“Tree-Ness” in the Early Bronze Age of Northern Europe
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The University of Bradford Institutional Repository
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Bradford Scholars The University of Bradford Institutional Repository http://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk This work is made available online in accordance with publisher policies. Please refer to the repository record for this item and our Policy Document available from the repository home page for further information. To see the final version of this work please visit the publisher’s website. Where available access to the published online version may require a subscription. Author(s): Gibson, Alex M. Title: An Introduction to the Study of Henges: Time for a Change? Publication year: 2012 Book title: Enclosing the Neolithic : Recent studies in Britain and Ireland. Report No: BAR International Series 2440. Publisher: Archaeopress. Link to publisher’s site: http://www.archaeopress.com/archaeopressshop/public/defaultAll.asp?QuickSear ch=2440 Citation: Gibson, A. (2012). An Introduction to the Study of Henges: Time for a Change? In: Gibson, A. (ed.). Enclosing the Neolithic: Recent studies in Britain and Europe. Oxford: Archaeopress. BAR International Series 2440, pp. 1-20. Copyright statement: © Archaeopress and the individual authors 2012. An Introduction to the Study of Henges: Time for a Change? Alex Gibson Abstract This paper summarises 80 years of ‘henge’ studies. It considers the range of monuments originally considered henges and how more diverse sites became added to the original list. It examines the diversity of monuments considered to be henges, their origins, their associated monument types and their dates. Since the introduction of the term, archaeologists have often been uncomfortable with it. -
History Timeline from 13.7 Billion Years Ago to August 2013. 1 of 588 Pages This PDF History Timeline Has Been Extracted
History Timeline from 13.7 Billion Years ago to August 2013. 1 of 588 pages This PDF History Timeline has been extracted from the History World web site's time line. The PDF is a very simplified version of the History World timeline. The PDF is stripped of all the links found on that timeline. If an entry attracts your interest and you want further detail, click on the link at the foot of each of the PDF pages and query the subject or the PDF entry on the web site, or simply do an internet search. When I saw the History World timeline I wanted a copy of it for myself and my family in a form that we could access off-line, on demand, on the device of our choice. This PDF is the result. What attracted me particularly about the History World timeline is that each event, which might be earth shattering in itself with a wealth of detail sufficient to write volumes on, and indeed many such events have had volumes written on them, is presented as a sort of pared down news head-line. Basic unadorned fact. Also, the History World timeline is multi-faceted. Most historic works focus on their own area of interest and ignore seemingly unrelated events, but this timeline offers glimpses of cross-sections of history for any given time, embracing art, politics, war, nations, religions, cultures and science, just to mention a few elements covered. The view is fascinating. Then there is always the question of what should be included and what excluded. -
Renfrewshire Local History Forum & Authors RLHF Journal Vol.3 (1991/2)
RLHF Journal Vol.3 (1991/2) 5. Megaliths on Arran - Maths, Myths and Mysteries Aubrey Burl Buchan Lecture, 1991, Ayr (Society of Antiquaries of Scotland) Abstract The prehistoric archaeology of the islands of Malta and Arran is entirely different. That on Malta is characteristic of an “island culture' with unique styles of architecture unaffected by outside influences. Arran, despite the splendour of its megaliths, lacks such individuality. Its monuments are those of external culture. The explanation is simple. Malta is an isolated island fifty miles from Sicily and with no attractive local products to encourage trade. Arran is closely surrounded to north, west and east by the Scottish mainland, and lies at the intersection of several important routes. Its earliest megalithic sites are chambered tombs of the Clyde-Solway tradition with crescentic forecourts and segmented chambers. One, Monamore, excavated by Dr Euan MacKie in 1961, yielded calibrated dates ranging from 3900 to 2900 BC. In Great Britain most regional groups of tombs display an interest in particular orientations. The entrances of many Clyde-Solway tombs are generally aligned to the north east, perhaps toward the mid summer sunrise, and on Arran on the remote cairn of Carn Ban is almost perfectly directed towards this solar event. Other Arran tombs, however, do not share this orientation, demonstrating some fragmentation of beliefs. Carmahome, near Blackwaterfoot, is an oddity on Arran, a circular tomb of the Inverness-shire Clava passage-grave tradition, suggesting Middle or Late Neolithic contacts between Arran and the northern end of the Great Glen. The stone circles on Arran also share architectural traits with mainland regions. -
Machrie Moor Stone Circles Statement of Significance
Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC092 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM90207) Taken into State care: 1972 (Guardianship) Last reviewed: 2004 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE MACHRIE MOOR STONE CIRCLES We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH © Historic Environment Scotland 2019 You may re-use this information (excluding logos and images) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Any enquiries regarding this document should be sent to us at: Historic Environment Scotland Longmore House Salisbury Place Edinburgh EH9 1SH +44 (0) 131 668 8600 www.historicenvironment.scot You can download this publication from our website at www.historicenvironment.scot Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH MACHRIE MOOR STONE CIRCLES BRIEF DESCRIPTION Machrie Moor in Arran is a rich archaeological landscape containing prehistoric ritual, funerary and domestic structures. The visible monuments include stone circles, standing stones, chambered cairns, hut-circles and field systems. -
Sample Excavation at Croftmoraig Stone Circle, 2012 Richard Bradley
Sample excavation at Croftmoraig stone circle, 2012 Richard Bradley 1 The Croftmoraig stone circle The stone circle at Croft Moraig (otherwise Croft Moraig) was first documented in the eighteenth century and was excavated by Stuart Piggott and Derek Simpson in 1965. Their report on the project appeared in 1971 and has formed the basis of all subsequent discussions of the monument. The site had five distinct elements: (A) a rounded mound of glacial origin; (B) a ring of nine monoliths, eleven metres in diameter, four of which had fallen; (C) a pair of ‘portal’ stones outside the main circle; (D) an inner setting of eight standing stones measuring eight metres by six; and (E) a perimeter of stone blocks, eighteen metres in diameter, which can be interpreted as the remains of a wall. 2 Plan of the 1965 excavation Excavation revealed a number of other features which had not been evident on the surface: a ring of posts, about seven metres in diameter, accompanied by a shallow gully and two slots interpreted as the foundation of a porch; a possible hearth in the centre of the site; two arcs of rubble underlying the outer wall; and two oval pits, one beside each of the portal stones. A smaller pit associated with a deposit of charcoal underlay one of the stones in the wall. The interior of the site, and, in particular, the positions of the oval setting and the portal stones, contained an exceptional quantity of quartz. 3 The 1965 excavation The excavation is documented in detail in the 1971 report, but the available information is supplemented by a series of over three hundred photographs in the National Monuments Record of Scotland, a pencil plan of the central area of the site after excavation, and a small number of sherds in the National Museum of Scotland. -
Gabriel Moshenska ARCHAEOLOGICAL
Fennoscandia archaeologica XXXVII (2020) THEMED SECTION: COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ARCHAEOLOGIES IN FINLAND AND BRITAIN Gabriel Moshenska ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS AS SITES OF PUBLIC PROTEST IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY BRITAIN Abstract What happens when an archaeological excavation becomes the focus for media attention and public outrage? Protests of all kinds, ranging from letter-writing and legal challenges to mass rallies and illegal occupations, are a longstanding feature of global public archaeology. In this paper, I ex- amine this phenomenon through three case studies of protest in UK archaeology, dating from the 1950s to the 1990s: the Temple of Mithras in the City of London, the Rose Theatre in Southwark, and the ‘Seahenge’ timber circle in Norfolk. The accounts of these sites and the protest move- ments that they sparked reveal a set of consistent themes, including poor public understanding of rescue archaeology, an assumption that all sites can be ‘saved’, and the value of good stakeholder consultation. Ultimately, most protests of archaeological excavations are concerned with the pow- er of private property and the state over heritage: the core of the disputes – and the means to resolve them – are out of the hands of the archaeologists. Keywords: contested heritage, heritage management, public archaeology, social movements Gabriel Moshenska, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, UK: [email protected]. Received: 7 May 2020; Revised: 26 June 2020; Accepted: 26 June 2020. INTRODUCTION from police, construction workers, and senior archaeologists. After three weeks the occupation ‘Operation Sitric’ was launched in June 1979 ended peacefully. When archaeological work fi- when a group of 52 protestors, including aca- nally ended, large areas of the site remained un- demics and local politicians, broke into the ar- excavated and were destroyed by the developers. -
Forteviot, Perthshire 2008: Excavations of a Henge Monument and Timber Circle Data Structure and Interim Report
Forteviot, Perthshire 2008: Excavations of a henge monument and timber circle Data Structure and Interim Report by Gordon Noble and Kenneth Brophy Forteviot Henge Excavations 2008 Summary This interim report will describe the provisional outcomes of our excavations, part of the SERF (Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot) Project, in a field immediately to the S of Forteviot village, Perth and Kinross, in August 2008. Our focus in the 2008 summer season was two elements of the Forteviot cropmark complex: a possible late Neolithic henge monument, and an adjacent pit-defined setting. Both these features are located within the large Neolithic palisaded enclosure, partially excavated in 2007 (see Brophy & Noble 2008). Trench 2 revealed information both about the henge monument, but also extensive later reuse of the site. Trench 3 was opened over the location of the possible timber-setting; this was not identified in the trench, but a large pit with burnt material and a number of other features were found, not all of which are identifiable as cropmarks. In many ways, this was a much more difficult season of excavation than Trench 1 in 2007, partly due to wetter weather conditions, but also to a large extent because of the complexity of the archaeology, especially in Trench 2, which one would not normally expect of a cropmark site. This report therefore contains results and interpretations that are provisional and a second season of excavation in and around this henge will be required in 2009 which will, we hope, answer some of the many questions raised by the 2008 season. -
Dating Balbirnie | 51
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 140 (2010), 51–77 DATING BALBIRNIE | 51 Dating Balbirnie: recent radiocarbon dates from the stone circle and cairn at Balbirnie, Fife, and a review of its place in the overall Balfarg/Balbirnie site sequence Alex Gibson* To the memory of Graham Ritchie ABSTRACT The interpretation of the sequence at the Balbirnie stone circle and cairn was based largely on stratigraphy and the then-perceived chronology of ceramic styles. An increased radiocarbon database and the facility to date cremated bone have now allowed the sequence at this site to be refined and reinterpreted. The construction of the stone circle can be demonstrated to have begun 1,000 years earlier than originally reported and the stone circle can be shown to have been in use for over 1,500 years. These new data, as well as an increased and growing amount of research on later Neolithic and earlier Bronze Age ritual monuments in Britain as a whole, has further allowed the position of this site within the Balfarg/Balbirnie ritual complex to be reconsidered and as a result it is possible to suggest a revised sequence for the complex. INTRODUCTION burials added to the circle or was the circle built to enclose an existing cemetery? Even The dating of stone circles is fraught with in the case of circles with central cairns, the problems. Unlike the posts of timber circles, exact sequence may not be discernable until stones cannot themselves be dated by radio- excavation. Thus at Balbirnie, Fife, Graham carbon. Even the integrity of organics from Ritchie (1974) concluded that the stone the stoneholes needs strict scrutiny as residual circle was the primary monument, whilst at material can easily become incorporated into Tomnaverie, Aberdeenshire, Richard Bradley the backfill and intrusive material can work (2005) demonstrated the reverse sequence. -
Architecture and Meaning in the Structure of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK Timothy Darvill
Houses of the Holy: architecture and meaning in the structure of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK Timothy Darvill Timothy Darvill is Professor of Archaeology in the Department of Archaeology, Anthropology and Forensic Science, Bournemouth University, UK. His research interests lie in the Neolithic of Northwest Europe and in archaeological resource management, and he has carried out fieldwork in Germany, Russia, Malta, England, Wales, and the Isle of Man. In 2008, together with Geoff Wainwright, he undertook excavations inside the stone circles at Stonehenge as part of ongoing research into the links between Stonehenge and the sources of the Bluestones in the Preseli Hills of southwest Wales. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Time & Mind. [email protected]. Abstract Stonehenge in central southern England is internationally known. Recent re-evaluations of its date and construction sequence provides an opportunity to review the meaning and purpose of key structural components. Here it is argued that the central stone structures did not have a single purpose but rather embody a series of symbolic representations. During the early third millennium this included a square-in- circle motif representing a sacred house or ‘big house’ edged by the five Sarsen Trilithons. During the late third millennium BC, as house styles changed, some of the stones were re-arranged to form a central oval setting that perpetuated the idea of the a sacred dwelling. The Sarsen Circle may have embodied a time- reckoning system based on the lunar month. From about 2500 BC more than 80 bluestones were brought to the site from sources in the Preseli Hills of west Wales about 220km distant. -
Excavations at Upper Largie Quarry, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
Edinburgh Research Explorer Excavations at Upper Largie Quarry, Argyll & Bute, Scotland Citation for published version: Cook, M, Ellis, C, Sheridan, A, Barber, J, Bonsall, C, Bush, H, Clarke, C, Crone, A, Engl, R, Fouracre, L, Heron, C, Jay, M, McGibbon, F, MacSween, A, Montgomery, J, Pellegrini, M, Sands, R, Saville, A, Scott, D, Šoberl, L & Vandorpe, P 2010, 'Excavations at Upper Largie Quarry, Argyll & Bute, Scotland: new light on the prehistoric ritual landscape of the Kilmartin Glen', Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, vol. 76, pp. 165-212. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0079497X00000499 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1017/S0079497X00000499 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Published In: Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society Publisher Rights Statement: © Cook, M., Ellis, C., Sheridan, A., Barber, J., Bonsall, C., Bush, H., Clarke, C., Crone, A., Engl, R., Fouracre, L., Heron, C., Jay, M., McGibbon, F., MacSween, A., Montgomery, J., Pellegrini, M., Sands, R., Saville, A., Scott, D., Šoberl, L., & Vandorpe, P. (2010). Excavations at Upper Largie Quarry, Argyll & Bute, Scotland: new light on the prehistoric ritual landscape of the Kilmartin Glen. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 76, 165- 212. General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. -
Prehistoric Avenues and Alignments Introductions to Heritage Assets Summary
Prehistoric Avenues and Alignments Introductions to Heritage Assets Summary Historic England’s Introductions to Heritage Assets (IHAs) are accessible, authoritative, illustrated summaries of what we know about specific types of archaeological site, building, landscape or marine asset. Typically they deal with subjects which have previously lacked such a published summary, either because the literature is dauntingly voluminous, or alternatively where little has been written. Most often it is the latter, and many IHAs bring understanding of site or building types which are neglected or little understood. This IHA provides an introduction to prehistoric avenues and alignments, which date to the Neolithic period (about 4000-2500 BC). There are several types of prehistoric monument particularly notable for their length. This document is mainly concerned with the most numerous and widespread – cursus monuments. Two other types – avenues and stone alignments – are dealt with more briefly. A brief chronology is included. Cursus monuments have important associations with a range of other categories of archaeological monument and these are explored here. A list of in-depth sources on the topic is suggested for further reading. This document has been prepared by Martyn Barber and edited by Joe Flatman and Pete Herring. It is one of a series of 41 documents. This edition published by Historic England October 2018. All images © Historic England unless otherwise stated. Please refer to this document as: Historic England 2018 Prehistoric Avenues and Alignments: Introductions to Heritage Assets. Historic England. Swindon HistoricEngland.org.uk/listing/selection-criteria/scheduling-selection/ihas-archaeology/ Front cover The plough-levelled Stonehenge Lesser Cursus, Wiltshire, showing as a soil mark. -
Prehistory 2
Prehistory 2: The Bronze Age The Bronze Age (2500 BC—800 BC) During the Bronze Age the people living in Britain began to use copper and then bronze to make tools and weapons. Bronze was 90% copper and 10% n and much harder than copper on its own. Copper ore and n oxide was heated in a furnace to make molten bronze that could be poured into clay or sand moulds. Burials of important people take place in small round barrows with somemes later burials added. Many of these burials have highly decorave Beaker poery in them. It is believed that some of these Beaker people came to Britain from Europe bringing with them the knowledge of metallurgy. Decoraon could be applied to the poery by pressing a bone or wooden comb, using a piece of twisted cord or by the use of fingernails to create the impressions on the wet clay before firing on an open fire. The Amesbury Archer burial near to Stonehenge is the richest Bronze Age burial found in Britain. He arrived in Britain from around the Alps region in Europe and was buried with around 100 objects including, copper knives, gold hair tresses, pots and archer’s wrist guards. Tin was mined from Devon and Cornwall and copper ore from sites such as the Great Orme mine in Wales which extended to a depth of 70m. The Isleham Hoard is the largest collecon of bronze items ever found in Britain. It consists of around 6500 objects from swords, spearheads and axes to ornaments and sheet bronze.