Latest News

From an article published on the BBC News web site on 7th April 2005:

Ancient hominids from the Caucasus may have fed and cared for their elderly, a new fossil find has indicated.
The 1.77 million-year-old specimen, which is described in Nature magazine, was completely toothless and well over 40; a grand old age at the time.

This may suggest that the creature lived in a complex society which was capable of showing compassion.

These hominids – like humans – may also have valued the old for their years of acquired knowledge, researchers think.

Read the full article...

In an archaeological dig in Saxony, a male, clay figurine was found and called the “Adonis von Zschernitz” A month later, pieces of a corresponding female figure was found and re-constructed.
At first it was suggested that they were taking part in a ritualistic dance but the researchers have, un-prudishly, concluded that they were having sex “doggy fashion”.........
Full story here.... guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1451509,00.html

Robert Turner, who farms hundreds of acres around Stonehenge, is slowly returning many of them to the original sheep-cropped grass. Surprisingly, he has to reduce the fertility of the land to achieve this.

More here... guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1447159,00.html

City Druids line up to put a spring in their step
By Sam Coates – Times Online

It was an incongruous sight: 40 hooded Druids staging a fertility ritual next to the Tower of London, while customers from an adjacent fast-food restaurant looked on in bewilderment.
Yesterday was the spring equinox, one of two dates each year when day and night are of equal length. Since the earliest times this has been celebrated by pagan festivals, with Druids and others gathering round the bonfire to chant, sing, dance and leap through the flames, while praying for a bountiful harvest.

Festivities were held around the country yesterday, including a dawn celebration at Stonehenge. But perhaps the most bizarre was held in the City. Here the Ancient Druid Order, a pagan group based in the financial heart of London which includes businessmen, a dancer, an osteopath and an alternative therapist, donned their white cloaks to take part in the traditional ceremony, begun in London in 1717.

But this ritual came with a modern twist: gone was the bonfire and the seed-planting, while the long flowing robes barely covered the participants’ jeans and hotpants. Led by David Loxley, the Chief Druid, the group assembled next to Tower Hill Underground Station to call for peace and prosperity, and mourn the passing of the dead.

At the heart of the ritual was a woman representing the goddess of spring, dressed in a long yellow robe, bringing seeds and flowers to present to the Chief Druid. These were sprinkled liberally on the concrete floor. After this exchange, Mr Loxley, who works in an alternative therapy store, said: “Prepare for the day when that seed in you shall live and grow — when the influence and the power of the All-Excelling shall shine forth in your life.”

The spring equinox of the Ancient Druid Order is held in the City of London to demonstrate pagans’ belief that the City will eventually revert its “pre-metropolis natural state”.

timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4484-1535230,00.html

Ripon Gazette – 18/03/05 – Henges: Tarmac gives moor pledge

By Lee Sobot.

A quarry firm has stated that it has no intention to extract sand and gravel
from Thornborough Moor – home of the Thornborough Henges – within the next
ten years.

Tarmac Northern Ltd is currently quarrying nearby Nosterfield Quarry and has
applied to quarry Ladybridge Farm half a mile from the henges next year.

The application has upset archaeological campaigners who say Ladybridge Farm
is part of the henges setting and fear Thornborough Moor may be next on
Tarmac’s list.

But on Wednesday Tarmac declared they will “not be seeking Thornborough Moor
to be included for allocation in the forthcoming review of North Yorkshire
County Council’s minerals local plan”.

The review covers the next ten-year period and is designed to ensure that
the county can meet its supply quota to the local construction industry.

Tarmac Northern company estates manager Rob Moore said the decision was
taken after listening to concerns expressed by local people.

He said “Some had mistakenly believed that the henges were under threat from
the imminent minerals local plan review and believed that this allocation
would be tantamount to permission to extract sand and gravel from beneath
Thornborough Moor.

“We have said time and time again and repeat that the henges, which are
scheduled ancient monuments within a scheduled protection zone, are not
threatened by quarrying.

“We hope that this move will help to allay any fears and confusion that
people may have in relation to our current planning application, remove the
that there is time pressure to conserve the henges and allow time for a full
conservation plan study for the henges.”

George Chaplin, chairman of TimeWatch, said the news was “welcomed” but
questioned Tarmac’s commitment to staying away from Thornborough Moor long
term.

He said “What we would like is an uncomplicated, unambiguous statement from
Tarmac saying they have no intention ever of quarrying Thornborough Moor,
that should be pretty straightforward.”

While John Lowry, chairman of Friends of Thornborough, said Tarmac’s
declaration was “reassuring”, he added “it is not relevant to the Ladybridge
Farm application which is our main concern, I think it is a bit of a red
herring.

“I suppose it is reassuring but we were never too worried about Thornborough
Moor – the chances of Tarmac being given permission to quarry Thornborough
Moor are pretty remote now that we have raised the profile. They could never
quarry right up to the henges – they are internationally important
recognised monuments.”

* Tarmac is holding a public meeting on Wednesday at West Tanfield Memorial
Hall at 7.30pm. The company will provide updated reports on archaeology,
ecology and the proposals for Ladybridge Farm which, they say, have been
substantially revised following feedback from local residents.

From an article published on the BBC News web site on 11th March 2005:

Pigs were domesticated independently at least seven times around the globe, a new study has found.

The discovery was made by linking the DNA of tame porkers with their wild relatives, Science magazine reports.

Researchers found farmed pigs in several locations were closely related to wild boar in the same region, suggesting local domestication.

This challenges the notion that boar were tamed just twice before being transported throughout the world.

Read the full article...

Celebrate the ancient festival of Beltane at one of Britain’s most important prehistoric sacred sites.

Sunday May 1st 2005. Ceremony begins at 1.00 pm in the central Henge. Everyone welcome!

For more details, including directions and parking, please visit:

sacredbrigantia.com

Following the success of last years Beltane ceremony at Thornborough Henge we have been given permission to do it all over again. Special reference was made to the fact that last year we left absolutely no litter behind, so well done everybody.

In 2004 I asked people to dress-up for the event, and top prize had to go to the guy who came as a Druidic Knight in full battle dress: This year, can anyone top that? My additional request is for anyone who is noisily musical to bring their drums, pipes, didgeridoos or spoons to the event.

Last years ceremony had a distinctly bovine theme, featuring as it did, a pantomime cow being chased between two fires (like what they used to do with real cows). This year, following the recent discovery of the ritual burial of four horses near to Thornborough Henge (dating from Celtic times) the ceremony will have a more equestrian (that’s a posh word for ‘horsey’) theme.

We are starting a little bit earlier this year, so after the ceremony if anybody wants to do their own thing, feel free: Whatever you think should go on in a Henge at Beltane (as long as it doesn’t involve digging holes). I  want Beltane at Thornborough to be an event, like last year, where people come to make something happen, not just to watch something happen. In that spirit, if anyone has any suggestions, please email me:

[email protected]

See you on May 1st.

Oliver

“Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, is threatening to dismantle English Heritage, the government quango which runs 400 of the country’s greatest historic sites, ranging from Stonehenge to Dover Castle.
The suggestion follows a series of bitter rows between the government and English Heritage, including one over its attempt to derail plans by John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, to demolish thousands of Victorian homes in northern England.”

timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1522988,00.html

_________________________________

Update:

RESPONSE TO SUNDAY TIMES ARTICLE 13 MARCH, 2005

Members of the public may have seen a very misleading and untrue Sunday Times article suggesting that English Heritage is to be abolished or merged with other organisations. This is untrue and the Secretary of State Tessa Jowell has written to the Chairman refuting it and setting out the value Ministers place on English Heritage and the work we do.

english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?wci=mainframe&URL1=default.asp%3FWCI%3DNodeContent%26WCE%3D4970

Please take the time to support the Thornborough Henges by signing the petition here: petitiononline.com/TimeW1/petition.html

“The quarry application is going to be decided within the next couple of months and we want our government to have a clear statement that we think this is wrong.

If you take a minute to view the animation on the TimeWatch homepage (https://www.timewatch.org)you will get a good idea of what we are complaining about.

N.B. The Petition is international.”

(a quote of Hengist’s plea to sign the Thornborough Henges Petition: brigantesnation.com/index.html)

“Pigs were domesticated from wild boar independently at least seven times around the globe, a new study has said.”

“The team found that all domestic pigs in Europe are descended from European wild boar – and not Near Eastern boar – which means farmers travelling west from Turkey were not bringing significant numbers of pigs with them.”

Full story:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4337435.stm

From an article published on the BBC News web site on 9th February 2005:

A chariot burial site uncovered in West Yorkshire could be the final resting place of one of Britain’s ancient tribal leaders, archaeologists say.
The well-preserved remains, found by road contractors near Ferrybridge, are thought to be about 2,400 years old.

But evidence suggests that people were still visiting the grave during Roman times – 500 years after his burial.

Experts believe that native Britons may have used the site as a shrine to re-assert their national identity.

Archaeologist Angela Boyle said the site, uncovered during the £245m upgrade of the A1, was “one of the most significant Iron Age burials ever found”.

Read the full article...

Campaigners have hit back at claims by quarry company Tarmac over the threat of job losses if it is not allowed to expand its operations close to the Thornborough Henges.

In a statement last week Tarmac warned the local economy would suffer if quarrying had to cease and said tourism would not compensate for the loss of some £2.3m resulting from its present operations at Nosterfield Quarry.
Responding to the claims this week, the Friends of Thornborough campaign group insisted that quarrying did not provide long-term jobs.
Chairman, John Lowry said: “Aggregates quarries actually create very few jobs in relation to the amount of land they sterilise, and the employees know those jobs are relatively short-lived because all mining ventures have a limited life.
“To ensure a constant supply of minerals, well-managed mining companies buy up mineral reserves in advance, phasing development so that a new quarry is opened as an existing one becomes exhausted. So jobs are not ‘lost’ – they are simply transferred to the new quarry and the sub-contractors follow them.
Mr Lowry, who is a qualified exploration geologist and chartered engineer, added: “In trying to reduce this issue to a simple contest between the relative economic benefits of quarrying versus tourism, Tarmac is cynically ignoring the over-riding need to save Yorkshire’s greatest archaeological treasure for future generations.
“Due to the concern our campaign has raised in both Parliament and the EEC, Tarmac now has to prove that it is necessary to destroy a landscape of international importance in order to supply a local market with sand and gravel that could readily be obtained from a less sensitive site like those already quarried by its competitors.”
Tarmac is applying for planning permission to quarry further land close to the henges, at the Ladybridge Farm site.
But Mr Lowry said: “Tarmac’s employees should be demanding that the company gives up its plans to expand near the henges and turns its attentions to opening a replacement quarry in a location already designated by the county council. Surely good management practice dictates that a contingency plan should already be in place, in case the application to extend the present quarry is refused?”

Knaresborough Today at
knaresboroughtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=18&ArticleID=968360

From This is Devon website, 8 March 2005

A Westcountry diving team has uncovered one of the oldest shipwreck sites in the world. In an exclusive report, John Kirk reveals how the remarkable find was made off the Devon coast

A team of amateur divers who uncovered the find of a lifetime off the Westcountry coast has struck gold for a second time. Thirteen divers – all members of the South West Maritime Archaeological Group (SWMAG) – have unearthed 3,000-year-old Bronze Age artifacts from what may be one of the oldest shipwreck sites in the world.

They include a gold bracelet called a torc, a cauldron handle, and the remains of weapons ranging from rapier blades to axe heads and swords.

All were discovered off the coast of Salcombe last October, when the divers were expanding their area of investigation from a previous site where in 1995 they found the biggest collection of Islamic riches ever found off Britain.

Experts say the latest finds are even more significant, as they may be from one of the oldest shipwrecks ever discovered. The finds, which date from 1300BC, were immediately declared to the Receiver of Wreck, Sophia Exelby, at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, as it is believed the relics come from an ancient shipwreck. They are now at the British Museum in London, where they are being examined.

Once the examinations are complete, the collection will be valued as a whole and interested museums will be able to bid for it – although it is likely that the British Museum will get first refusal, as the find is of national significance. It is believed the museum has already expressed an interest.

The divers received a salvage award of almost £100,000 when their last collection – discovered on a shipwreck a quarter of a mile off Prawle Point in 1995 – was eventually sold to the British Museum. That find included 460 gold coins, as well as ingots, nuggets, pewter, jewellery and pottery which had lain undisturbed since it was lost at sea in the 1630s.

The latest site falls within the area for the wreck which is protected from unauthorised and illegal diving under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

The divers say they do not want to talk about salvage awards for the latest discovery and are more interested in the significance of the find.

A spokesman for SWMAG, which includes four divers from Devon, said: “The cash has not been discussed because it’s very early days and we’re just really excited about the find.

“We thought the 17th century wreck site where we discovered Islamic gold was wonderful. But this is different and is extremely significant.

“It could possibly be one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world. To my knowledge there’s also been no gold found at a Bronze Age wreck before, and this is one of just two Bronze Age wrecks in the country.

“This discovery has really been a team effort, and we are now working with the Receiver of Wreck and English Heritage to ensure that these important artifacts are put on permanent display to the public.”

The spokesman said the location was of national interest, particularly as Bronze Age artifacts were found at the nearby Moor Sands site in the 1980s. The finds from Moor Sands date to around the same time as those discovered in the latest find, and archaeologists are examining whether they came from the same vessel.

The latest find is dominated by the blades of swords and rapiers, but axes, tools and ornaments are also present. The swords are among the earliest found in north-west Europe, while some of the other objects are of northern French origin and are types which are rare in this country.

Receiver of Wreck Ms Exelby said: “This is a very exciting find which shows the breadth of information which is available from shipwreck sites. We are now working to ensure that these unusual artifacts are given a good home, where their historical value can be appreciated by everyone.”

Stuart Needham, curator of European Bronze Age collections at the British Museum, said: “The evidence from Salcombe and other rare sites help us to build up a picture of object movements, the organisation of trade and the character of seafaring.”

English Heritage and SWMAG are now planning a research-led field season later in the year to find out more about the site.

Whilst at a Cheshire garden centre of all places – not far from Lindow Moss – I stumbled across a flyer for The Museum Of Science & Industry In Manchester‘s ‘The Mysterious Bog People – Ritual & Sacrifice in Ancient Europe exhibition, running from 05 February – 08 May 2005.

It looks like a stunning show, and the website tells us:

“This ground-breaking exhibition charts over 14,000 years of cultural history and contains over 400 artefacts found in the bogs or swamps of northwestern Europe. For the first time, significant archaeological finds from northwestern Europe are brought together in an impressive collection of artefacts, including the oldest known boat in the world, jewellery, coins and musical instruments.”

This is the ONLY showing in the UK, so don’t miss out!

See the website at:

msim.org.uk/whatsOn.asp?main=030202

THE Thornborough Henges, three huge prehistoric circle-and-ditch structures near Ripon in North Yorkshire, have been described as “the Stonehenge of the North”.
Such is the archaeological importance of these little-known monuments, laid out some 5,000 years ago in an area as rich with barrows, cursuses, and other remains as Salisbury Plain, that English Heritage describes Thornborough as the most important ancient site between Wiltshire and the Orkneys. Each of Thornborough’s circles is 240 metres across – large enough to contain 10 Stonehenges. But the visitor who turns off the A1 in search of the henges will find no helpful brown sign to guide him. Better to look out for the giant conveyors on which Tarmac Northern Ltd, a subsidiary of Anglo-American, the world’s biggest mining company, extracts 500,000 tons of gravel a year from its Nosterfield quarry, a couple of hundred yards to the north of the monument.
Tarmac has already worked out large quarries immediately to the west of the henges, and Nosterfield is coming to the end of its life. Tarmac has therefore applied to North Yorkshire county council (NYCC) for planning permission to open another quarry at nearby Ladybridge farm. In the longer term it plans to excavate all the land around the henges, in some places coming as close as 50 metres to the monuments. When quarrying is finished the henges would survive as an island in the middle of a series of lakes, as it is cheaper for Tarmac to let the holes it has made fill up with water (and call them “nature reserves”) than restore the landscape to farmland.
For many people who care about Britain’s heritage, the thought of this important ancient landscape being torn up is appalling. In a parliamentary answer to Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh in December 2003, culture secretary Tessa Jowell said: “My officials are supporting English Heritage’s firm opposition to any further gravel extraction in the vicinity of the scheduled site until...the archaeology is better understood. English Heritage is concerned about the wider landscape setting of the henge monuments and is currently funding a project by Newcastle University to undertake extensive archaeological research in this area.”
Alas the campaign to save the henge landscape is seemingly being undermined by the very man whose job it is to protect it. North Yorkshire county archaeologist Neil Campling has told people not to sign a petition calling for an end to quarrying within a mile of the henges because “there are currently no planning applications for, and not even any discussions about, quarrying around the middle and southern henges” – which isn’t true – and because there is “little archaeology” in the fields around the henges.
How Mr Campling can know this, when little investigation has been done, is a mystery. He is happy for Tarmac’s own archaeologist Mike Griffiths (Campling’s predecessor at the county council) to investigate a sample of just two percent of the Ladybridge site. Other archaeologists believe a sample of eight to 10 percent would give a better idea of what may be there. Ten years ago a two percent survey of Nosterfield – just 50 metres from Ladybridge – led to the conclusion that there was little of interest in the ground, and the planning application was passed. When the diggers went in, Tarmac’s archaeologists were “surprised” to find what they admitted was “the largest group of Neolithic features of this type so far recognised in the North of England”. Now Tarmac is poised to make the same “mistake” again. But at least it’ll get its gravel.

There is controversy in Germany as to whether the Bronze Age Nebra Disc is as old as it is claimed. Professor Schauer of Ravensburg University believes that it was made by “shamans from Siberia and is only two or three hundred years old”.

Full story here... guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1427599,00.html

From: thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/oxfordshire/archive/2005/02/25/NEWS5ZM.html

A man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to the 3,500-year-old Rollright Stones, near Chipping Norton, which were vandalised with yellow paint.

The 26-year-old has been questioned and released on police bail until March 19.

The attack on the ancient stones caused £50,000 worth of damage on April 1, last year. A £1,000 reward was offered by the Pagan Society in a bid to find the person responsible. The stone circle, which has about 70 stones, is known as the King’s Men, while another five across a field are known as the Whispering Knights. On the other side of the road is the King Stone.

They are the third most important stone circle in the country, after Stonehenge and Avebury, both in Wiltshire.

TimeWatch Media Release – 28.02.05

TimeWatch group launches major attack on Tarmac plc.

After six months of campaigning under the banner of Heritage Action, the Thornborough Campaign is now to be launched as a separate, independent campaign group, called TimeWatch.

“When we first started campaigning about Thornborough, there was just a handful of us and we were extremely pleased to find a supportive home within Heritage Action” commented George Chaplin. “Now our campaign group has grown so large within Heritage Action that it made sense to launch an independent group in it’s own right, with a wider remit and set of priorities.

“The new group will keep its focus on Thornborough’s archaeology but will widen its involvement into all other related issues. The impacts of quarrying will be felt far beyond the purely archaeological ones and we intend to ensure the public is fully informed of them.”

Nigel Swift, chairman of Heritage Action said: “This reflects well on all who have worked so hard on the Thornborough Campaign. It has grown to be one of the largest of its kind in Britain, reflecting the grave national concern that exists.

“The two organisations will now take up parallel but independent roles. Heritage Action will continue campaigning on threats to all ancient sites and supporting the campaigns of others. TimeWatch will concentrate on raising national awareness of individual sites under threat, starting with Thornborough. We wish them well and look forward to working closely with
them in future.”

For more information on TimeWatch and the Thornborough campaign, the public are urged to visit the TimeWatch website at www.timewatch.org

An interactive dig – Diane Maclean, the Scotsman.com

Archaeologists working in Skye have secured funding to begin an innovative interactive project. Excavations of a cave at Kilbride in the south-west of Skye are turning up exciting finds, including bones, early Iron Age tools, evidence of cooking and even what is thought to be Bronze Age pottery.

Most startling the archaeologists have found evidence that the floor of High Pasture Cave was laid with flagstones, suggesting that the cave was used for a specific purpose.

From March the team working at the project hope to launch Scotland’s first live archaeological website. This would allow people to see their work as it happens and learn more about their discoveries.

“Archaeology is a little bit elitist at the moment,” said Martin Wildgoose, one of three archaeologists working on the project. “Setting up the website will make it much more accessible. It’s all about bringing a new approach to involve more people.”

The site will broadcast a live feed from the cave while archaeologists are working on the project.

A recent geophysics survey has located the original entrance to the cave, and the team hope to open this access. Once they have opened the “door” they can bring lights and additional equipment into the cave.

The archaeologists are currently speculating that the cave was used in a ritualistic way.

“Bronze and Iron Age people seemed to revere the underworld and places near water,” noted Steve Birch, another member of the team. “Perhaps they used this cave as a place to leave votive offerings to their Gods?”

The team hope that bringing their findings to a wider public will encourage more interest in the subject. They also hope to inspire people to join them this summer to work at the project.

Once it has launched, the website will be found at: https://www.high-pasture-cave.org.

This article: heritage.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=182462005

From an article published on the BBC News web site on 16th February 2005:

An archaeologist’s car containing two axes from the Ice Age has been stolen from outside a Birmingham hotel.

Mark Olly, of Warrington, Cheshire, was giving a lecture on druids at the Wellington Hotel in Bromsgrove Street, when the vehicle was taken on Tuesday.

A replica of a 750BC bronze sword, with a distinctive brass discoloration on the blade, was also taken, along with electrical goods worth nearly £5,000.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact West Midlands Police at Steelhouse Lane police station or the Wellington Hotel direct.

Read the full article...

From an article by Kim Griggs published on the BBC News web site on 14th February 2005:

Nestled into the verdant hills of the New Zealand region of the Wairarapa is the world’s newest “Stonehenge” but this henge is no mere pastiche.

Instead, Stonehenge Aotearoa, which opened this weekend, is a full-scale adaptation of its Salisbury Plain ancestor, built to work for the Antipodes.

The aim of the Kiwi Stonehenge is to help people rediscover the basics of astronomy.

“You can read as much as you like in a book how the sun and the moon work, how people use stars to navigate by, or to foretell the seasons,” says Richard Hall, president of the Phoenix Astronomical Society which built the henge.

“You stand here amongst the henge and you show people exactly how it works. Somehow it simplifies it and it becomes that much more easy to understand,” he said.

Read the full article...

The Henry Moore Institute, Leeds is bringing together a glittering array of archaeologists, art historians and sculptors, to consider the overlap between sculpture and archaeology. Their motif is the Boyle Family’s ‘Study of Broken Up Concrete and Earth’ (2002-3). Mark Boyle and Joan Hills, while making psychedelic stage sets for the band Soft Machine in the 1960s, began a series of resin ground casts-eerily like the bottom of excavation trenches-that continues today with the participation of their two artist children. A film about the Boyle Family will be screened at ‘Object-Excavation-Intervention’, 3-5 June. Tickets from Liz Aston, tel 0113 246 7467, email [email protected]

Excerpts from an article published on the BBC News web site on 10th February 2005:

In 1848, a strange skull was discovered on the military outpost of Gibraltar.

The remains were named Homo neanderthalensis – or Neanderthal Man – an ancient and primitive form of human.

But was Neanderthal really the brutish ape-man of legend, or an effective rival to our own species? And how exactly had he been driven to extinction?

This week’s Horizon programme brings together a team of leading experts to see just what we could find out about this remarkable creature, from the bones themselves. But to begin we needed a skeleton, and no complete Neanderthal has ever been found.

However, Gary Sawyer, a reconstruction expert at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, US, realised that enough partial skeletons existed to create an entire composite skeleton from casts of the fragments.

Read the full article...

As reported in the Buxton Advertiser, a good quality find of a Bronze Age axe 1100-1600 BC was found in Whaley Bridge in January.

This from today’s Western Daily Press website.

Urgent remedial work must be carried out to save Silbury Hill from collapse, English Heritage said yesterday. The threat to the 130ft mound, which is one of the West’s most mysterious prehistoric monuments, was blamed on excavations made for a BBC TV documentary in the 1960s.

An English Heritage survey has revealed that the late Professor Richard Atkinson’s tunnel, which was dug in 1968/69 was not, as previously thought, properly filled in.

The unexpected discovery is already causing minor internal collapses and ‘voids’ within Europe’s largest man-made hill that will, in time, reach the surface. If unattended, it will damage highly significant deposits in the centre of the structure that contain its early history and perfectly preserved plant and animal remains.

English Heritage says it is considering three options:

- Pumping chalk slurry into the voids.

- Re-opening the tunnel and backfilling by hand.

- As above, but supporting the tunnel to allow repeated access.

Respected West archaeologist Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology magazine which revealed the threat, urged English Heritage to act swiftly.

westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=146049&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145779&contentPK=11772411

I can’t see any of this on the EH website – it still says “we are relieved to be able to conclude that Silbury Hill is a very robust structure with no major defects that might threaten its stability, due largely to the way it was originally constructed 4,500 years ago.”