May 2000

  Large hole has appeared on top of Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill, one of Europe's most significant ancient monuments, has become dangerously unstable after heavy rain caused a gaping hole to open in its surface. The 12m (40ft) deep hole, which measures 1.8m (six feet) across, appeared in Silbury Hill, the oldest earthen mound in Europe and part of the World Heritage Site at Avebury, Wiltshire (England). The National Trust, which manages the monument, was working urgently to cap the hole to prevent injury to the public and stabilise the mound to avoid further archaeological damage.
      Experts believe that extreme wet weather caused the collapse of the upper part of a 30.5m (100ft) deep shaft dug in the 1776 in an attempt to discover if the hill was a burial site. Silbury Hill was built in three phases about 4,500 years ago with chalk dug from nearby quarry pits. It covers five acres and pre-dates both Stonehenge and the stone circles at Avebury.
      Visitors have been prohibited from climbing the 39.6m (130ft) high, steep-sided hill since the Seventies because of fears that it would be damaged. But a small number of people persist in climbing the fences to walk on the mound. However, it was a tourist, one of Avebury's 350,000 annual visitors, who reported the appearance of the hole to local people on 29 May. They then passed on the information to the National Trust.
      Chris Gingell, the trust's property manager, said: "The hole is extremely dangerous and our first concern must be public safety. We have to cap the hole securely to make it impossible for anyone to fall into it. We then have to work out how to prevent further deterioration. The real worry is that the vertical sides of this shaft could slump, causing a bigger collapse. Parts of the monument that have not been examined could then be lost. In a sense the real archaeological damage was done in the 18th century when the shaft was dug. Among the questions we have to try and answer now is whether the lower part of the shaft, another 18m (60 feet), is solid."

Source: The Daily Telegraph (31 May 2000)

  Iron Age settlements found on Shetland

A 4,000-year-old village uncovered in a remote corner of northeastern Britain reveals a community of farmers wealthy enough to forego gloomy, smoky huts for two-story homes built by stonemasons. The evidence for this is buried under a mound 5 meters high and 80 meters in diameter, in Old Scatness, on southern tip of the Sumburgh Peninsula in the Shetland Islands. There, British archaeologists have unearthed a prosperous Iron Age settlement which flourished sometime between 2000 B.C. and 1400 B.C. The remains discovered so far suggest that the prehistoric settlement could be one of the best preserved in Europe.
      Uncovered by workmen who discovered a maze of drystone walls when digging an access road to Sumburgh airport in 1975, the site lay undisturbed until the Shetland Amenity Trust bought the site and earlier this year brought in a team of archaeologists from Bradford University led by Stephen Dockrill. "It's a chance in a lifetime because we won't see a site quite as big as this being excavated again," said Stephen Dockrill. "This site is a unique landscape and perhaps one of the most important archaeological resources we have in Britain. But because of its remoteness it doesn't have the publicity that Stonehenge gets - even though it is just as important."
      The Bradford team will begin digging at Old Scatness on the southern tip of the main Shetland island, believed to be the longest continually occupied settlement in Scotland, dating from 2,500 BC right up to the 20th century. Preliminary work may also start at the nearby village of Toab, where a mound covering a broch, or great stone watchtower, has recently been identified. The work at Old Scatness and Toab will complement the spectacular remains of Jarlshof, a prehistorical site that was uncovered by a violent storm almost 100 years ago.
      A fourth site, thought to be just as complex as Jarlshof, lies close by along the eroding shoreline at Eastshore. Between them the four sites form one of the biggest Iron Age communities to have been identified in Europe. Little is known about the people who lived in these villages, though the settlements are each characterised by a broch, which provided the centre of daily life, and wheelhouses.
      It is thought that all the sites, which are located across two thin peninsulas near Sumburgh airport, were home to wealthy families, first Pictish in origin and later, from around AD 900, Viking and Norse. "They were probably some form of elite who were rich enough to employ retainers and possibly even use slave labour," said Mr Dockrill. "To build a big broch you would require a fair degree of wealth and an economic centre for metalwork. The quality of architecture in the brochs is so outstanding that they may have been able to buy in a specialist stone mason."
      The broch at Old Scatness is one of the most impressive on the island, almost 18 metres in diameter. The earliest house is thought to be around 2,000 years old and was abandoned by its original occupants and used as a rubbish dump. Wall cavities, thought to be cupboards, have also been found while iron hearths and whalebone door frames have been identified. Some pottery is thought to date to the early Bronze Age. "We think the site goes back much further," said Mr Dockrill. "We have evidence of reddish soil on top of the sand which is criss-crossed with early plough lines, so we know it was cultivated." Jimmy Moncrieff, general manager at Shetland Amenity Trust, said: "The really unique thing about the site is that it has not been disturbed, which has allowed a wealth of material, including pottery, iron and even seats to survive. Once the next phase of work gets under way next month, visitors will be invited to watch the excavation.

Sources: The Independent (14 May 2000), The Sunday Times (16 May 2000), Discovery.com (17 May 2000)

  School children unearth rock art

Children have unearthed a unique find - possibly dating back 6,000 years - while carrying out an environmental project. Ashover Primary School pupils were helping to make a pond for a new wildlife area on part of their playing fields when they found two large gritstone boulders. And to the amazement of archaeologists, the boulders turned out to be pieces of rock art dating back to neolithic times. One of the rocks is inscribed with a cup and ring and the other has writing which has yet to be interpreted.
      John Barnett, a leading expert on Derbyshire's archaeology, said: "These are the best examples of this sort of prehistoric art in Derbyshire and unique to be found in the same place." Archaeologists believe the boulders prove there was a settlement in Ashover between 3,000 and 6,000 years ago.
      The children are being allowed to keep the rock art in their new garden once an archaeology team has recorded the prehistoric designs. The children now hope to raise cash to work with an environmental artist to create their own millennium-style rock art.
      Marisa Signora, Ashover's geography and environment teacher, said: "This is so exciting. The discovery of the art has made the project even more special. This is such a wonderful opportunity for the children to learn about the prehistoric past of Ashover. They are so proud because if it hadn't been for their ideas the rock art may have been lost forever."

Source: The Derbyshire Times (17 May 2000)

  Prehistoric rock art found in the Lake District

Two of the most significant examples of British prehistoric rock art have been discovered in the Lake District. They are believed to be religious in nature, dating back between 4,000 and 5,000 years.
      The more elaborate one was discovered in Langdale. It consists of a dozen sets of concentric circles, each up to 50 centimetres across, a triangle of around 50 tiny pick marks, and sets of parallel lines up to one metre in length.
      The second engraved panel, found 10 miles to the north-east in the Ullswater Valley, is different in style and consists of 11 parallel lines and 300 circular depressions, each one five centimetres in diameter and up to two centimetres deep. Three smaller rocks nearby also feature dozens more depressions, three of which are surrounded by single circles.
      Nobody knows for sure what they represent but evidence suggests that they might have symbolised tunnel-like images seen by Neolithic shamanic priests during dance or drug induced trances. The "tunnels" could have been regarded as passageways between this world and that of spirits and tribal ancestors. It is believed that the marks were made with a hard stone pick and a wooden mallet.
      The Langdale site was discovered during a search for rock art being carried out throughout northern Britain by two amateur archaeologists, Paul and Barbara Brown.
      Stan Beckensall, who recently published the first comprehensive survey of Britain's Stone Age art, said: "They are the most significant British rock-art discoveries for more than a decade. Out of several thousand groups of prehistoric art images known in this country they are among the most important."

Source: The Independent (21 February 2000)

  Stonehenge open for the solstice

Stonehenge will be open to the public for the summer solstice for the first time in nearly ten years, English Heritage said. After a decade of violence in the 1980s, bans in the 1990s and trouble last summer when 400 protesters tore down the perimeter fence, it will be open to anyone who wants to stay up all night on June 20.
      Access will be "managed" by security guards working for English Heritage, with police on standby. Dogs, campfires and loud music will not be permitted, although guards may turn a blind eye to discreet sex and pagan rituals.
      English Heritage, which manages the site, said: "This is not an invitation to a party, it is supposed to be an opportunity for contemplation. There will be managed access for anyone who wants to turn up." She denied that English Heritage had been forced to allow open access because of last year's debacle, when an organised visit for 150 people, including Druids and other pagan groups, was disrupted by gatecrashers.
      Wiltshire Police, which for the previous nine years had imposed a four-mile "exclusion zone" for the solstice, was forced to drop it last year after a ruling by the House of Lords. The gates will be opened at 11.30pm but visitors will have to wait until 4.44am to see the sun rise over the Heel Stone.

Source: The Sunday Times (12 May 2000)

  The misplaced monolith and the disappearing sledge

Canon Markham won his appeal, so Eden District Council (England) will have the right to mark the millennium with a 30-tonne granite memorial designed to last for at least another 1,000 years (see Archaeo News no.8). The problem is that this modern monolith will be erected at a field containing the Neolithic Mayburgh henge at Eamont Bridge, near Penrith, compromising its integrity. The 17,500 U.K. Pounds memorial has been devised by the organisers of this summer's millennium festival, part of which will be held at the Henge, and it will be dedicated during the event. It will be made out of a solid block of Shap granite, standing 12ft and will be inscribed with symbols and inscriptions highlighting the Christian significance of the millennium.
      On a lighter side, there are some bad news also for the so-called Stone Project, which involves about 40 volunteers using brawn and primitive technology to move a 3-ton stone from Wales to Stonehenge (a 240-mile journey), re-creating the labor of ancient people who are believed to have built the mysterious monument. The project hit a snag when someone stole the sledge they were using to move the stone; however, it is said that the sledge was recovered later and the journey continues.

Source: The Stones Mailing List (19 and 31 May 2000)

  The Ancient Landscape Network (ASLaN) Conference

Significance, Sustainability and Sacredness - 17th & 18th June 2000

DAY ONE: Saturday 17th June, Bodicote Park, Banbury, Oxfordshire (England)
Bodicote Park is a purpose built venue with full disabled access and large theatre room and bar. Morning tea and afternoon coffee is included. Lunches will be available (including vegetarian) from £3.00. Registration 9.15am. Start 9.30 for 10am
Speakers to reflect all interest groups:
Dr David Miles - Head of Archaeology, English Heritage
     English Heritage's role in site care
Dr David Thackeray - Head of Archaeology, National Trust
     The significance of place and monuments.
Dr George Lambrick - Director of the Council for British Archaeology and Chair of the Rollright Stones Trust.
     Sustainability in site management
Gill Swanton - Avebury World Heritage Site Steering Group
     Avebury, Place and Space
Prudence Jones - Historian and Author
     Pagan interest in sacred sites from the 70's until today
Philip Heselton - Earth Mysteries Researcher and Author
     Talk TBA
Rev'd Richard Thomas - Communication Officer for the Diocese of Oxford
     The changing attitude of the Church to the sacredness of place
Cassandra Latham - Village Witch and involved in the protection of Cornwall's ancient sites.
     Working with the Spirti of Place, to care for local sites

DAY TWO, Sunday 18th June
Visits in the company of archaeologists and local experts to Waylands Smithy, the Uffington White Horse, and the Rollright Stones.
      A chance to learn about the sites and look at issues such as vandalism, erosion and site management. There will also be a chance to join in workshops including contacting the Spirit of Place, and practical tips on dealing with physical damage. Be at the Rollrights for 10am and bring a packed lunch. Disabled access to the sites can be difficult.
      There will also be a performance of The Tempest at the Rollright Stone Circle on both Saturday and Sunday nights.
Day one of Conference: £10 in advance. Both days: £15 in advance. Play: £7 in advance (£5 concessions and unwaged). Tickets on the night, if available, will be £8.50.
Please make cheques payable to ASLAN and enclose an SSAE. State if you require information on local campsites or B&B's. PO Box 333, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 8XA

  Prehistoric Technology Workshops

Kilmartin House Trust - 24th & 25th June 2000

Workshops with John Lord, Britain's foremost prehistoric technology expert!
Costs 35 pounds sterling per day or 60 for both.
Saturday 24 June
Essentials of Prehistoric technology:
Primitive Fire Making
Cordage
Flint Knapping
Attachment of flint to wood
Sunday 25 June
Elder flute construction:
Scottish flute making goes back to at least 2500BC, with the Skara Brae bone flute; From tree to finished article, make one of prehistories earliest instruments.
Booking is essential for all workshops and should be made through Kilmartin House at the contact details below.
Dr Deborah. J. Long
Research Programme Manager
Kilmartin House Trust
Kilmartin
Argyll PA31 8RQ
Scotland
Tel. (+44) 01546-510278
Fax (+44) 01546-510330
E-mail: debbie@khouse.demon.co.uk