Italy (Country)

Valcamonica Rock Art Field-School A Rock Art Field-School will be organised from 19 July - 9 August 2010, in Paspardo near Valcaminica in Lombardy (Italy). More info is here: http://rockartuk.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/valcamonica-fieldschool/ Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by rockartuk 9th March 2010ce

Orkney

funding for underwater archaeology Orkneyjar's report here http://ow.ly/1eGbP - much clearer pics than "The Orcadian". As the only other NMRS for Damsay is a site the excavator thought to be a Norse castle but is now believed to have been a broch it is probable that the orthostats in one photo could relate to this. Though a short talk was given on preliminary Rising Tide findings beside these nowt has appeared in print or in the report, so from memory the Bay of Firth has in it likely chambered mounds and (one or more) stone circles Comments (1)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by wideford 9th March 2010ce

Coomasaharn (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art)

Bronze age remains block broadband plan THE cyber age's bid to spread its message into a pristine landscape has perished between a rock and a hard place in a Bronze Age valley. Age-old archaeological remains are standing in the way of plans to bring modern internet communications to a scenic area of Kerry. A telecommunications mast which would provide broadband to the mid-Kerry area would be a "new alien intrusion" on a very beautiful and almost pristine landscape. That's according to senior An Bord Pleanála inspector, Robert Ryan. The area around the proposed location for a 12-metre mast at Coomasaharn, Glenbeigh, is "one of the most significant Bronze Age landscapes in the country," Kerry County Council also conceded. The local authority noted the Glenbeigh area has the greatest concentration of ancient "rock art" in Ireland, with more than 100 recorded examples. The Bronze Age dated from around 2200 BC to 500 BC. Mr Ryan supported the council and upheld a decision to refuse Hutchinson 3G Ireland planning permission for the mast on archaeological grounds. He also said the mast would damage the visual amenities of the area which is close to the popular Ring of Kerry tourist route. Hutchinson 3G has the Government's national contract to roll out broadband to previously unserviced rural areas. The company claims there is a strong demand for broadband in the Glenbeigh area and no other site options were available. Glenbeigh is a hotbed of opposition to masts, with objections to five such proposals in the general area. Hutchinson 3G said that, given there were 67 objections to the current proposal, the possibility of finding another site was limited. Company spokesman Brian Phelan said they would continue to try to bring broadband to such areas. "Broadband has the potential to create hundreds of jobs, especially in small to medium-sized businesses, and is probably the most important thing for rural Ireland since rural electrification," he added. Normally, An Bord Pleanála overturns Kerry County Council's decisions in relation to masts because it does not agree with a controversial rule by the council which bans such masts on sites which are within a kilometre of houses, schools and other residential buildings. On this occasion, however, Bord Pleanála – while still disagreeing with the one-kilometre rule – granted the appeal on grounds of protecting the sensitive landscape and local archaeology. This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, March 08, 2010 Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/bronze-age-remains-block-broadband-plan-113928.html Comments (2)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by moss 8th March 2010ce

Moray

Iron Age Hopes For Moray Field Experts say survey of Site at Burghead has proved 'very promising'. by Donna MacAllister. Published 6/3/2010. Yesterday the National Museums of Scotland curator Dr. Fraser Hunter said investigations at a field a Burghead have possibly revealed a "high status site". More info: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1634292 There certainly seems to be something happening in Moray. This is the third site to be announced. All the more to look at! Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by drewbhoy 6th March 2010ce

Northern Ireland

Neolithic Man Puts Bypass On Hold Thousands of years ago our Neolithic forebears were hunting for wild game with flint arrows overlooking what is now Ballymena. by Linda Stewart 3/3/2010. More at: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/neolithic-man-puts-bypass-on-hold-14705308.html Cheers Stevie! Comments (2)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by drewbhoy 4th March 2010ce

News

Marked Egg Shells Oldest Form of Symbolism? BBC web site reports findings of 60,000 year old egg shells with clear circular markings. Finds come from Western Cape area of South Africa. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8544332.stm Comments (2)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by mascot 3rd March 2010ce

Stonehenge (Stone Circle)

Virtual Stonehenge launched online Wiltshire is now on the virtual map, as Heritage Key have just unveiled a 3D virtual Stonehenge web experience. Heritage Key is an online community aimed at those with an interest in history and culture. The site combines content such as podcasts, YouTube videos and news articles with an online 3D virtual experience. This virtual environment is used to recreate worldwide archaeological sites. Visitors to the site can now explore a highly detailed virtual recreation of the ancient site from the comfort of their own living room. Key features of the virtual experience include the chance to explore Stonehenge as it once stood over four thousand years ago in a dynamic living environment filled with wildlife and where the sun rises and sets. You can also visit the nearby Neolithic settlement of Durrington Walls and interact with the people of the time, as well as take part in an ancient sunset ritual. Continuing the interactive experience, you will also be able to discuss your experience with other visitors in Heritage Key's virtual visitor centre. Jonathan Himoff, CEO of online virtual environment company Rezzable, says: "Stonehenge raises just as many questions as it answers about life in prehistoric times, but if those stones could talk they would tell us the story of the last 5,000 years of British history. "Heritage Key is bringing this story to life through our virtual experience, as well as the varied media resources available online to complement it. "In reality, Stonehenge is now fenced off from the public to protect the site from over-tourism. "Not only can Heritage Key's virtual experience allow you to wander amongst the stones, we can also take visitors back in time to when the site was first built. Heritage Key allows visitors to learn about the origins of the site, as well as the life and customs of the indigenous people, so that their experience of Stonehenge in the flesh can be even more magical Jonathan Himoff, Rezzable "Heritage Key allows visitors to learn about the origins of the site, as well as the life and customs of the indigenous people, so that their experience of Stonehenge in the flesh can be even more magical." This immersive adventure is complimented with a media-rich website. So, whether you want to step back in time and see Stonehenge, watch YouTube videos on your iPhone or post comments on the latest expert articles, Heritage Key lets you discover history the way you want to. As an interactive community, Heritage Key also allows visitors to join lectures and meet with people from around the world to share and discuss their experiences. The Stonehenge virtual experience is being launched as part of Heritage Key's Ancient World in London festival, a series of online and real-world events celebrating the ancient world that is just underneath the skin of modern Britain. To find out more information, and to sample the Stonehenge 3D experience, visit the Heritage Key website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8534000/8534029.stm Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by The Eternal 2nd March 2010ce

The Cove (Standing Stones)

Finding stones near Bristol a place in history The exciting new find by 'amateur' archaeologists of the long barrow under The Cove, at Stanton Drew. Ask anyone in Bristol to name an ancient stone circle, and 90 per cent of people will probably say Stonehenge. A few of the wider-read sorts might mention Avebury. But remarkably, few will say the words Stanton Drew. While Wiltshire's two landmark sites are known worldwide, Bristol's own major neolithic stone circle goes largely unnoticed. But all that might be about to change, thanks to a team of enthusiastic amateur archaeologists who have discovered some intriguing new evidence that suggests the Stanton Drew site, near Chew Magna, may actually be 1,000 years older than historians had previously thought. The discovery has been made by geophysics enthusiast John Oswin and amateur archaeologist John Richards, both from the Bath and Camerton archaeological society, who have been working with a team of volunteers under the guidance of Richard Sermon, Bath and North-East Somerset Archaeological Officer. The two Johns have spent the last six months studying the results of their survey of the site in the summer, and they believe that long before the mystical stone circles were erected on the site around 2,500BC, there was an impressive "long barrow" burial chamber on the land. I find a windswept John Oswin wandering thoughtfully around the area of the ancient monument known as The Cove. Separated from the main circles by the village church, this set of three ancient standing stones is nestled at the back of a pub car park. "This is where we believe the long barrow would have been," says John, a former defence industry sonar expert at Filton who has taken a fancy for geophysical archaeology as a retirement hobby. "I use a machine called a resistance meter," he explains. "It looks like a walking frame with a small computer attached. But actually, it is using scanning technology to create a picture of any archaeology that might be beneath the surface. Unlike traditional digging, this allows us to see what's below the surface in a non-invasive manner. Most people know about geophysics these days from watching Time Team on the television. "Many neolithic stone circles are built on or near the site of an even more ancient long barrow – a large burial chamber. There is one, for example, at Stonehenge. "But nobody had realised there was one here before because, although geophysicists had used this kind of equipment to scan the ground beneath the main stone circles, nobody had ever thought to come and scan this area known as The Cove. "I first discovered there was a very large structure buried beneath the ground here back in the summer," John recalls. "I had been scanning all day, and then moved next door into the Druid's Arms to download my material on to a computer over a pint. "When I saw the shape of a long barrow appearing on the screen my mouth just dropped open. It was one of those eyes-on-stalks moments, because I knew the civilisation that built stone circles came a thousand years after the civilisation that built long barrows. "This would probably mean the stone circles had been specially built on a site that was already of sacred significance – a resting place of their distant ancestors. "The neolithic – stone age – people who would have built the long barrow would have left the bodies of their dead to decay on the surface, before moving the bones down into the chamber – but only when they had been picked clean by birds or the flesh had rotted away. "We believe they would then have brought the bones of their forefathers out for sacred rituals on special occasions. It's not that different to modern day Catholics parading the bodies of saints through towns for feast days. "But by the time people came to build the stone circles here a thousand years later, this would all have been distant folklore – as distant to them as the Norman Conquest is to us." To find out more about the significance of the find, I meet up with the project leader, John Richards, at his office at Bristol University – where he works as an IT manager. "For me, archaeology is a hobby, but it's something I'm passionate about," he says, as he brings up the scan images on his computer screen. "We were lucky to be given the chance to scan the ground at Stanton Drew, because access is often restricted by English Heritage, which maintains the monument. "But we were approached as a society last year by Richard Sermon, the archaeological officer for the council. He wondered if we could give a demonstration of our geo-phys equipment to the public as part of a Festival of British Archaeology event. "We said, yes we'd love to do it, but if we do, perhaps you could arrange something for us? Within a few weeks Richard had managed to get permission for us to survey the Stanton Drew site. "It was exciting to get the chance to do the survey, so you can imagine how thrilled we were to find something as significant as a long barrow." Since unveiling their find in archaeological publications recently, the two Johns have received congratulations from professional archaeologists all over the country, many of whom were keen to find out more about their data. "We're hoping that this will be just the start of the story," John Richards says. "We're hoping to get permission to go back on the site to do some more survey work this summer, and if we can get permission from the church and the pub landlord, we would like to scan the churchyard and the pub garden too, because we suspect the long barrow might extend on to their land – which would make this more than 20 metres in length. "In other words, this would have been a very distinctive sacred landmark in the area 5,000 years ago." For more information, visit the Bath and Camerton Archaeological Society website at www.bacas.org.uk. Read more about it at Stanton Drew,Bristol university,Stonehenge,Bristol University,Bath,Archaeology http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Finding-stones-near-Bristol-place-history/article-1871522-detail/article.html Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by moss 28th February 2010ce

Moray

Experts Bid To Uncover Secret That Lies Beneath Moray Field Investigation hopes to find the site of an ancient settlement. (Similar to the finds at Birnie) by Donna MacAllister. Published 27/02/2010. More at: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1625172 Various finds are on display in Elgin Museum. Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by drewbhoy 27th February 2010ce

Orkney

Submerged Structures Could Draw Tourists Experts Predict Boom After Finding Archaeology Swallowed By Rising Tides by Ryan Crighton Published 26/02/2010. Ancient structures submerged by the tides thousands of years ago could bring a fresh tourism boom to Orkney, experts predicted last night. More at: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1623445 As with all of this type of thing it will bring some good and probably some not so good if it isn't looked after properly. Comments (1)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by drewbhoy 26th February 2010ce