounting to a proposal to create what is believed to be the country’s largest photovoltaic solar farm in a protected landscape area. Natural England and English Heritage are both throwing their hats into the ring, as Swindon Council closes its seven-week consultation on the proposal for 50,000 ground mounted PV arrays at the former [Royal Air Force base] at Wroughton. The site will produce 41 MW of electricity on 200 acres – an area larger than the village of Chiseldon, or the size of more than 100 football pitches.”
More here – thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/10662036.Fears_solar_farm_will_ruin_beauty_of_area/
The remains of what it is thought could be a member of early Pictish royalty have been discovered during an archaeological dig in Aberdeenshire.
The discovery at Rhynie was made by teams from the universities of Aberdeen and Chester.
The remains were found in a carefully made sandstone grave, which the experts believe suggests the person was of high status.
It is the first time remains of a body have been uncovered at the site.
Project leader Dr Gordon Noble, of the University of Aberdeen, said: “We found elements of the legs, pelvis and jaw bone which we recovered and are now analysing in the lab.
“It’s extremely rare to find any human remains from this era in the north east of Scotland as the soil in this part of the world is so acidic.
“One of the graves had been carefully made from split sandstone slabs to create a cist and the stone lining and collapsed capstones helped to preserve skeletal material.
“Unlike Anglo-Saxon areas to the south, the tradition in Scotland was largely for unfurnished burial so we didn’t expect to find rich grave assemblages.”
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-24018459
A longer article in Past Horizons in the link below featuring the Craw Stane image by David Connolly.
pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/09/2013/pictish-burials-found-at-royal-rhynie-site
September 8, 2013
ANCIENT SKIES & REMNANTS – Film projects + website
Hello everyone,
I posted this at the forum the other day, so apologies for posting it here at the news too!
I’m delighted to announce that after over five years of work my high resolution films ANCIENT SKIES & REMNANTS are complete and the official website is now open at: www.ancientskies.info
ANCIENT SKIES is a 25 + 46 min. ‘FullDome’ immersive 4k resolution planetarium documentary that explores the connection between the Neolithic and the night sky. It features interviews with Dr. Edwin Krupp, Euan Mackie, Prof. George Eogan, Anthony Murphy, Martin Brennan and Prof. Clive Ruggles, with music by Steve Roach, Banco De Gaia and Zhenia Mahdi Nau.
REMNANTS is a 2k resolution, widescreen non-verbal timelapse film that charts the rise and fall of the Neolithic civilisation, featuring a 5.1 surround score by Tangerine Dream member Thorsten Quaeschning.
During production I traveled the length and breadth of the British Isles and Ireland, and was able to capture some unique events, including the first (so far as I know) timelapse sequences of Equinox sunrise at Cairn T and Equinox sunset at the western passageway of Knowth. I was also blessed with beautiful full moons and night skies at Callanish, The Ring of Brodgar, Pentre Ifan, West Kennett and Stonehenge.
ANCIENT SKIES (25 min. version) will go into FullDome theatre distribution shortly. REMNANTS had its world premiere earlier this year at the ‘Widescreen Weekend’ event in Bradford’s superb Pictureville Theatre, and is currently being entered into various film festivals. A screening in my home town of Devizes, in association with the Wiltshire Heritage Museum, will hopefully take place in Oct / Nov, and in a similar time frame at Brighton’s Duke of York’s cinema.
Please visit the website for confirmed dates and times.
Hope you enjoy the site (tho’ a few tweaks + fixes to do, and more content coming soon) and to see you at a screening soon.
Yours,
Grant Wakefield.
www.ancientskies.info
www.grantwakefield.com
REMNANTS reviews:
“Filmed using motion controlled time-lapse photography, REMNANTS captures on film the thousands of complex stone monuments constructed by the Neolithic peoples of Northern Europe from 3800 to 1000 BC. Stunning 2k resolution and extraordinary music provided by Tangerine Dream member Thorsten Quaeschning.”
- Bruce Campbell, CINEMA RETRO, Bradford Film Festival – ‘Widescreen Weekend’ 2013
“Through beautiful and hard-earned imagery Wakefield has created a moving inner journey that lets us to feel our connection to our ancient roots and the timeless turning of the earth. I loved it.”
- Mark Magidson, producer BARAKA & SAMSARA