Showing 1-20 of 314 news posts. Most recent first | Next 20 
Yorkshire's 'Stonehenge of the North' gifted to the nation
Three huge Neolithic monuments in Yorkshire which have been described as "the Stonehenge of the North" have been gifted to the nation.
The Thornborough Henges complex, near Ripon, date back to around 3500BC to 2500BC and consist of three 656ft (200m) wide circular earthworks.
Two construction firms have donated the henges site to Historic England.
They will now be managed by English Heritage and will be opened free of charge to the public.
Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson said the henges were probably the most important single ancient site between Stonehenge and the Orkney Islands in Scotland......
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64499428
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‘Weird, wonderful’: rare dig at Arthur’s Stone writes new story of neolithic site
High above one of western Britain’s loveliest valleys, the silence is broken by the sound of gentle digging, scraping and brushing, along with bursts of excited chatter as another ancient feature is revealed or a curious visitor stops by to find out what is going on.
This summer archaeologists have been granted rare permission to excavate part of the Arthur’s Stone site, a neolithic burial plot with soaring views across the Golden Valley in Herefordshire and the Black Mountains of south-east Wales.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jul/22/weird-wonderful-rare-dig-at-arthurs-stone-writes-new-story-of-neolithic-site
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Fyfield Down in Wiltshire delisted as a nature reserve
One of Wiltshire’s most important wild landscapes has been delisted as a nature reserve. Fyfield Down, just east of the famous stone circle at Avebury, was leased to the Nature Conservancy (a predecessor of Natural England) in 1955 and declared an NNR in 1956. It has been described as the “best assemblage of sarsen stones in England”. The site lies within the Avebury World Heritage Site and the North Wessex Downs AONB.
https://tinyurl.com/mr2smb2
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Extremely rare prehistoric animal carvings found for first time in Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said the carvings - thought to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old - were discovered inside Dunchraigaig Cairn in Kilmartin Glen, Argyll.
They are thought to date to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, and include images of deer.
Hamish Fenton, who has an archaeology background, found them by chance.
Kilmartin Glen is viewed as one of the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland.
Valuable as sources of meat, hides, and with bones and antlers used for a variety of tools, HES said deer would have been very important to local communities at the time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57304921
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Peterborough: Bronze Age boats conservation gets funding
Eight "internationally significant" Bronze Age wooden boats found in a quarry have been awarded funding for ongoing conservation work.
The vessels were discovered by archaeologists as they excavated land at Must Farm near Peterborough in 2011.
Historic England has awarded £73,261 to preserve the log boats as part of a three-year project.
Tony Calladine, from the heritage organisation, said the boats were "incredibly rare".
https://tinyurl.com/4xnd65fd
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Stonehenge: Did the stone circle originally stand in Wales?
One of Britain's biggest and oldest stone circles has been found in Wales - and could be the original building blocks of Stonehenge.
Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the Waun Mawn site in Pembrokeshire's Preseli Hills.
They believe the stones could have been dismantled and rebuilt 150 miles (240 km) away on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.
The discovery was made during filming for BBC Two's Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed.
The Welsh circle, believed to be the third biggest in Britain, has a diameter of 360ft (110m), the same as the ditch that encloses Stonehenge, and both are aligned on the midsummer solstice sunrise.
And one of the bluestones at Stonehenge has an unusual cross-section which matches one of the holes left at Waun Mawn, suggesting the monolith began its life as part of the stone circle in the Preseli Hills before being moved.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56029203
And was Kammer the first to recognise this?
https://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/3992/waun_mawn_row_circle.html
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Druids face defeat as bulldozers get set for Stonehenge bypass
It has been bitterly debated for the past three decades, but the latest plans to partly bury the A303 in a tunnel beside Stonehenge may this week finally get approval from transport secretary Grant Shapps.
The £2.4bn scheme – which will see the traffic-choked road to the west country widened into a dual carriageway near the ancient site before shooting down a two-mile tunnel – has pitted archaeologists, local campaigners and even the nation’s druids against the combined might of Highways England, English Heritage and the National Trust.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/07/druids-face-defeat-as-bulldozers-get-set-for-stonehenge-bypass
Spot the howler in the headline!
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Star Carr: North Yorkshire's archaeological 'Tardis' 10 years on
The archaeologist who helped lead the dig that found Britain's oldest house said the site was still giving up its secrets 10 years on.
Star Carr hit the headlines in 2010 when a circular Stone Age structure found was dated to about 8,500 BC.
Archaeologist Nicky Milner said working on the site was akin to time-travel.
"It's as close as you can get to being in a Tardis. It was an absolute dream, it took up 15 years of my life," Dr Milner said.
Ray Mears, bushcraft expert and TV presenter, was one of those who helped unlock the purpose of wood found at the site.
Star Carr is a Mesolithic, or Middle Stone Age, site near Scarborough in North Yorkshire dating to almost 11,000 years ago.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-53765350
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Iron Age hillfort found in Chiltern Hills with help of 'citizen scientists'
An Iron Age hillfort hidden under trees and foliage has been discovered with the help of "citizen scientists".
Members of the Beacons of the Past group identified the site, in the Chiltern Hills, from digital survey images last year and the hillfort was verified on 6 August.
It is thought the circular site dates from the early Iron Age in England, between 800BC and 500BC.
Work will take place to preserve the site.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-53741441
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Stonehenge: Neolithic monument found near sacred site
Archaeologists have discovered a ring of prehistoric shafts, dug thousands of years ago near Stonehenge.
Fieldwork has revealed evidence of a 1.2 mile (2km) wide circle of large shafts measuring more than 10m in diameter and 5m in depth.
They surround the ancient settlement of Durrington Walls, two miles (3km) from Stonehenge.
Tests suggest the ground works are Neolithic and were excavated more than 4,500 years ago.
Experts believe the 20 or more shafts may have served as a boundary to a sacred area connected to the henge.
A team of academics from the universities of St Andrews, Birmingham, Warwick, Glasgow and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David worked on the project
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-53132567
https://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue55/4/index.html
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Ancient Peak District stone circle damaged by campfires
"Serious" damage to a scheduled ancient monument in Derbyshire is being investigated by police.
The prehistoric Doll Tor stone circle, near Birchover in the Peak District, was targeted some time in the past few days.
Sam Grimshaw, who discovered the damage, said he was "very angry" when he found some smaller stones had been moved and several fires had been set.
Historic England has appealed to anyone with information to contact police.
Mr Grimshaw said he found stones had been moved to build a fire pit and for a seat, while other fires had been set.............
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-52853799
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Unearthed Ancient British chieftain and probable shaman reveal secrets about old burial rituals
The once monumental final resting place of a probable prehistoric chieftain and, potentially, his shaman has been discovered in southwest England.
It’s one of the most fascinating archaeological discoveries in southern Britain in recent years. Significantly, the duo formed part of a remarkable social and political process which changed human history – and still shapes our world today.
The probable chieftain or prestigious leader – a man in his thirties or forties – had been interred underneath the centre of a large funerary mound which had been constructed specifically for him inside his own personal 20m diameter ditched enclosure.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/archaeology-anicent-british-chieftain-shaman-burial-ritual-a9480321.html
Note: It would be interesting to pinpoint this site near a confluence of four rivers..
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Lewis stone circle has star-shaped lightning strike
Evidence of a "massive" lightning strike has been found at the centre of a stone circle in the Western Isles.
A single large strike, or many smaller ones on the same spot, left a star-shaped magnetic anomaly at the 4,000-year-old site in Lewis.
Scientists made the discovery at Site XI or Airigh na Beinne Bige, a hillside stone circle now consisting of a single standing stone.
The site is at the famous Calanais Standing Stones.
Scientists said the lightning strike, which was indentified in a geophysics survey, could show a potential link between the construction of ancient stone circles and the forces of nature.
They said the lightning struck some time before peat enveloped the stone circle at Site XI 3,000 years ago. The discovery is detailed in new research published online.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50891787
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Television historian speak out for Oswestry hillfort
Historian and television presenter, Professor Michael Wood, has expressed serious concern over plans to build houses within the historic landscape of Old Oswestry hillfort.
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In a letter of objection he wrote: "I have followed with concern the proposed developments. The Iron Age hillfort of Old Oswestry is generally agreed to be the finest site of its kind in the Welsh Borders. Any development that threatens its setting, as this self-evidently does, in my view, therefore, should be refused.”
The popular historian said Oswestry’s northern gateway around the hillfort was an extraordinarily interesting - and rare - example of a medieval sacred landscape, which still awaited detailed research and survey. This, he said was is in addition to the area’s multi-phase heritage interest ranging from pre-Iron Age to WW1 military archaeology.
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/oswestry/2019/07/30/television-historian-speak-out-for-oswestry-hillfort/
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