moss

Prehistoric carvings will feature in a free guided walk to uncover some of the history of Rombalds Moor.

As part of the Festival of British Archaeology on Sunday, July 22, volunteers from the CSI (Carved Stones Investigation) project will lead the walk to explore the mysterious carved rocks scattered across Rombalds Moor, above Ilkley and will explain how they are making detailed recordings of the stones.

Louise Brown, archaeologist with rural regeneration company, Pennine Prospects, said the walk would explain the project.

“This walk will give people a behind-the-scenes look at how the recording is being done,” she said.

The walk will set off from the Cow and Calf car park, Ilkley, at 10am and will take approximately two hours. Booking is required.

Details of the event can be found on the Watershed Landscape ......

watershedlandscape.co.uk/

thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/ilkleynews/9752403.Free_walk_to_explore_prehistoric_carvings/?ref=rss

Love this idea, start them young .............

The ‘Make and Break’ project has spread across Wales! Come and see a school perform at a burial chamber near you this summer!

It will be a chance for the younger generation to imagine what it was like to be a Neolithic tomb builder, re-creating a Neolithic ritual of their own at the site… Join us!

People living during the Neolithic
period around 6000 years ago, are
known to have deliberately broken,
and given away their most treasured
possessions. Join us at a burial
chamber near you to find out
more, and watch as school children
recreate a ritual — performing
their own interpretation of a
Neolithic ceremony.

Come and watch:

Dyffryn Ardudwy Primary School at
Dyffryn Ardudwy Burial Chamber, 31 May

Bro Ingli Primary School at Carreg
Coetan Arthur Burial Chamber, 15 June
Kingsland Primary School at Trefignath

Burial Chamber, 21 June
Eglwyswrw Primary School at Pentre
Ifan Burial Chamber, 26 June
All performances at 2pm
www.

tinkinswoodarchaeology.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/the-make-break-project-moves-across-wales/#comments

More news though not necessarily new, the BBC article has a good couple of photos though.

Archaeologists are to exhume and analyse human bones found under a prehistoric monument only recently identified as a burial site cap.

The Trefael Stone in Pembrokeshire was thought to be just one of many linked to nearby Bronze Age locations.

But it has now been reclassified after a survey established it as the capstone of a Stone Age ritual burial chamber.

The survey revealed the location, near Nevern, has been used for ritual burials for at least 5,500 years.

An archaeological team from the University of Bristol has been given permission to examine the human bones found there along with beads and shards of pottery.

The importance of the stone has been overlooked since it first appeared on maps in 1889.

The first suggestion it may be more significant than one of Wales’ many prehistoric standing stones was in 1972 when archaeologist Frances Lynch suggested it could be a dolmen, or burial chamber.

University of Bristol visiting fellow Dr George Nash and colleagues Thomas Wellicome and Adam Stanford held an excavation in September 2010 and returned again last year.

As well as unearthing the human remains, beads and pottery, they found a stone cist – a half-metre long coffin-like container – which they estimate was put there in the later Bronze Age.

The find indicates the site may have been reused as a burial location long after the original stone chamber was built.

Their findings suggest it may prove to be Wales’ earliest Neolithic ritual burial location and one of the earliest in Western Europe.

Dr Nash said he knew of Lynch’s 1972 comment on the stone, and that no geophysical survey or excavation had been carried out.

He said: “I’ve always had this hunch that it could be much bigger. It’s extremely exciting. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime finds.”

The stone is already noted for a number cupmarks or circular holes gouged out during its ritual use in the Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonies.

The archaeologists found a further 30 cupmarks of varying size on the 1.2m high stone.

Dr Nash said they were able to establish the site was stone burial chamber, built from giant boulders, going back to around 3,500 BC, which was then dismantled about 2,000 BC.

The capstone was then used as a procession marker standing stone pointing to nearby Bronze Age locations he said.

The beads suggest the location may be associated with burials long before even the burial chamber was built, as they may relate to a nearby Mesolithic site dating back 10,000 years, he said.

Dr Nash said the team were amazed that any artefacts were found at the site given the acidic nature of the soil, centuries of agriculture and the area’s popularity over the generations with people seeking to unearth ancient treasures.

Dr Nash said: “The soils around this site are very acidic, so I’m astonished how the pottery and the bones have survived all this time.

“It’s a big problem in Wales because of a lot of sites have in excavated by antiquarians who have just dug a hole looking for goodies, then taken what they want but have wrecked the site.

“What we have found is extremely rare.”

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has updated its records on the basis of Dr Nash’s work.

Dr Nash said the Ministry of Justice had since licensed the team to remove the bones for analysis, including radiocarbon dating, when they return to the site in September.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18172598

There is a digital photo on line....

EVEN 5000 years ago, Britons were an understated bunch. About 250 years before work began on Egypt’s ostentatious Great Pyramid of Giza, the early settlers of Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland, were building impressive stone chambers of their own – and burying them under mounds of dirt. Now, intensive laser scanning makes it possible to virtually peel away the mud, revealing one of those chambers in all its glory.

This is Maeshowe, a 3.8-metre-tall tomb chamber reached via a narrow passage 11 metres long. Maeshowe is one of several Neolithic monuments that comprise the Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was scanned by a team from the Glasgow School of Art’s Digital Design Studio and the government agency Historic Scotland. The team is scanning 10 World Heritage Sites, five of which are in Scotland, for the Scottish Ten project. “We scanned Mount Rushmore [National Memorial] in the US in 2010,” says Lyn Wilson of Historic Scotland.

All the sites are tourist attractions, which can make conserving them a challenge. The scans, accurate to within 6 millimetres, will form an invaluable record to monitor future wear and tear.
Not all damage made by visitors is unwelcome, though. A thousand years ago, Orkney was under Norwegian rule and Maeshowe was plundered. The robbers left behind the largest collection of runes known outside Scandinavia, carved into the stone. These, too, have been laser-scanned in sub-millimetre detail. That’s pretty impressive for 1000-year-old graffiti

newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/04/ancient-burial-chamber-reveale.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

A quarrying company has been refused permission to extend one of its sites in the Peak District in Derbyshire.

New Pilhough Quarry, near Stanton-in-Peak, which covers 14.5 acres (six hectares), would have been increased by more than two acres (one hectare).

Owners Blockstone Ltd offered to exchange its rights to another quarry, on an Iron Age archaeological site.

The Peak District National Park Authority said the extra stone being proposed for extraction was too high.

If the plans had gone ahead it would have enabled the company to extract a further 146,970 tonnes of sandstone by 2022, said the authority.

It added that permission to extend New Pilhough Quarry was not a fair exchange for Stanton Moor Quarry, where 67,500 tonnes of stone could potentially be extracted.

John Herbert, chair of the Peak District National Park Authority’s planning committee, said it had been a difficult decision because of what was at stake.

“On one hand we have Stanton Moor, which is one of the crown jewels of the Peak District National Park,” he said.

“We have a long-standing commitment to do everything possible to prevent quarrying from ever happening there [Stanton Moor] again and local communities strongly support that stance too.

“We felt the exchange in quarrying permissions being offered by the company was not sufficient to justify going against our planning policies.”

The land around Stanton Moor also includes Bronze Age remains, a Scheduled Ancient Monument and wildlife habitats.

Andrew Gregory, director of Blockstone Ltd, said the company was considering its options and had not yet decided whether to appeal against the Peak District’s decision, or resubmit its application.

He added that while Blockstone does not need to quarry at its Stanton Moor site at present, it may have to in the future if reserves run out at its other quarries.

The Peak District National Park Authority said quarrying permission at Stanton Moor was currently in suspension, but it could apply to reactivate it by submitting the environmental information needed with an agreement to work to modern standards.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-17725318

Putting this up as news though the stunt has now vanished.....

A 3,000-YEAR-OLD hill carving of a horse now has a JOCKEY thanks to bookies Paddy Power.

Locals woke up to find the rider had been secretly added overnight to the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire to promote next week’s Cheltenham Festival.

The 110ft tall and 200ft wide temporary installation was pinned to the ground with tent pegs five feet from the original chalk marking to avoid causing damage.

The stunt is part of Paddy Power’s We Hear You campaign.

And the firm now hopes the Uffington Rider will become a site of pilgrimage for racing fans from all over the UK in the run-up to the festival.

A spokesman said: “Funnily enough, the idea for our Uffington Rider came from a tweet from one of our customers.

“He was responding to our We Hear You campaign asking if we had any mischief planned for Cheltenham in the wake of our giant Hollywood sign a few years ago.

“We simply couldn’t resist the challenge and needed to come up with something spectacular to measure up to the giant sign. I think we’ve achieved this.”

Paddy Power has made a donation to the National Trust, which maintains the Uffington White Horse.

thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4180538/Paddy-Power-puts-a-jockey-on-the-Uffington-White-Horse-to-promote-Cheltenham-Festival.html

Note; a spokesman for the National Trust says....

“This has been done without the knowledge of the National Trust and, as far as we can tell, without any Scheduled Monument Consent.”

3,000-year-old Carpow logboat comes home to Perthshire

One of the finest archaeological finds ever made in Perthshire has taken up residence at Perth Museum and Art Gallery

The Bronze Age Carpow logboat has been transported to the town and painstakingly lifted into its new home by conservation specialists.

One of the oldest and best preserved in Scotland, the 3,000-year-old logboat will be at the heart of the museum’s new exhibitions, offering an insight into local life in the distant past.

Since its excavation from the River Tay, near Carpow, in 2006, staff at the National Museums Scotland’s conservation and analytical research department have been restoring and preserving the boat.

On its return to Perthshire, the logboat was manoeuvred into Perth Museum in sections by conservators from National Museums Scotland and a team from TG McDonald Engineering.

Over the next few weeks, the logboat will be made whole again and take centre stage in an exhibition on its Bronze Age origins, opening on March 19.

The logboat was recovered from the Tay Estuary by the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust after being discovered in 2001, buried in the intertidal sands and gravels of Carpow Bank, at the head of the Tay Estuary.

Carved from a single tree, the simple craft are the first known boats in existence.

A radiocarbon date verified that the Carpow boat was 3,000 years old, dating to 1130-970BC and excavations in 2002 and 2003 established the full length of the boat at around 9m.

While the bow of the boat had been eroded by tidal action, the buried hull and stern remained in excellent condition.

The site could only be accessed over the summer for around three to four hours each day, and was reburied in tidal mud and sand at each high tide.

The exploratory excavations did, however, identify Carpow as one of the best-preserved prehistoric logboats ever found in Britain.

It was eventually decided to recover the vessel for study and conservation after its exposed bow was found to be eroding.

Excavation was just the beginning of work to preserve the vessel as the team revealed that the oak boat had only survived because it had remained waterlogged.

Once out of the water, the vessel was at risk of disintegration and had to be cleaned, preserved and freeze-dried before it was safe to display in a museum.

Perth Museum and Art Gallery has been closed since January to prepare the galleries for the logboat and to allow for the first stage of improvement works in the entrance hall to be completed safely.

It will reopen on March 5 with the Dinosaurs Unleashed exhibition, featuring life-size dinosaurs, holographic video presentations by wildlife expert Chris Packham, real and replica fossils and interactive exhibits.

Entry is free and the exhibition runs until May 5.

Lifelong learning convener Councillor Liz Grant said: ‘’Painstaking work has enabled the Carpow logboat to be made ready for display so that we can all discover more about life locally thousands of years ago.

‘’It’s great that we have the chance to highlight the ancient history of the Perth and Kinross area as the Museum reopens after important improvements.’‘

? Editor’s link: The Carpow Logboat, on the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust website

thecourier.co.uk/News/Perthshire/article/21324/3-000-year-old-carpow-logboat-comes-home-to-perthshire.html

Interesting in that there is a barrow next to the church.....

Plans to expand the cemetery in Kingston Deverill have run into an unexpected problem – the land may already hide a prehistoric burial ground.

The graveyard at St Mary’s Church was last extended in 1926 and is now full, prompting rector Norma Payne and churchwarden Bill Knowles to apply to extend it.

While the move was granted permission, the church was told it would have to first run an archaeological dig because the land is next to a prehistoric disc barrow.

Mr Knowles said: “The whole area is full of prehistoric remains so this is a fairly standard planning condition for the village. I’m not sure we will find anything.

“I would be surprised if there is anything there at all, but it would be very interesting if any archaeological finds are made.

“Of course it would also be a problem for us as it would delay the plans somewhat.”

Historic records stored by the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre show the strip is roughly ten metres away from a Bronze Age mound, dating from around 2,500 BC.

Since such barrows were often created in groups, heritage advisors want to conduct trench surveys of the area to see if further relics are hidden there.

The Deverill valley is believed to have been inhabited since at least 3,500 BC. Kingston Deverill is the site of a 100-yard-long barrow on Cold Kitchen Hill, with another smaller barrow on its lower slopes.

A round barrow on Middle Hill in the village was found to contain a rare necklace made of a glass-like substance found in the Baltic, proof of trade between Wessex and the continent.

Archaeologist Mike Heaton, who runs a consultancy business in Warminster, is helping the church with its investigation.

“There are an enormous amount of prehistoric sites in the valley – you can make out the barrow shapes in aerial photos,” he said.

“There were centuries of occupation in the Iron Age and by the Romans, and a lot of medieval remains too. We will start by carrying out a physical survey to see if there is anything down there. Should anything show up we will dig trenches to find out what. If there is a lot of stuff it could be an investigation lasting several years.

“But it shouldn’t take up too much room, so the church would be able to start using the patch for burials.”

wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/inyourtown/warminsternews/9538112.Kingston_Deverill_cemetery_plan_delayed_for_archaeological_investigation/

Plans to conserve a Neolithic site in Guernsey have been submitted to the Admiral de Saumarez Trust and the Guernsey Museums service.

Archaeologist Dr George Nash produced the Conservation Management Plan after carrying out fieldwork at the site between 2009 and 2011.

He said the Neolithic gallery grave in Delancey Park had been a centre for the ancient community.

Dr Nash said it had been a settlement before the site became a grave.

He added that the excavation, funded by the trust, had revealed a complex history of the site dating back to the early Neolithic period, some 5,500 years ago.

Dr Nash said the beads from eastern Europe dated back to about 1,500 BC
Dr Nash said the plan he submitted was a long-term strategy looking at the strengths, weaknesses and threats to the site and how they could be acted upon.

He said: “I’ve suggested we do certain things to enhance it, to make it more of an educational facility, but more importantly make it a marker within the park that people can respect, look at and gain some knowledge from.”

Dr Nash said they found “some very nice pieces of flint, but our piece de resistance, so to speak, was the discovery of three very, very small blue glass beads, which probably date to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, which is the next period along in the prehistoric sequence.

“It tells us there were local groups probably using the sea as their main source of economics, because of where the site is located, but it also tells something very important – that they were importing stuff from far and wide.”

bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-16945795

A conservation plan has been commissioned for the State-owned lands on the Hill of Tara by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan.

The minister, in collaboration with the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Heritage Council, has commissioned the Discovery Programme to undertake the plan which, he said, “will illustrate the unique cultural and historical significance of Tara and identify appropriate policies to ensure its preservation and presentation”.

The area to be examined includes the immediate environs of the Hill which contribute to the experience and enjoyment of the monument.

While the conservation plan will also consider access and visitor amenity issues, Mr Deenihan stressed that Tara was “essentially an outdoor experience and that should not change”.

The minister emphasised that the emerging conservation plan would “place a key emphasis on consultation with stakeholders, and the local community in particular”. Ultimately, it is intended that the conservation plan for the Tara complex will act as an overarching framework for management and interpretation.

Navan area town and county councillors received a delegation from the Department of Heritage and the Heritage Council to brief them on the commissioning of the plan at their January meeting.

Ian Doyle of the Heritage Council, Brian Lacey of the Discovery Programme and Tom Condit of the Department’s National Monuments Service, provided an initial information briefing about the planned preparation of the plan.

Mr Lacey said the structure of a conservation plan is quite specific. It is recognised internationally as an ideal formula for protecting heritage and managing change in important historic places.

Since 2005, when the Cunnane Strattan Reynolds Report on the conservation of the Hill was submitted, there have been much more developments, including the completion of the M3 and the excavations associated with the motorway building, numerous publications relating to Tara, as well as remote sensing surveys, Mr Lacey told the meeting.

In the summer of 2010, the Discovery Programme and its partners at NUI Galway doubled the amount of geophysical surveys on the hilltop, revealing in the process what is almost certainly the previously unknown whereabouts of the medieval manor of Tara.

While broadly welcoming the report, councillors expressed concerns about possible restrictions on the Hill, as well as ‘Americanising’ the monument.

However, in response to Cllr Shane Cassells’ concerns that the ‘rawness’ of Tara which attracted people would be lost, Ian Doyle said there was no intention of creating the ‘Disneyfication’ of Tara, but the manage and help understand its character.

Cllr Joe Reilly said he hoped that the consultation process was not going to be similar to the recent one concerning Tara. “There is a sad history of consultation and failure to reach agreement 18 months ago,” he said.

Cllr Jim Holloway said it was an “exciting” project but that he hoped the “mystique” of Tara would be maintained. Cllr Tommy Reilly and Cllr Jenny McHugh asked that visitor facilities and car parking be looked at, with Cllr Reilly criticising the fact that the OPW centre is closed for the greater part of the year.

Mr Doyle said the purpose of the plan was to look at four points – access, value, protection and enjoyment. The Department officials requested that a representative of the council be appointed to the steering committee to oversee the project, and councillors agreed to consider this.

Archaeological works to investigate the significant degradation of the covering of the Mound of the Hostages have been completed. These excavations have resulted in the removal of a portion of the earthen mound over the passage tomb. Design options for conservation works to the passage tomb and the restoration of the mound are now being considered and will begin as soon as possible.

The Mound of the Hostages, Duma na nGiall, is one of the most prominent monuments among the concentration of prehistoric sites on the Hill of Tara. The covering of the mound is showing signs of significant degradation which, according to Minister Deenihan, “has begun to increase as a result of the very inclement weather over the last few years”.

He said that a non-invasive geophysical survey had already been completed which was followed by investigative archaeological excavations overseen by his Department and the Office of Public Works.

“The excavation results will feed into a detailed conservation and management plan for the mound,” added the minister.

The Tara-Skryne Preservation Group (TSPG) has welcomed Minister Deenihan’s announcement of a conservation plan. Carmel Diviney of the group, which was formed during the M3 motorway controversy, said it is a most welcome announcement to all concerned about the long-ranging state of disrepair on the Hill.

meathchronicle.ie/news/roundup/articles/2012/02/01/4008743-conservation-plan-to-protect-hill-of-tara-in-the-future/

Interesting article written in the Guardian by Liz Williams, though I found the original link on Heritage Daily;

Archaeologists are notoriously nervous of attributing ritual significance to anything (the old joke used to be that if you found an artefact and couldn’t identify it, it had to have ritual significance), yet they still like to do so whenever possible. I used to work on a site in the mid-1980s – a hill fort in Gloucestershire – where items of potential religious note occasionally turned up (a horse skull buried at the entrance, for example) and this was always cause for some excitement, and also some gnashing of teeth at the prospect of other people who weren’t archaeologists getting excited about it (“And now I suppose we’ll have druids turning up”).

The Brodgar complex has, however, got everyone excited. It ticks all the boxes that make archaeologists, other academics, lay historians and pagans jump up and down. Its age is significant: it’s around 800 years older than Stonehenge (although lately, having had to do some research into ancient Britain, I’ve been exercised by just how widely dates for sites vary, so perhaps some caution is called for). Pottery found at Stonehenge apparently originated in Orkney, or was modelled on pottery that did.

The site at the Ness of Brodgar – a narrow strip of land between the existing Stone Age sites of Maeshowe and the Ring of Brodgar – is massive: the size of five football pitches and circled by a 10ft wall. Only a small percentage of it has been investigated; it is being called a “temple complex”, and researchers seem to think that it is a passage complex – for instance, one in which bones are carried through and successively stripped (there is a firepit across one of the doors, and various entrances, plus alcoves like those in a passage grave, which are being regarded as evidence for this theory – but it’s a bit tenuous at present). Obviously, at this relatively early stage, it’s difficult for either professional archaeologists or their followers to formulate too many firm theories.

When it comes to the pagan community, I don’t think that its sounder members will be leaping to too many conclusions too soon; as discussed in a previous column, some of us would prefer to rely on the actual evidence rather than rushing off at a tangent. I cannot help wondering whether the relatively muted response across the pagan scene to the Brodgar findings has to do with the fact that the central artefact discovered so far –” the “Brodgar Boy” – is apparently male rather than female. I am cynical enough to wonder whether, if it had been a northern Venus, there would be much more in the way of rash speculation about ancient matriarchies. Will we see the pagan community flocking to Orkney at the solstices? I doubt it. Orkney is a long way off and rather difficult to get to, whereas Stonehenge and Avebury are with a reasonably easy drive if you happen to live in the south of the country. In the days when the site was at its peak, most traffic would have been coastal, and remained so for hundreds of years to come. (And to be fair, many modern pagans aren’t actually too keen on trampling over ancient sites, sacred or otherwise, due to awareness of their relative fragility).

With regard to the “boy” himself, and other ancient representations of the human form, we simply don’t know why people made them. Maybe they are gods, goddesses, spirits. Maybe they’re toys, or lampoons of particular individuals, or just someone doing some carving in an idle moment. It’s hardly a startling theory that, throughout history, people have made stuff for fun: I’ve always been very amused by Aztec pots made in the shape of comical animals, looking for all the world like the early precursor to Disney and somewhat at variance with the sombre bloodiness of other aspects of that culture.

As soon as the Bronze Age arrived, Brodgar was completely abandoned. There was apparently a mass slaughter of cattle, which would have fed as many as 20,000 people on the site; this is being taken by some experts as evidence of a complete and sudden cultural replacement. But whether it has ritual significance or not, the sheer size, age and numbers involved with the Orkney site make it of immense importance to the history of ancient Britain.

guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/jan/31/archaeologists-pagans-brodgar-complex

heritagedaily.com/2012/01/archaeologists-and-pagans-alike-glory-in-the-brodgar-complex/

Archaeologists excavating what they claim is Britain’s oldest house have secured more than £1m in funding.

The circular structure at Star Carr near Scarborough was found in 2008 and dates from 8,500BC.

Archaeologists from the Universities of Manchester and York say the site is deteriorating due to environmental changes.

The European Research Council has given them £1.23m to finish the work before information from the site is lost.

Time running out

Nicky Milner, an archaeologist from the University of York, said the site was deteriorating rapidly.

“The water table has fallen and the peat is shrinking and it is severely damaging the archaeology,” she said.

“The water keeps the oxygen and bacteria out and because they are now going into these deposits that is causing a lot of problems.

The area was settled by hunter gatherers about 11,000 years ago
“We haven’t got much time left to excavate and we want to do some specialist analysis before all this important information vanishes forever.”

The site was first discovered in the 1940s and has since been the subject of extensive research.

The latest excavation led to the discovery of what would have been a 3.5 metre diameter house occupied by hunter gatherers about 11,000 years ago.

The remains were dated by radio carbon and the type of tools used helped identify the house as being from 8,500BC.

Large settlement

The discovery suggested that people from this era were more attached to settlements than had been previously thought.

Items such as the paddle of a boat, arrow tips, masks made from red deer skulls, and antler head-dresses which could have been used in rituals, have all been uncovered.

Dr Milner said: “What we have here is a massive site, we have structures and we have a timber platform on the edge of what would have been a lake. This suggests that people were living here for quite a long period, for generations, in a large group.

“We have to do more excavation to understand more.”

Star Carr would have been settled at the end of the last Ice Age and the team believes it may also offer insights into how people reacted to climate change.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-16721738

THE ancient megalithic site of Beaghmore near Cookstown is to become a unique observatory with a day of free BBC Stargazing.

midulstermail.co.uk/lifestyle/entertainment/stargazing_at_ancient_beaghmore_stone_circles_1_3401321

Astronomers from Armagh Observatory and archaeologists from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) will be hosting the Stargazing Live Universe Awareness (UNAWE) activities at the fascinating Beaghmore Stone Circles regarded as the best Dark-Sky site in Northern Ireland.

The event which will also run at An Creagan is to be held on Wednesday 18th January 2012.

This is an international astronomy outreach programme funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme. You don’t need any experience or equipment to give astronomy a go!

Also involved are Cookstown and Omagh District Councils and the aim of the project is to inspire young people to develop an interest in science and technology.

Claire Foley, Senior Inspector of Built Heritage at the NIEA, said “It is great to be part of this joint approach to our shared heritage.”

Mark Bailey, Director of the Observatory, said: “Astronomy captures the imagination of children, young and old, as well as others young at heart. A view of the stars and of our Milky Way on a clear night from a Dark-Sky site such as Beaghmore can be an awe-inspiring, sometimes life-changing experience.”

In the morning, schoolchildren will undertake a series of astronomy and science-based activities at An Creagán, including those that illustrate the lives of the people that built the stone circles at Beaghmore, in those early times. There will also be activities to illustrate the scale of our Solar System, and a fascinating shadow theatre provided by EU-UNAWE presenters from the world-famous Arcetri Observatory in Florence, Italy.

Later, children, their parents and everyone else are invited to a free Stargazing LIVE event at Beaghmore. This will take place from approximately 3.30pm to 5.00pm – weather permitting.

Participants can travel from An Creagán by free bus or make their own way to the Beaghmore Stone Circles to watch the Sun going down.

Living History enactors will greet them and demonstrate Bronze Age weapons and artefacts technology, including food and agriculture, highlighting possible reasons for the need to use astronomy and the science behind the circles’ original purpose. There will also be opportunities to view the stones at sunset and observe the bright planets Venus and Jupiter, both visible as evening “stars” after sunset, and other stars.

Don’t worry if the weather’s bad, as there will be an alternative Living History programme, a slide show illustrating the night sky from this special Dark-Sky site, and the EU-UNAWE presentation “Virginia and Galileo Galilei: A Sky Full of Discoveries”.

The last part of the event, from 8.00pm to 9.30pm, comprises two public lectures, the first by Claire Foley (NIEA) entitled “Stone Circles and the Bronze Age Perception of the Skies”, and the second by Mark Bailey (Armagh Observatory) entitled “Comets and Cometary Concepts in History: Identifying the Celestial Connection”. Following these illustrated talks will be observing from the grounds of An Creagán if clear.

Those wishing to attend these events should obtain FREE tickets by contacting Mrs Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel: 028-3752-2928; e-mail: [email protected].

Excavations unearth new features from Neolithic period

New and exciting archaeological finds have been made at the Knowth tumulus over the last few months, according to archaeologists working on the site.

The passage tomb cemetery at Brú na Binne has produced some extraordinary discoveries over the decades ever since Professor George Eogan made his first tentative exploration in and around the site.

A number of previously unknown large-scale monuments in the field lying immediately to the south-east of the large mound have recently come to light.

A programme of detailed non-invasive topographical, electrical resistance and magnetometer surveys conducted by Joe Fenwick of the archaeology department of NUI Galway, in collaboration with Professor George Eogan, has revealed a complexity of sub-surface wall-footings, earth-filled ditches and post-pits. This research confirms that the archaeological footprint of Knowth extends over a far greater area than previously thought.

The nature, date and function of these ‘hidden’ monuments has yet to be fully assessed but it is likely these features represent a succession of overlapping periods of human occupation, building and rebuilding over the course of several thousand years – from the early Neolithic up to the present day.

Two features are particularly apparent in the magnetometer image, a large double-ringed oval measuring 65m across its minor axis and a sub-rectangular ditched enclosure with internal features measuring over 70m in maximum dimension.

These may represent the remains of a double-ditched enclosure of prehistoric or early medieval date, possibly a henge-like enclosure or ringfort, and a medieval or post-medieval walled enclosure, respectively.

In the absence of dating evidence and with few, if any, definitive archaeological parallels, only very tentative interpretations of these features can be provided at this early stage of investigation, the archaeologists said.

During OPW repair works to a 19th century wall, which forms a boundary along the west side of the public road, a number of significant stones that had been built into its fabric were identified. One, though undecorated, is likely to have served as kerbstone marking the base to one of Knowth’s satellite tombs.

Another is an architectural fragment, possibly part of a chapel or other prominent structure at Knowth, which once formed part a grange established in the high medieval period by the Cistercian monks of Mellifont.

Perhaps the most remarkable discovery, however, is a stone which bears a finely carved spiral in the megalithic tradition on one of its surfaces – undoubtedly a structural stone from one of the nearby small passage tombs.

meathchronicle.ie/news/roundup/articles/2011/12/02/4007977-new-ancient-monuments-come-to-light-at-knowth/

Another piece of the jigsaw being slotted into the prehistory of Stonehenge. David Keys in The Independent writes.........

Ancient site may have been place of worship 500 years before the first stone was erected

Extraordinary new discoveries are shedding new light on why Britain’s most famous ancient site, Stonehenge, was built – and when.

Current research is now suggesting that Stonehenge may already have been an important sacred site at least 500 years before the first Stone circle was erected – and that the sanctity of its location may have determined the layout of key aspects of the surrounding sacred landscape.

What’s more, the new investigation – being carried out by archaeologists from the universities’ of Birmingham, Bradford and Vienna – massively increases the evidence linking Stonehenge to pre-historic solar religious beliefs. It increases the likelihood that the site was originally and primarily associated with sun worship

The investigations have also enabled archaeologists to putatively reconstruct the detailed route of a possible religious procession or other ritual event which they suspect may have taken place annually to the north of Stonehenge.

That putative pre-historic religious ‘procession’ (or, more specifically, the evidence suggesting its route) has implications for understanding Stonehenge’s prehistoric religious function – and suggests that the significance of the site Stonehenge now occupies emerged earlier than has previously been appreciated.

The crucial new archaeological evidence was discovered during on-going survey work around Stonehenge in which archaeologists have been ‘x-raying’ the ground, using ground-penetrating radar and other geophysical investigative techniques. As the archaeological team from Birmingham and Vienna were using these high-tech systems to map the interior of a major prehistoric enclosure (the so-called ‘Cursus’) near Stonehenge, they discovered two great pits, one towards the enclosure’s eastern end, the other nearer its western end.

When they modelled the relationship between these newly-discovered Cursus pits and Stonehenge on their computer system, they realised that, viewed from the so-called ‘Heel Stone’ at Stonehenge, the pits were aligned with sunrise and sunset on the longest day of the year – the summer solstice (midsummer’s day). The chances of those two alignments being purely coincidental are extremely low.

The archaeologists then began to speculate as to what sort of ritual or ceremonial activity might have been carried out at and between the two pits. In many areas of the world, ancient religious and other ceremonies sometimes involved ceremonially processing round the perimeters of monuments. The archaeologists therefore thought it possible that the prehistoric celebrants at the Cursus might have perambulated between the two pits by processing around the perimeter of the Cursus.

Initially this was pure speculation – but then it was realized that there was, potentially a way of trying to test the idea. On midsummer’s day there are in fact three key alignments – not just sunrise and sunset, but also midday (the highest point the sun reaches in its annual cycle). For at noon the key alignment should be due south.

One way to test the ‘procession’ theory (or at least its route) was for the archaeologists to demonstrate that the midway point on that route had indeed a special relationship with Stonehenge (just as the two pits – the start and end point of the route – had). The ‘eureka moment’ came when the computer calculations revealed that the midway point (the noon point) on the route aligned directly with the centre of Stonehenge, which was precisely due south.

This realization that the sun hovering over the site of Stonehenge at its highest point in the year appears to have been of great importance to prehistoric people, is itself of potential significance. For it suggests that the site’s association with the veneration of the sun was perhaps even greater than previously realized.

But the discovery of the Cursus pits, the discovery of the solar alignments and of the putative ‘processional’ route, reveals something else as well – something that could potentially turn the accepted chronology of the Stonehenge landscape on its head.

For decades, modern archaeology has held that Stonehenge was a relative latecomer to the area – and that the other large monument in that landscape – the Cursus – pre-dated it by up to 500 years.

However, the implication of the new evidence is that, in a sense, the story may have been the other way round, i.e. that the site of Stonehenge was sacred before the Cursus was built, says Birmingham archaeologist, Dr. Henry Chapman, who has been modelling the alignments on the computerized reconstructions of the Stonehenge landscape

The argument for this is simple, yet persuasive. Because the ‘due south’ noon alignment of the ‘procession’ route’s mid-point could not occur if the Cursus itself had different dimensions, the design of that monument has to have been conceived specifically to attain that mid-point alignment with the centre of Stonehenge.

What’s more, if that is so, the Stonehenge Heel Stone location had to have been of ritual significance before the Cursus pits were dug (because their alignments are as perceived specifically from the Heel Stone).

Those two facts, when taken together, therefore imply that the site, later occupied by the stones of Stonehenge, was already sacred before construction work began on the Cursus. Unless the midday alignment is a pure coincidence (which is unlikely), it would imply that the Stonehenge site’s sacred status is at least 500 years older than previously thought – a fact which raises an intriguing possibility.

For 45 years ago, archaeologists found an 8000 BC Mesolithic (’Middle’ Stone Age) ritual site in what is now Stonehenge’s car park. The five thousand year gap between that Mesolithic sacred site and Stonehenge itself meant that most archaeologists thought that ‘sacred’ continuity between the two was inherently unlikely. But, with the new discoveries, the time gap has potentially narrowed. Indeed, it’s not known for how long the site of Stonehenge was sacred prior to the construction of the Cursus. So, very long term traditions of geographical sanctity in relation to Britain’s and the world’s best known ancient monument, may now need to be considered.

The University of Birmingham Stonehenge area survey – the largest of its type ever carried out anywhere in the world – will take a further two years to complete, says Professor Vince Gaffney, the director the project.

Virtually every square meter in a five square mile area surrounding the world most famous pre-historic monument will be examined geophysically to a depth of up to two metres, he says.

It’s anticipated that dozens, potentially hundreds of previously unknown sites will be discovered as a result of the operation.

The ongoing discoveries in Stonehenge’s sacred prehistoric landscape – being made by Birmingham’s archaeologists and colleagues from the University of Vienna’s Ludwig Boltzmann Institute – are expected to transform scholars’ understanding of the famous monument’s origins, history and meaning.

independent.co.uk/life-style/history/secret-history-of-stonehenge-revealed-6268237.html

WOULD-BE archaeologists and star-gazers are invited to meet the experts to explore ancient history and the night sky from a prehistoric stone circle on Sunday, December 4.

The Peak District National Park Authority is offering 60 free places for people to find out more about the mystical Nine Ladies stone circle, on Stanton Moor, both on the ground and in the night sky.

Three two-hour sessions will take place on Sunday December 4, at noon, 2pm, and 4pm, starting at the Village Hall in Stanton in Peak, near Bakewell.

The events will include a short talk on the history of the stone circle, what to look out for in the night sky in December, a planetarium session, and a 15-minute walk to the stone circle.

The 4pm session will include a look at the night sky through telescopes, weather permitting.

Booking is essential as each session is limited to only 20 people.

A waiting list will be used to prioritise bookings for future events.

Dogs are not allowed.

To book or for more information email [email protected] or telephone 0115 848 3518. Participants must bring along their own torch for the 4pm session.

thestar.co.uk/news/explore_mystery_of_stone_circle_1_3986781

An early Bronze Age burial cist containing cremated bones and material dating back 4,000 years has been excavated on Dartmoor.

Archaeologists uncovered items from the site on Whitehorse Hill including a woven bag or basket and amber beads.

Cists are stone-built chests which are used for the burial of ashes.

Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) said the discovery could be one of the most important archaeological finds in 100 years.

Archaeologists uncovered cremated human bone and a burnt textile woven bag or basket with stitching on it.

The receptacle contained shale disc beads, amber spherical beads and a circular textile band.

All the items were taken to the Wiltshire Conservation Service laboratory for micro-excavation, which DNPA said revealed a “wealth of information that does not normally survive”.

The peat and pollen surrounding the cist are due to be analysed and carbon-dated to provide evidence of vegetation and climate at the time of the burial, and the items will be analysed to reveal how they were made and what materials were used.

Jane Marchand, senior archaeologist at DNPA, said: “This is a most unusual and fascinating glimpse into what an early Bronze Age grave goods assemblage on Dartmoor might have looked like when it was buried, including the personal possessions of people living on the moor around 4,000 years ago.”

It is the first excavation of a Dartmoor cist for nearly 100 years, although it is known that about 200 exist on the moor.

The cist is to be rebuilt once analysis is concluded.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-15727960

Work will be starting soon on a project to safeguard the archaeology of Dumpdon Castle hill fort, near Honiton.

The National Trust, working closely with the Luppitt Commoners, which has common rights over the castle and supported by a Higher Level Stewardship grant from Natural England, is starting a three year project to remove encroaching scrub, restore the beech grove on the top, and to carry out a geophysical survey to find out more about the history of the fort, and ensure that the archaeology is protected for future generations.

​National Trust head ranger Pete Blyth said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to both improve the hill fort for today’s users but also to ensure that the historical landscape and wildlife are there for our children to enjoy. We are very grateful to Natural England for their generous support of this project and to English Heritage and The Forestry commission who have given us all the necessary permissions and advice.

“We are doing all the scrub clearance work in winter months so as to prevent it having an impact on nesting birds, and minimise disruption for visitors and the bracken control is timed to avoid interfering with the famous display of bluebells on the west slope. The hillfort will remain open for public access throughout the work though access to small areas of the ramparts maybe restricted for safety reasons while work is actually being done on the ground.”

Regular updates will be provided at blog site
nteastdevon.wordpress.com/ourwork/dumpdon

thisisexeter.co.uk/story-13844601-detail/story.html

Fascinating article about Salisbury Plain and the protection of monuments against the military presence there.... Not able to copy so you have to go to the link.....

heritagedaily.com/2011/11/salisbury-plain-a-hidden-archaeological-gem/

New evidence of archaeological features in and around the three prehistoric stone circles at Stanton Drew has been revealed.

The results of a geophysical survey carried out by Bath and Camerton Archaeological Society (BACAS) in collaboration with Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Archaeological Officer in summer 2010 have just been published.

.The 2010 survey was led by John Oswin and John Richards of BACAS and shows evidence of below-ground archaeological features, including a second entrance into the henge monument first identified by English Heritage in 1997. The second entrance is south-west facing and forms a narrow causeway, defined by two large terminal ends of the circular ditch. Further work at the South-West Circle suggests that it sits on a deliberately levelled platform.

Stone circles like Stanton Drew’s are known to date broadly to the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age (about 3000-2000 BC). In 2009 the BACAS team produced computer plots showing what appears to be the outline of an earlier Neolithic burial mound or ‘long barrow’ immediately to the north of the Cove – a group of three large stones in the beer garden of the Druid’s Arms. The completion of a resistance survey at the Cove has now reinforced its interpretation as a long barrow, which would date to nearly 1000 years before the stone circles. The length, width and orientation are consistent with this type of monument, including indications of flanking ditches.

“The geophysical survey work at Stanton Drew continues to throw new light on these nationally important monuments” said Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Archaeological Officer, Richard Sermon. “It tells us that what we see above ground today is only part of a complex that would have rivalled those at Avebury and Stonehenge.”

You can find the survey results at:

www.bathnes.gov.uk/environmentandplanning/Archaeology/Pages/default.aspx

www.bacas.org.uk/geophysics/StantonDrewLowResandCover.pdf

thisisbath.co.uk/Stanton-Drew-8211-new-Great-Circle-entrance/story-13556812-detail/story.html

Work to save 5,000 years of history on top of The Wrekin has been hailed a success by volunteers.

Restoration teams have spent the last few days working to protect the remains of a Bronze Age barrow and an Iron Age fort, 1,335ft above the Shropshire plain.

Pete Lambert, from Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said The Wrekin held a special place in the history of the area which needed to be preserved for future generations.

He said: “We have been working for three days to repair the effects of millions of feet tramping up to the summit.

“We have been repairing a Bronze Age barrow exposed by erosion which could have been built as a burial chamber 5,000 years ago.

“We are covering it with matting and then sowing it with grass seed to protect it from further damage.

“It was starting to become very exposed so we needed to seal in that bit of archaeology.”

The Wrekin was once home to the Celtic Cornovii tribe which built the fort and called it their capital. It sprawled the summit of the hill and covered about 20 acres.

Mr Lambert added: “Hell Gate, the earthwork entrance created by the Cornovii, has also suffered extensive erosion and is being restored.

“The Wrekin is also regaining a little height this week. The triangulation point had dropped about one-and-a-half feet over the last few years as its stone base had worn away. We have had more than 10 volunteers working very hard to build it up again, a fantastic landmark seen from hilltops around and beyond the county,” he said.

Read more: shropshirestar.com/news/2011/10/05/volunteers-help-preserve-the-wrekins-history/#ixzz1Zz7ZfVgE

A rock bearing what is believed to be a rare piece of art dating back to the Bronze Age has been discovered on an outcrop alongside a medieval pilgrim route in west Kerry. The discovery two weeks ago of “a perfect spiral” on a rock off the main Cosán na Naomh on the Dingle peninsula, is being assessed by county archaeologist Michael Connolly.

Measuring 19.5cm, it was found by local man Colm Bambury between Cill Mhicéadair and Baile an Lochaigh near the foot of Mount Brandon. The area is dotted with standing stones, Ogham and beehive huts and other monuments from early Christianity.

The drawing is believed to be thousands of years old and follow-up investigations by Mr Connolly found indications of Bronze Age enclosures in the immediate vicinity.

irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0927/1224304800865.html

The most intensive investigation ever undertaken of Britain’s largest iron age hill fort is expected to reveal new details of how Britons lived 2,000 years ago – and maybe even that they were almost as suburban as we are.

Stretching across 80 hilltop hectares, behind three miles of ramparts, the fort, at Ham Hill in Somerset, and the outline of its history have been known for many years.

The Durotriges tribe, which lived on the hill, was subdued in AD45 by soldiers of the 2nd Legion under the command of the future emperor Vespasian, but what the Romans found there: a street system lined with houses on their own plots of land, is what archaeologists from Cambridge and Cardiff universities hope to uncover more fully in excavations over the next three summers.

“There was a main road going through and regular enclosures with round houses in them – it looks rather like suburbia,” said Christopher Evans, director of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit. “We are not going to find Conan Doyle’s Lost World up on the plateau.”

As the ramparts were much too extensive for the occupants of the hill to defend on their own, attention is turning to whether the people who lived there were actually developing a community or collective identity for themselves. Although there have been bronze age finds from an earlier era, it is still not known when the hill was occupied and the ramparts built.

Niall Sharples from Cardiff university’s school of history, archaeology and religion said: “It is a bit of an enigma. Ham Hill is so big that no archaeologist has ever really been able to get a handle on it. As a result there has never been a thorough campaign of excavations and nobody knows how the settlement was organised inside.

“People think of these places as defensive structures, but it is inconceivable that such a place could have been defended. Thousands of people would have been required: militarily it would have been a nightmare. Clearly it was a special place for people in the iron age: but when did it become special, why and how long did it stay that way?”

The initial dig this summer has uncovered human remains, including one full skeleton and the bones of a dog, as well as artefacts from domestic life including tools and pottery. The inhabitants had paddocks for animals and grain storage pits.

The excavation, which is focusing on a one hectare area, will take place under the eyes of walkers and visitors to a country park which now covers the hill, just west of Yeovil.

There is an open day with tours this Saturday between 11 am and 4pm, and information boards at the site and eventually iPod talks will allow people to follow the progress of the dig.

The excavation is being funded by a local quarrying company which wants to open up part of the hill so that it can continue to provide the distinctive local hamstone which has been used for building in the area since Roman times.

guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/01/iron-age-hill-fort-excavation

Note; The excavation is because of renewed quarrying.......

Not sure where this site is, except that it is near Lanyon.....

A glimpse into Cornish life 3,500 years ago is on offer next weekend as an archaeological investigation is carried out at one of the county’s most important heritage sites.

The work at the Bronze Age site near Lanyon, north of Penzance, will be undertaken by Cornwall Archaeological Society and Historic Environment Projects, for Cornwall Council.

The site is a roundhouse settlement and field system, which is approximately 3500 years old, with at least 12 roundhouses.

Previous excavation of two of the roundhouses in the 1980s led to the recovery of Middle Bronze Age and Iron Age artefacts and this has recently been confirmed by radiocarbon dating Since the 1980s the site has been covered by dense vegetation, most notably bracken, and the project will provide an important chance to examine the effects of bracken roots on
archaeological sites.

An open day will be held on Saturday 10 September for members of the public to visit the excavations.

The work is being organised through Historic Environment’s Scheduled Monument Management project, and funded jointly by English Heritage, Cornwall Archaeological Society, Cornwall Heritage Trust

falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/9228597.Ancient_site_set_for_excavation/

Interesting find in the controversy as to whether the bluestones were glacially transported or came by human endeavour to Stonehenge.....

The remains of the original builders of Stonehenge could have been unearthed by an excavation at a site in Wales.

The Carn Menyn site in the Preseli Hills is where the initial bluestones used to construct the first stone phase of the henge were quarried in 2300BC.

Organic material from a tomb there will be radiocarbon dated.

Archaeologists believe this could prove a more conclusive link between the site and Stonehenge.

The remains of a ceremonial monument were found with a bank and ditch that appear to have a pair of standing stones embedded.

The bluestones at the earliest phase of Stonehenge – also set in pairs – give a direct architectural link from the iconic site to this newly discovered henge-like monument in Wales.

The tomb, which is a passage cairn – a style typical of Neolithic burial monument – was placed over this henge.

The link between the Welsh site and Stonehenge was first suggested by the geologist Herbert Thomas in 1923.

This was confirmed in 2008 when permission was granted to excavate inside the stone circle for the first time in about 50 years.

The bluestones had been transported from the hills over 150 miles to the plain in Wiltshire to create Stonehenge, the best known of all Britain’s prehistoric monuments.

Two of the leading experts on Stonehenge, Prof Geoff Wainwright and Prof Timothy Darvill, have been leading the project.

They are now excavating at the site of a robbed out Neolithic tomb, built right next to the original quarry.

They knew that the tomb had been disturbed previously, so rather than excavate inside, they placed their small trench along its outer edge.

Prof Darvill said: “It’s a little piece of keyhole surgery into an important monument, but it has actually lived up to our expectations perfectly.”

There are many springs in the area, which may be have been associated with ritual healing in prehistoric times, and also the reason why these particular stones were quarried for another monument so far away.

Prof Wainwright said: “The important thing is that we have a ceremonial monument here that is earlier than the passage grave.

“We have obviously got a very important person who may have been responsible for the impetus for these stones to be transported.

“It can be compared directly with the first Stonehenge, so for the first time we have a direct link between Carn Menyn – where the bluestones came from – and Stonehenge, in the form of this ceremonial monument.”

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14733535

CONSERVATION charity BTCV will be running volunteering days on the last Friday of each month, including one in North Cornwall this week.

The work to be done will include clearance around hut circles, redefining old field systems, controlling bracken and gorse and making the sites more accessible.

All the work is done by hand, with an archaeologist on site to explain about each of the sites and to record the work done.

This Friday BTCV will be running its second volunteer task day on Bodmin Moor, at Carburrow Tor near Warleggan (grid reference SX 1524 7051). It consists of prehistoric hut circles and terraced fields and a medieval settlement, as well as a Bronze Age barrow. The work involves managing bracken and gorse to ensure archaeological features are not being damaged and are visible to visitors.

The overall aim is to form a group of volunteers to continue vegetation management on sites throughout the moor, supported by BTCV, Cornwall Council and English Heritage.

Ann Preston-Jones, of English Heritage, said: “The remains at Carburrow Tor are absolutely fantastic, with remarkably well-preserved prehistoric hut circles and terraced fields, a medieval settlement with its trackways and fields and, on top of the tor, the Bronze Age barrow after which the tor is named.

“A large area of the hillside is protected by law as a Scheduled Monument. Sadly, much of the site is hidden by gorse and bracken: but now, thanks to the work of BTCV, the stone walls of the hut circles and other remains are revealed for the first time in many years. I’m really looking forward to seeing the results.”

Tom David of BTCV said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to become actively involved in managing very important historical sites.

“BTCV offer volunteers the opportunity to get involved with these sorts of projects in a safe and enjoyable environment. Volunteers will be able to visits sites they might not have been to before and be able to see the difference they have made at the end of the day.

“The task at Carburrow is going to consist of clearing vegetation from around old hut circles so that they are more clearly visible.”

If you are interested in this project and would like to become involved in this or other conservation projects that BTCV run contact them on 01209 610100 or [email protected].

thisiscornwall.co.uk/story-13192081-detail/story.html

It is believed the burial chamber was built about 5,000 years ago

The burial chamber, known as a cist, is on Whitehorse Hill, near Chagford.

It was discovered 10 years ago when one its stones fell out of the peat which had been concealing it.

Dartmoor National Parks Authority (DNPA) said it was over 100 years since a burial chamber on Dartmoor had been excavated.

It said the chamber was unusual because it was not near any other known archaeological sites.

Archaeologists hope to analyse buried pollen, insects and charcoal in the peat to establish details of the surrounding landscape when the chamber was created.

They are also looking for artefacts deposited as part of the burial ritual, including pottery, beads and stone tools.

It is believed the burial took place about 5,000 years ago.

DNPA said the prehistoric cists found on Dartmoor were chest-like structures, usually sunk into the ground, with two long granite side slabs and two end slabs set between the sides and covered with a large slab.

There are nearly 200 surviving cists on the moor.

The results of the excavation at Whitehorse Hill will be published later in the year.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-14468394

An archaeologist believes a wall carving in a south Wales cave could be Britain’s oldest example of rock art.

The faint scratchings of a speared reindeer are believed to have been carved by a hunter-gatherer in the Ice Age more than 14,000 years ago.

The archaeologist who found the carving on the Gower peninsula, Dr George Nash, called it “very, very exciting.”

Experts are working to verify the discovery, although its exact location is being kept secret for now.

Dr Nash, a part-time academic for Bristol University, made the discovery while at the caves in September 2010.

He told BBC Wales: “It was a strange moment of being in the right place at the right time with the right kit.

“For 20-odd years I have been taking students to this cave and talking about what was going on there.

“They went back to their cars and the bus and I decided to have a little snoop around in the cave as I’ve never had the chance to do it before.

“Within a couple of minutes I was scrubbing at the back of a very strange and awkward recess and there a very faint image bounced in front of me – I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

He said that although the characteristics of the reindeer drawing match many found in northern Europe around 4,000-5,000 years later, the discovery of flint tools in the cave in the 1950s could hold the key to the carving’s true date.

“In the 1950s, Cambridge University undertook an excavation there and found 300-400 pieces of flint and dated it to between 12,000-14,000 BC.

“This drawing was done with the right hand and the niche is very, very tight and the engraving has been done by somebody using a piece of flint who has drawn a classic reindeer design.

“My colleagues in England have been doing some work in Nottinghamshire at Creswell Crags and got very nice dates for a red deer and one or two other images of around 12,000-14,000 BC.

“I think this [newly found carving] may be roughly the same period or may be even earlier.”

Glacial geology

The limestone cliffs along the Gower coast are known for their archaeological importance.

The Red Lady of Paviland, actually the remains of a young male, is the earliest formal human burial to have been found in western Europe. It is thought to be roughly around 29,000 years old.

It was discovered at Goat’s Hole Cave at Paviland on Gower in 1823 by William Buckland, then a geology professor at Oxford University.

Dr Nash added: “We know from the glacial geology of the area this was an open area just before the ice limit came down from the glaciers 15,000-20,000 years ago and it stops just about 2km short of the cave site.

“We know hunter fisher gatherers were roaming around this landscape, albeit seasonally, and they were burying their dead 30,000 years ago and making their mark through artistic endeavour between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago.”

The find is now being officially dated and verified by experts at the National Museum of Wales and Cadw.

Its location will be revealed to the public in the future.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-14272126

Jersey is probably best known for its sun-kissed beaches, new potatoes, the doe-eyed, fawn-coated cattle which produce those creamy dairy products, and the hit 1980s TV series Bergerac.

Most of Jersey’s holiday attractions are therefore firmly out-of-doors, and it claims in its advertising to be the UK’s warmest spot. But I discovered a much darker, hidden side to the famous holiday island just 14 miles off the Normandy coast on a recent visit.

Underground Jersey offers a far more enigmatic glimpse into the island’s turbulent ancient and not-so-ancient history, but one which repays exploration.

And the one site which encapsulates Jersey’s amazing continuity of history extending over an astonishing 6,000 years is the enigmatic Neolithic passage grave of La Hougue Bie, near Grouville in the south east of the island.

Jersey certainly didn’t rank among the nation’s hotspots on the day I visited La Hougue Bie (pronounced La Hoog Bee).

Stinging showers of icy rain were lashing down as I crept, bent double, into the claustrophobic space of the four feet high and three feet wide stone-lined passageway. The cramped corridor led 30 feet into the echoing darkness of the huge, grass-covered mound.

As my eyes became accustomed to the dark, I could make out the smoothly carved granite of the columns which lined the tunnel and, looking back, light streamed in, illuminating the pebbled floor.

It was only in 1996 that reconstruction archaeologists saw for the first time in five millennia that at the spring equinox, the sun’s rays extended the length of the passage and onto the back wall of the inner sanctum in the heart of the mound.

Reaching the 6½-foot-high oval central chamber, I could at last stand upright and look around what had been the holy of holies – the centre of the unknowable ritual activities which took place here.

It was a moving, slightly spooky, experience and I’m sure that the chill which ran down my spine was not caused solely by the weather.

Outside again, I climbed the winding, spiral pathway to the top of the mound, where the simple apsed chapel of Notre Dame de Clarte was built in the 12th century – probably in an attempt to reclaim the ancient pagan site for Christianity.

A small sepulchre was built into the mound by the mystic Dean Richard Mabon in the 16th century, designed to replicate the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and he apparently regularly performed ‘miracles’ there.

Then in 1792, Phillipe d’Auvergne built a mock medieval castle known as The Prince’s Tower over the chapel, and it became a major tourist attraction and pleasure ground for visitors in the 19th century, complete with hotel, summer house and screaming peacocks. But the Tower fell into disrepair and was finally demolished in 1924.

However, the long story of La Hougue Bie doesn’t end there. Following the German occupation of the island in 1940, soldiers of the 319 Infantry Division built their eastern command bunker into the western side of the mound. Over the next two years around 70 trenches were dug in Phillipe d’Auvergne’s pleasure grounds, no doubt causing even more archaeological damage........

tinyurl.com/5vskyaa

An ancient Leicestershire hillfort will reveal some of its historic secrets over the next month, as archaeologists from the University of Leicester welcome the public to visit the second season of major excavation of the site.

Situated on the Jurassic scarp with commanding views of the surrounding countryside, Burrough Hill near Melton Mowbray is one of the most striking and frequently visited prehistoric monuments in central Britain.

Despite the site’s importance, relatively little is known about its ancient past. Last year a team from the University of Leicester began a five-year survey and excavation of the site, with support from landowners the Ernest Cook Trust (a national educational charity), English Heritage and Leicestershire County Council.

Trenches dug within the fort last summer revealed part of its stone defences, along with a cobbled road, a massive timber gateway and a ‘guard’ chamber built into the entrance rampart. This room remarkably still had surviving Iron Age floors, complete with its hearths an incredibly rare find (www.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology).

The most surprising discovery so far is evidence of a further large Iron Age settlement just outside the hillfort that was discovered by geophysical survey, suggesting that the hillfort community may have been even larger than thought.

This year the team is revisiting the massive eastern entrance to expose the remainder of the chamber and reveal clues as to what it was used for. Another area will target several roundhouses in the settlement outside in order to find out when and why so many people lived here.

The excavations will take place between 13th June and 15th July and will aim to add to results from a successful first season of excavation in 2010.

A public open day on Sunday June 26th (11am to 4pm) will include guided tours of the excavations and a display of archaeological finds, as well as a chance to meet an ‘Iron Age warrior’ and learn about life in a roundhouse. Many of these activities are funded by the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure Project which has made another wonderful Leicestershire Iron Age find, the Hallaton Treasure, available to the public. A guided walk around the hill fort will also be held at the end of the dig on Monday 18th July as part of the national Festival of Archaeology.

The University of Leicester is also organising a summer school for local pupils. Funding from Aimhigher in the East Midlands will enable 16 year 11 pupils from backgrounds under-represented in higher education to benefit from a residential experience, including working on the dig at Burrough Hill and skills development work with the Department of Archaeology.

Funding from the Ernest Cook Trust (www.ernestcooktrust.org.uk) has enabled the University to employ an outreach worker and create resource packs for schools, making the most of the site’s education potential.

Byron Rhodes, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Country Parks said:

“Burrough Hill Country Park is one of the most striking and historic features in the landscape of eastern Leicestershire. The well-preserved Iron Age hill fort dramatically crowns a steep-sided promontory of land with superb views. A prominent landmark and ready-made arena, the hill has long been a place for public recreation.

“I am delighted that the County Council is working in partnership with the University to delve deep into the parks history and I’m looking forward to seeing what further discoveries are made. The open day will provide the opportunity to showcase some of the amazing finds for the very first time and I would urge people to come along.”

Dr Patrick Clay, Co-director of University of Leicester Archaeological Services added:

‘This is a great opportunity to examine the development of this remarkable monument. Our understanding of Iron Age sites has increased enormously in the last 20 years but this has mainly been through examining lowland farmsteads and a few larger settlements. This work will help our understanding of the role of ‘hillforts’ and their relationship with the smaller surrounding settlements’.

24dash.com/news/education/2011-06-21-Ancient-Leicestershire-hillfort-to-reveal-ancient-secrets

University of Leicester webpage on excavations taking place at Burrough Hill.

www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/research/projects/burrough-hill-iron-age-hillfort

Maev Kennedy in the Guardian.............

A new scientific dating technique has revealed there was a building spree more than 5,500 years ago, when many of the most spectacular monuments in the English landscape, such as Maiden Castle in Dorset and Windmill Hill in Wiltshire, were built, used and abandoned in a single lifetime.

The fashion for the monuments, hilltops enclosed by rings of ditches, known to archaeologists as causewayed enclosures, instead of being the ritual work of generations as had been believed, began on the continent centuries earlier but spread from Kent to Cornwall within 50 years in about 3700 BC.

Alex Bayliss, an archaeologist and dating expert at English Heritage, said: “The dates were not what we expected when we began this project but prehistorians are just going to have to get their heads around it, a lot of what we have been taught in the past is complete bollocks.”

Bayliss worked on the new dating system with Professor Alasdair Whittle of Cardiff University and other experts, combining hundreds of thousands of scraps of dating evidence, obtained from the last century of excavations, on Cardiff’s computers. They matched notoriously imprecise carbon-14 dates from organic remains – which can have a margin of error of centuries – with all the other evidence from archaeological finds, narrowing the dates for sites from centuries to decades.

“The old techniques gave us such imprecise results that it’s like taking the Napoleonic wars, the first world war, the second world war and the computer revolution and insisting that they’re all contemporary.

“Now we can narrow that down dramatically. You take a granny with a good long life living near Windmill Hill in Avebury, she could have seen her family start the enclosure as a child, see it fall out of fashion and them turn to building barrows, and then return to do more work on the enclosure, all in her lifetime.”

Although some sites were used for generations, the evidence suggests others were built with enormous effort, and then used only once or on a handful of occasions.

“Their construction may have been sparked by a critical mass of population, power and goods to trade around 3700 BC. It’s the Swinging Sixties, everything changes – new wealth, new goods.”

Bayliss added: “We began by looking at the evidence from the causeway enclosures but then to get the story into which they fit, we ran every other carbon date taken for the period. What we found is that the spread of agriculture was far more rapid than we had believed.

“It took two centuries for agriculture to reach Cheltenham from London – and then just 50 years to get from Cheltenham to Aberdeen.”

guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jun/06/archaeology-dating-property-boom-3700bc

Satellites using infra-red imaging are disclosing hidden archaeological treasures such as entire ancient Egyptian cities

Archaeologist Sarah Parcak says she has discovered thousands of ancient sites in Egypt, from pyramids to a detailed street plan of the city of Tanis, an A-to-Z of the region’s northern capital – all thanks to images from satellites orbiting 400 miles above the Earth. The infra-red pictures are capable of tracing structures buried deep in the sand. “It just shows us,” she adds, “how easy it is to underestimate both the size and scale of past human settlements.”

Parcak had studied at Cambridge and taught in Swansea before returning to the US, where she is now at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her special interest is analysing satellite images for unseen archaeological remains, and she’s on to a winner. In theory there’s not much you can see from a satellite that you can’t from an aeroplane – and with today’s technologies, there is a very great deal you can find from both. But in practice, the satellites, with publicly available image libraries, score in reduced cost and in reaching inaccessible areas, such as Egyptian deserts, Easter Island . . . and Wales.

Wales? In 2009 a stone-walled ancient fish trap was spotted on Google Earth in the Teifi estuary. The ancient landscape of Britain is laid out before us as never before. One of the first archaeological satellite studies showed prehistoric earthworks near Stonehenge; these had already been mapped, but we make real discoveries as we tour the globe.

In the near east and in Siberia, 3D images are helping to understand remote landscapes and archaeological sites. The roads on which the statues were moved across Easter Island have now been mapped. And in Peru vast ancient “geoglyphs” have been seen, land art in the form of animal shapes created when people moved earth and stones about. The last is a warning. Last year Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, a physicist in Turin, claimed to see birds and snakes outlined in the sinuous walls and field boundaries of ancient landscapes around Late Titicaca. These designs would never have been visible from the ground, and even from above require much faith as you pick along one wall and ignore many others to end up with a very wobbly looking fauna (mysteriously including a hedgehog).

Satellites are powerful tools. At the end of the day, though, you still need to get down on your knees before you can be really sure what you are seeing.

Mike Pitts is editor of British Archaeology.

guardian.co.uk/science/2011/may/25/satellites-uncover-ancient-past

Lovely article in the Guardian today by Hugh Thomson about ‘The Great Stones Way’ walk

A new walking path links Britain’s two greatest prehistoric sites, Avebury and Stonehenge, and is as epic as the Inca Trail.

The Great Stones Way is one of those ideas so obvious it seems amazing that no one has thought of it before: a 38-mile walking trail to link England’s two greatest prehistoric sites, Avebury and Stonehenge, crossing a landscape covered with Neolithic monuments.

But like any project involving the English countryside, it’s not as straightforward as it might seem. The steering group has had to secure permission from landowners and the MoD, who use much of Salisbury Plain for training. They hope to have the whole trail open within a year, but for now are trialling a 14-mile southern stretch, having secured agreement from the MoD and parish councils. The “Plain & Avon” section leads from the iron age hill fort of Casterley Camp on Salisbury Plain down the Avon valley to Stonehenge. Walkers are being encouraged to test the route, and detailed directions can be found on the Friends of the Ridgeway website.

It’s an area all but the boldest have avoided: negotiating the MoD areas needed careful planning. Few walkers come here and not a single garage or shop along the Avon valley sells local maps. The Great Stones Way should change that.

What makes the prospect of the Great Stones Way so exciting is the sense that for more than a millennium, between around 3000 and 2000BC, the area it crosses was the scene of frenzied Neolithic building activity, with henges, burial barrows and processional avenues criss-crossing the route.

At Casterley Camp, high on Salisbury Plain, it takes me a while to realise what is strange about the landscape, as wild and empty as anywhere in southern England, and with a large burial mound directly ahead. Then it hits me: this is perfect high grazing country, but there’s not a single sheep. Maybe they have read the MoD notice which points out that “’projectile’ means any shot or shell or other missile or any portion thereof”, and that over much of what you can see you’re liable to be hit by one. You can also be arrested without a warrant. But the trail cleverly and legally threads its way past the firing ranges towards a delightful and ancient droving road that plunges down between cow parsley to an old farm.
Read the full article here ..

guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/may/14/stonehenge-avebury-great-stones-way-walking-trail

ridgewayfriends.org.uk/

Why are there ten times as many ancient entrance graves on the Isles of Scilly as there are in the whole of the Cornish mainland and what treasures are still to be found in the waters around the archipelago?

These and a host of other puzzles will be under discussion as part of a six-year research programme looking into every aspect of Scillonian history.

Led by Charlie Johns, the senior archaeologist for historic environment projects at Cornwall Council, the aim is to create an academic assessment of the islands and create a strategy to ensure historic sites and artefacts are properly protected.

Mr Johns, who has been studying the history of the Isles of Scilly for more than 20 years, is holding a public information day at the Isles of Scilly Museum in Hugh Town today, when local people are invited to find out more about the project.

“This is a very important development because it will identify gaps in our knowledge about the Islands’ historic environment and guide the direction of future research,” he said. “We hope to involve interested local people in this process so that there is a sense of community ownership of the research framework.”

Work has already begun on the preparation of a Research Framework for the Historic Environment of the Isles of Scilly (SHERF), which was commissioned by English Heritage.

Mr Johns explained that although there is a research framework for the wider South West region, Cornwall Council and the Council of the Isles of Scilly felt that because the islands were a separate entity they needed special treatment.

“There are three stages of the project, the first being to gather what is already known and to identify the gaps. This is where the knowledge and assistance of local people will be invaluable. We are also receiving voluntary contributions from around 30 academics from all over the country.”

All aspects of Scilly’s past will be studied, from its buildings to marine archaeology, the Civil War to family history, seafaring and farming.

He added that the programme is considered important because although much of the islands’ history is documented, a great deal is not. Victorian amateurs taking holidays there simply dug up graves and extracted their contents with little regard for proper identification or preservation.Consequently many important finds are scattered or lost. Isles of Scilly Museum, the Royal Cornwall Museum at Truro and Penlee House in Penzance have good collections, but the location of many more items is not known.

It is hoped to complete a draft plan in time for a seminar in Exeter during the autumn, which will lead to the creation of a research strategy likely to last for five years.

thisisdevon.co.uk/comment/Solving-myriad-mysteries-archipelago-s-sunken-landscape/article-3541757-detail/article.html