Dorset Cursus (North to Martins Down) View all content for Dorset Cursus (North to Martins Down)

some notes from Martin Green's "A Landscape revealed" a book about this area; He says that there were two separate cursuses, both 90 metres wide and 5 kilometres long, and built end to end. -Gussage cursus descends from Thickthorn Down, crosses Gussage Valley and climbs up the next ridge - Gussage Down. It then incorporates a longbarrow at approximately its half point,then descends into the Allen Valley, before climbing up to the top of next ridge (rollercoasting) then terminates. The longbarrow on Gussage down is important in that the mid winter solstice can be viewed; the moon cresting the barrow. Also,(continuous thread?) evidence of earlier mesolithic activity can be found at either end of cursus. This area is particularly "sacred landscape", it also has two vertical shafts with offerings in, similar to the ones found on the Mendips, the so called swallet holes, and the Cursus also incorporates an ancient river cliff (swallowcliff) with a small seasonal lake at its foot....

Posted by moss 1st April 2005ce

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