Latest News

Vital clues into how ancient Britons lived thousands of years ago have been unearthed on a bypass site. Among the items uncovered along the A142 between Newmarket and Fordham (Cambridgeshire, England) include skeletons from the Bronze Age and Iron Age, along with a body from Roman times. Flints and pottery, buried since the Neolithic period around 4,500 years ago, have also been discovered, and will now be cleaned and carefully examined to help experts learn more about the history of East Anglia’s ancestors.

“It is very exciting. We have found an awful lot of archaeology in general at the Fordham bypass site,” said Richard Mortimer, project officer at Cambridgeshire County Council’s archaeology field unit. “We found skeletons from the Bronze Age and Iron Age, along with a Roman skeleton and some lovely other pieces, such as flints and pottery. We have also found large, pit-like shafts and a couple of Roman roads – all manner of things which are very rich and very prehistoric. Finding skeletons is not that unusual, but to find the amount of pieces we did, from difference periods but all in the same place, is very rare.”

One of the skeletons dates back around 6,000 years, and coincides with the birth of farming. “This is the first evidence of people settling down and becoming more sedentary, after we had stopped being hunter-gatherers,” added Mr Mortimer. The pieces will be sent away to specialists and cleaned, which will take up to a year.

The team were asked to move onto the site before work begins on the Fordham bypass scheme in July. They then spent around 12 weeks painstakingly clearing the area, using pick axes and shovels, before uncovering all the archaeological gems the site has to offer.

Source: Archeo News/East Anglian Daily Times (11 June 2004)
eadt.co.uk/homeStory.asp?Brand=EADONLINE&Category=NEWS&ItemId=IPED10+Jun+2004+20%3A15%3A34%3A240

ripontoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=18&ArticleID=805861

A quarry firm has been warned it has a fight on its hands over plans to extend its operations next to an ancient site of national importance.

Campaigners this week pledged to step up their fight to protect the unique triple henge complex at Thornborough, north of Ripon, after it was revealed that quarry operators had submitted a planning application to extract more sand and gravel nearby.
National campaign group Heritage Action has formed a small sub-group to look at the issues surrounding the neolithic site and to support local action group, the Friends of Thornborough, in their fight against further quarrying.
The Friends have been building up support for the last year, and now Heritage Action are urging more people nationwide to back their cause – and protest against the planning application by quarry company Tarmac Northern Ltd.
Tarmac has just submitted proposals to North Yorkshire County Council for an area of 111 acres at Ladybridge Farm, which lies to the east of the current Nosterfield Quarry at Thornborough.
The company says the expansion is necessary to provide much-needed sand and gravel supplies to North Yorkshire’s construction industry.
But the Friends this week accused the quarry company of sacrificing heritage for profits and said Tarmac was going ahead with the planning application despite being made fully aware of its national significance.
Jon Lowry, chairman of the Friends, said: “I can assure Tarmac that it is in for a long fight and call upon all citizens of this country to join our demand, by writing to their MPs, that the government takes immediate action to protect this outstanding example of our national heritage by declaring it an Area of Archaeological Importance.”
Heritage Action is also urging people to protest against Tarmac’s proposals to extend its operation around the henge site, which archaeologists have dubbed the ‘Stonehenge of the north’.
It is asking members of the public to write to Prime Minister Tony Blair, his deputy John Prescott and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, as well as the county council.
The group’s chairman, George Chaplin, who is also a member of the Friends, said this week there was pressure for the application to be called in by Mr Prescott, which would involve a public inquiry.
He added: “The site is Yorkshire’s oldest and most important monument complex, and it’s one that’s already had a massive amount of damage done to it.
“We are going to make sure that the Thornborough issue reaches national headlines. It is important that the government is aware that this is a national issue.”
Tarmac this week sought to give assurances that the proposals would not impact on the archaeology of the area because they do not include the area of Thornborough Moor, which contains the 5,500 year old henges.
And it said any future plans for the Thornborough Moor area would take full account of the archaeological and environmental value of the site.
Bob Nicholson, Tarmac’s estates manager, said that, without an extension of the excavation area, Nosterfield Quarry would have to close in three years’ time.
He added: “Tarmac will not pursue any further proposals until the findings of the English Heritage sponsored Conservation Plan are known.
“The application to extend the area of excavation to Ladybridge Farm includes detailed plans for initial soil stripping works to be monitored by a professional archaeologist to ensure any artefacts which may be discovered are investigated and recorded. There are also plans to fully restore the site to enhance biodiversity and nature conservation.
“As responsible quarry operators, this care and respect for the environment and its archaeological heritage, is standard practice for Tarmac.”
For more information about Heritage Action’s campaign see www.heritageaction.org. The Friends’ website is at www.friendsofthornborough.org.
11/06/04

thisisdarlington.co.uk/the_north_east/news/NEWS35.html

by staff of The Darlington & Stockton Times

A LEADING minerals company is prepared to sacrifice archaeological heritage near Bedale for profits, it was claimed this week.

A local campaign group has reacted angrily to the announcement that, as expected, Tarmac Northern has applied for planning permission to extract sand and gravel from an area next to Nosterfield quarry in a bid to secure the future of the operation.

The 111-acre site east of the quarry at Ladybridge Farm does not include the area of Thornborough Moor, which contains three earthwork henges classified as scheduled ancient monuments, but the campaign group warned that it would vigorously resist the application.

Tarmac Northern estates manager Bob Nicholson said Nosterfield quarry would close in three years’ time unless the company was able to extend the extraction area. This would have a knock-on effect on local jobs and building projects.

Tarmac Northern has already said that it will defer any decision on whether to try to extend excavations on to Thornborough Moor until the results of a conservation plan commissioned by English Heritage are known.

The Friends of Thornborough, a voluntary group dedicated to protecting the surviving setting of the henges, is concerned about the potential effects of quarrying in that area but is also worried that excavations at Ladybridge Farm will destroy more archaeological evidence.

Tarmac Northern said, however, that it was seeking to reassure local stakeholders and interest groups that the Ladybridge Farm application would not have an impact on the archaeology of the site.

It added that any future plans for Thornborough Moor would take full account of the archaeological and environmental value of the site and would not affect the henges.

Mr Nicholson said: “The application to extend the area of excavation to Ladybridge Farm includes detailed plans for initial soil stripping works to be monitored by a professional archaeologist to ensure any artefacts which may be discovered are investigated and recorded.

“There are also plans to restore the site fully to enhance biodiversity and nature conservation. As responsible quarry operators, this care and respect for the environment and its archaeological heritage is standard practice for Tarmac Northern.’‘

He said Tarmac was doing important work in identifying and extracting new sand and gravel sources to meet the needs of local construction industry in accordance with the Government’s supply guidelines.

If Nosterfield quarry were to close, North Yorkshire would face a supply shortfall of 500,000 tonnes a year.

Tarmac began consulting the local community and statutory authorities in November 2002.

Submission of the Ladybridge Farm application clashes with the stance taken by English Heritage, which said in April that it was opposed to any further extraction in that area until the archaeological value of the landscape surrounding the henges was better understood.

English Heritage is funding Dr Jan Harding, of Newcastle University, to conduct extensive fieldwork on the Thornborough landscape. It was Dr Harding who first highlighted the historic importance of the henges.

A spokesman for the Friends of Thornborough said the Ladybridge Farm application was a sad day for the henges complex, described by English Heritage as the most important prehistoric site between Stonehenge and the Orkneys.

Friends’ chairman Jon Lowry said: “It is appalling that a company which attempts to project itself as a supporter of archaeology is prepared to sacrifice yet more of this national treasure for the sake of its own profits.

“I can assure Tarmac it is in for a long fight and call upon all citizens to join our demand by writing to their MPs that the Government takes immediate action to protect this outstanding example of our national heritage by declaring it an area of archaeological importance.’‘

--
Police have now released CCTV pictures of a person wanted in connection with the vandalism on April Fools’ Day.

The pagan community has already offered a £1,000 reward to catch the vandals.
---
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/3793923.stm
(photo half way down the page)

A meeting was held on June 8th to talk about the launch of a Heritage Landscape grant application for the above area. This will coincide with the World Heritage bid for Cornwall and West Devons industrial heritage.
Concerns were raised by local landowners towards increased numbers of visitors to the area and the dangers of roaming open moorland.
Considering people have roamed around up there since god knows when, I dont think they have much to worry about, but...
Hopfully if this all goes ahead money will be availiable to make safe the mining remains but also to do further archeological studies of the pre historic sites.
I will keep TMA posted.

Mr H

Edited down from an article by David Prudames, published on www.24hourmuseum.org.uk on 7th June 2004:

Local campaigners have voiced their concerns following an application by building materials supplier Tarmac to extend gravel extraction operations near the Neolithic complex of henges at Thornborough in Yorkshire.

Last week Tarmac, which is already quarrying in areas around the henges, lodged a planning application with North Yorkshire County Council to begin gravel extraction at the nearby Ladybridge Farm site.

Campaign group the Friends of Thornborough has reacted by issuing a rallying call to the British public, seeking help in stopping the application’s success.

“Up to now my objective has been to publicise the danger that exists to a little known site that we believe should be recognised as being of national importance,” the organisation’s Mike Sanders told the 24 Hour Museum.

A meeting is planned for the evening of June 8, when the organisation will look at ways in which they can raise objections to the application as well as mobilising public support.

Read the full article...

From BBCi, 3 June 2004
Conservationists have vowed to fight plans to extend quarrying near one of Britain’s most important archaeological areas.

Nosterfield sand and gravel quarry near Ripon is close to the Neolithic and Bronze Age site of Thornborough Henges.

John Lowry, chairman of the Friends of Thornborough Henges, believes there can be no compromise over its future.

But quarry owners Tarmac Northern says the site faces closure if the extension does not receive the go-ahead.

Tarmac Northern employs 15 full-time people and the proposal will guarantee the quarry’s future for another four years. Continues

In light of the recent claims of author Terry Deary, a design similar to the Ilkley Moor Swastika Stone has surfaced on rocks near Brisbane, Australia.

The design is etched into the face of a small boulder and measures 1090mm in height and 970mm in width. It closely resembles the design of the ‘Camunian Rose’ motif (based on a cross of nine cups surrounded by an interweaving groove), found in Valcomonica, Northern Italy.

The Swastika, sometimes known as the Fylfot, is a widely used symbol found all over Europe and Asia. In Britain, it is thought to have been a solar symbol and a symbol of the Celtic Goddess Brigit (also known as Brig, Brid, Bride, Brigantia and the christianised St Bridgit), but was previously unknown in Australia.

It is not known how old the carving is, but was discovered by the finder two years ago.

Pics and diagram:
themodernantiquarian.com/post/28464
themodernantiquarian.com/post/28467

Source: Personal Correspondence

A major project to excavate and record the famous Wemyss caves and their ancient carvings begins today. The joint project between Fife Council and Channel 4’s Time Team is expected to last for five days and aims to preserve a wealth of information for future generations.

Although there is evidence (now lost due to cave collapse) that some of the carvings dated from as early as the bronze age, the vast majority of the carvings visible today are Pictish, probably from the 6th-9th centuries AD. They are the the largest single grouping of carvings of this date to be found anywhere in Europe. The wider archaeological significance rests on the potential of the deposits within and immediately outwith the caves to shed further light on their use over the past 4000 years.

For many years, these caves have been suffering from vandalism and erosion caused by both natural weathering and, more recently, as a result of a dramatic increase in coastal erosion. Many attempts have been made in the past to preserve them but these have only been partially successful and Fife Council decided to preserve the caves by record.

When Channel 4’s Time Team heard about the proposal, they asked if they could become involved and a partnership project was developed. Running from today until Monday, with filming taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the project consists of major excavations both inside and outside the caves conducted by the Time Team in partnership with Fife Council archaeological unit and an intensive programme of high- definition 3D laser scanning of the caves.

It is hoped the excavations will shed further light on the use and occupation of the caves, during the Pictish period when most of the carvings were produced. However, information about the caves during the bronze age, iron age and during the medieval period when they were occupied by Christian hermits should also be recovered.

Using laser scanners, the project will also produce an extremely accurate 3D measured visual record of the caves and their carvings. This information will provide a lasting record of the caves and will be used for multi-media presentations and interpretation work in Lower Methil Heritage Centre and at other Fife Council museums. It is hoped that the scanning might also discover new carvings and add increased definition to the ones already visible.

The Courier
test.thecourier.co.uk/output/2004/06/03/newsstory5982886t0.asp

Archaeologists startled to discover Neolithic ritual site – Frank Urquhart in ‘The Scotsman‘

thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=610172004

The setting for one of the most famous castles in Scotland’s North-east was first used as the site for a high-status building almost 6,000 years ago, it was revealed yesterday.

A team of archaeologists began work earlier this month at the Crathes Castle Estate, on Royal Deeside, to investigate what was thought to be the remains of a timber hall from the Dark Ages, 1,500 years ago.

But they have instead found the remains of a large Neolithic building which may have been used as a prehistoric ritual site.

The remarkable discovery was yesterday hailed as one of the most significant archeological finds made in the North east of Scotland for years.

Charlie Murray, co-director of the excavation, said: “What we discovered is highly significant and has taken everyone by surprise. This site is of huge importance and we will now have to really rethink our use of the landscape by the farmers and what they were doing in the early Neolithic period.

“Considering you are talking about 5,500 years ago, the structure we have found was massive, constructed of huge timber posts and as a big as 25 metres by up to ten metres.”

From the Wiltshire GAzette and Herald, 31 May 04
Campaigners gathered at Silbury Hill, at Avebury, on Saturday, four years after the summit collapsed, to air their concerns over its future.

Heritage Action, a group dedicated to the care of threatened and neglected prehistoric sites, believe urgent action is needed to prevent further damage.

The group wants English Heritage, which manages the site, to take heed of its rallying cry ­ fix the hill.

Avebury resident and campaigner Pete Glastonbury said: “Local people are now aware of the situation and many archaeologists are very concerned.

“The word is rapidly getting out to the wider public that nothing has been done and they’re disgusted with English Heritage’s inaction.”

Silbury Hill is the world’s largest man-made prehistoric mound.

It was built by our Neolithic ancestors 4,500 years ago and represents a work-effort that far outstrips Stonehenge or Avebury.

It is Britain’s equivalent of the Egyptian pyramids and pre-dates many of them.

On May 29, 2000 it suffered the first of a series of collapses of old excavation tunnels and a huge hole appeared at the top.

In 1974 it was fenced off in order to protect it from the erosion caused by thousands climbing it.

Earlier this month the site’s owner, Lord Avebury, told a public inquiry into the wording of the Countryside And Rights of Way Act draft legislation he was stunned the Countryside Agency wanted to label the hill as unimproved chalk grassland.

The move could lead to ramblers having free access to the hill, which opponents fear may cause damage.

From: thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/marlborough/news/MARLB_NEWS_LOCAL2.html

Excavations at Callanish X last year which wrongly claimed this site to be a newly discovered stone circle have produced a unsightly spoil heap on the site. The position of the spoil heap is as such that it obscures the view observers would have of the valley, from the circle, where the moon re-appears during regleam thus denying the purpose of the circle. It is hoped that pressure can be brought on the relevant people to remove the spoil heap from the site.

Edited from

Edited from icNorthWales.

The Great Orme Copper Mines have won official recognition as the largest Bronze Age copper mines in the world. The category is new, making the Great Orme site the first holder of the title. Mines spokesman Nick Jowett said staff were delighted. “Finally the mine has been recognised for what it is – a world-class site of major archaeological significance. The discovery of these mines turned former ideas about Britain in the Bronze Age on their head. Twenty years ago it was thought no copper mining took place in Britain during the Bronze Age.”

The award comes after 15 years of excavation, surveying and recording along five kilo-metres of tunnels. A section of the mine is open to the public as part of the Bronze Age mining experience tours. Research is currently being carried out by experts from the University of Wales and Daresbury Laboratories, in Cheshire.

They are fingerprinting the copper from the Great Orme to determine the extent of the trade network emanating from the mine. This year DNA analysis is being carried out on human bones discovered in the mine.

27 May 2004 , from ‘This is Cornwall‘

Work to restore and repair one of West Penwith’s well-known prehistoric stone circles has neared completion, in a joint project between the county council’s Environment and Heritage Service, Defra and the Nine Maidens Commoners.

The Nine Maidens Stone Circle, on the northern fringe of Madron between Ding Dong and craggy Carn Galver, has undergone extensive works including scrub clearance, drainage improvements and footpath repair. As a final enhancement, the three long-fallen stones will be re-erected after a preliminary excavation to locate their original sockets.

When first recorded in the mid 18th century, there were 19 stones surviving of an original ring of 22.

Now, there are only 11 stones and of the surviving stones, six stand upright, two are leaning heavily and three have completely fallen.

Other prehistoric monuments surviving close to the stone circle include the stump of a standing stone and several Bronze Age barrows, as well as the famous Men an Tol.

Together they indicate that this area was an important focus in prehistoric times.

The erosion of the monument and surrounding area has been caused by visitors and trail bike users.

Paths leading into the circle had become eroded and muddy while thick gorse had grown over parts of the circle.

Ann Preston-Jones, an archaeologist from the county council’s Historic Environment Service, said: “This is a really exciting project. The Nine Maidens is a fine example of one of Cornwall’s famous stone circles, but at the moment it seems neglected and sad.

“The work will greatly improve the condition and accessibility of the site. Clearing away the gorse will make the site more visible, but restoring the fallen stones will make it look even more impressive.”

Richard Glasson, Defra’s project officer for the West Penwith Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) said: “We are pleased that the commoners have undertaken this work jointly funded by English Heritage and ourselves through an ESA conservation plan to enhance an important site for the future enjoyment of the public.”

Peak Park bosses and quarry chiefs are locked in a legal battle over the rights to extract stone from a controversial quarry where eco-warriors have been camped for four years. Planners at the National Park Authority listed Endcliffe and Lees Cross Quarries at Stanton Moor (England) as dormant because there had been no significant working in them for many years. But quarry owners are making a legal challenge in the High Court against the listing.

Park bosses say they are determined to defend the challenge, even though it could leave them with a huge legal bill, in order to uphold their primary purpose of protecting the Peak District’s special qualities. Councillor John Bull, the authority’s planning committee chairman, said the course of action is essential to reduce the risk of environmental harm to an area that is of nationally-important archaeological and historical interest. “It is absolutely crucial to establish the legal status of the quarries, as this affects our ability to impose modern working conditions on the operations based on the existing planning permission which dates back to 1952,” he added. “If we do not defend the challenge, the quarries will be deemed to be ‘active’ making it more difficult to impose any conditions to limit the effects of quarrying. “Future working could then lead to significant environmental damage and disturbance to communities living nearby.

The High Court hearing is currently taking place in London. Protesters set up camp in the quarry four years ago amid fears that new workings could create a landslip and destroy nearby Bronze Age burial grounds, including the Nine Ladies stone circle.

Source: Archaeo News (22 May 2004)

Kilmartin House Museum is an independent charitable institution established in Scotland in 1994. The impetus for the museum was the rich archaeological and ecological heritage of the area, which includes nationally important monuments such as Dunadd, a great density of prehistoric rock carvings, cairns and standing stones as well as outstanding environmental habitats.

After the initial development phase, the institution has been funded through ticket sales and income generated in the shop and café. However, as with all museums, that will never be enough. If KHM are not able to persuade national and local government bodies and other agencies of our worth, and secure further funding, the Museum will have to close. They currently receive no core funding from local or national government.

If you think it’s important that Kilmartin House Museum doesn’t close, you can help. KHM needs to persaude local and national government that the Museum is worthy of support, so you can call into the museum, sign the online petition (kilmartin.org/) or write to the Chief Executive of Argyll and Bute Council: Mr James McLellan – Chief Executive Argyll and Bute Council, Kilmory, Lochgilphead Argyll PA31 8RT Scotland. So that KHM can monitor support, please also copy your letter to the Curator, Dr Sharon Webb, Kilmartin House Museum, Kilmartin, Argyll, PA31 8RQ, [email protected]. The petition will be sent to Argyll and Bute Council and copies will be sent to the Scottish Executive.

Source: Archaeo News (22 May 2004)

From the Press and Journal- Aberdeenshire shaman builds a new recumbent circle with another one planned soon;
pressandjournal.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=62692&command=displayContent&sourceNode=62244&contentPK=10013530

A series of events celebrating the rich and varied archaeology of Strathearn and beyond is set to take place from May 29 until June 6.

Perthshire Archaeology Week has been organised by a consortium of local and national organisations, and receives funding from Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and the Perthshire Tourist Board.

A series of illustrated talks, guided walks and other events will take place alongside two excavations, for which volunteers are still required.

The first dig will be at Innerpeffray Library, near Crieff, and will be carried out by Roman expert David Woolliscroft as he attempts to find the route of the Gask Ridge Roman road as it crossed the River Earn near Strageath Roman fort.

The second dig, organised by Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and SUAT Ltd of Perth, will take place at the National Trust for Scotland’s Old Schoolhouse Cottown, near St Madoes.

For further information visit www.perthshire.co.uk/archaeologyweek or pick up at leaflet at any tourist information centre or library throughout Perthshire.

Hmmm, I wonder how much more has been found and not reported?
A day’s metal detecting has unearthed an unexpected treasure – a 4,000-year-old piece of gold.

The ornamental piece of gold is only the second piece to ever be found in the UK and the first to be discovered in Dorset.

It was found by Clive Gibbs and his metal detector in a ploughed field in Fontmell Magna in November 2002.

The precious metal has a gold content of 87 per cent and although it can’t be identified with total certainty, may have come from Ireland or France.

Claire Pinder, senior archaeologist at Dorset County Council, said: “One side of the strip is decorated with thin lines, the other side is quite plain.

“It’s meant to be decorative, maybe it would have been set into something like a wooden object or wrapped around clothing.

“It could also have been part of an earring or twisted into someone’s hair, we just don’t know.

“It probably belonged to someone wealthy or of high status. It looks flimsy but is very heavy because of its high gold content.”

The only other similar piece to be found in Britain was discovered in Oxford and sent to the British Museum in 1982.

The gold is the most significant find in Dorset recently but treasure seekers have enjoyed a run of success.

John Hinchcliffe, of Tarrant Hinton, was metal detecting on farm land at Charlton Marshall last December when he discovered a medieval silver finger ring, engraved with flowers and bearing a merchant’s mark.

And Julian Adams unearthed six Roman coins on land at Melcombe Horsey last October.

All three items were officially declared “treasure” by coroner Michael Johnston at an inquest this week and are awaiting valuation.

Published: May 21
From:
thisisdorset.net/dorset/north_dorset/news/NORTH_DORSET_NEWS_NEWS0.html

A free-entry colloquium entitled, ‘The Future in the Past: new perspectives in ancient society’, is to be held by the Manchester Interpretative Archaeology Colloquiua (ManIAC) at the University of Manchester on June 15.

A programme with abstracts and other details can be found at:
www.art.man.ac.uk/ARTHIST/maniac

Papers will explore a range of themes from the construction of Neolithic tombs in Scotland and southern Britain, Bronze Age field systems on Dartmoor, Iron Age lunar cycles, medieval conceptions of time, and archaeological problems of interpretation.

Speakers are (in alphabetical order):

Prof. John Barrett (University of Sheffield)
Conditions of Possibility and The Archaeology of Trust

Marcus Brittain (University of Manchester)
Introduction: For Why the Future in the Past, Today

Diana Coles (Birkbeck, University of London)
From Feretory to Façade: a consideration of whether the developments at an early Mediæval abbey church can shed light on the motivational forces behind the building activities at Clyde Cairns

Helen Foxhall Forbes (University of Cambridge)
Perceptions of the Future in Early Medieval England: The End of Time

Dr. Stephanie Koerner (University of Manchester)
Views Beyond the Notions of Images that Underwrite Typologies of ‘Modes of Thought.’ Implications for Research on Material Culture, Memory and Forward Thinking in the ‘Pre-modern World‘

Dr. Jodie Lewis (University College Worcester)
(Ab)Using Monuments in South-West England?

Dr. Lesley McFadyen (McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge)
FutureArchitecture

Dr. David Mullin (Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service)
Bugs Bunny in Disneyland

Dr. Mike Parker Pearson & Dr. Andrew Chamberlain (University of Sheffield)
Lunar Eclipse Prediction in the La Tène Period at the Fiskerton Timber Causeway

Helen Wickstead (University College London)
Intentionality and Later Prehistoric Land Division on Dartmoor

Chairs: Dr. Tim Insoll (University of Manchester) & Prof. Julian Thomas (University of Manchester)

All are welcome at what should prove to be a very interesting event.

www.art.man.ac.uk/ARTHIST/maniac

Evidence suggests that cave dwellers may have been flint mining as early as 300,000 years ago (from Nature Science);
nature.com/nsu/040517/040517-4.html

24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh/ART21824.html

24hourmuseum reports on Heritage Action’s upcoming protest and the response from English Heritage...

IAMS SUMMER SCHOOL 2004

Dear all,

It is my pleasure to announce once again the upcoming IAMS Summer
School. Our annual two-week event will treat

“Ancient Mining Technology” and “Ancient Smelting and
Metallurgy”,

and will take place from

Monday June 21 until Friday July 2 2004
at the
Institute of Archaeology
University College London
31-34 Gordon Square
London WC1H 0PY
United Kingdom

(For a map, see www.streetmap.co.uk, using the London post code WC1H
0PY).

We would like to invite you to the annual Summer School on Extractive
Mining and Metallurgy at the Institute of Archaeology in London.
Running from Monday 21 June to Friday 2 July 2004, it offers one week
on mining technology, taught by Professors Tim Shaw and Beno
Rothenberg, and one week on extractive metallurgy, taught by Beno
Rothenberg, Vince Pigott, H-G Bachmann, John Merkel and Thilo Rehren
(in chronological order of appearance...).

The Summer School is organised and sponsored by the Institute for
Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies (IAMS), aiming at students and
professionals with an interest in ancient technology and
archaeometallurgy. The admission fee covers
handouts and biscuits and a small contribution towards the costs; it is
kept low to encourage and enable student participation. Admission for
one week is GBP 75, for both weeks GBP 120 (single day attendance GBP
30).
Unfortunately, we can not provide support for accommodation or travel
costs.

Details of the programme can be found at IAMS’ webpage
ucl.ac.uk/iams, and you can contact Xander Veldhuijzen at
the Institute of Archaeology / IAMS at [email protected] for
bookings and requests.

The courses are intended for anybody interested in early mining and
metallurgy, and require no existing specialist knowledge. However,
opportunity will be given to explore specific aspects in more detail,
within the given schedule. Both weeks can be taken independently from
each other.

by Maev Kennedy of The Guardian, Monday 17 May 2004

An attempt will be made today to have a hill reclassified as a building to protect one of the most enigmatic prehistoric structures in Europe.

Ramblers may gain a theoretical entitlement to walk up the sides of Silbury Hill in Wiltshire if the largest manmade mound in Europe is classified as “open countryside” under the countryside and rights of way bill.

The highest profile objectors to the draft maps so far are celebrities including Madonna, anxious to protect their privacy.

The guardians of the 4,700-year-old hill have been trying to persuade people to keep off Silbury since 1974, when it was closed to the public, without destroying its appearance with intrusive fencing. The monument came close to destruction three years ago when torrential winter rain seeped into shafts left by earlier excavation, which collapsed. Although English Heritage has carried out repairs, the whole structure is vulnerable. Continues here...

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And the same story here from ‘This is Bristol’ 17 May 2004
A bizarre row erupted last night over attempts to open up access to Europe’s biggest ancient monument under controversial right-to-roam laws. Locals say the Countryside Agency is “totally mad” for marking Silbury Hill as “unimproved chalk grassland” – because it was built entirely by prehistoric man. Continues here...

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> And the same story here from BBCi, 17 May 2004
A peer has compared an ancient monument to the pyramids in a row over the government’s right to roam laws. Lord Avebury says he is “stunned” the Countryside Agency’s wants to label Silbury Hill in Wiltshire as “unimproved chalk grassland”.
Whole article here