Anti bypass group fight for historic site
A Devon (England) action group is fighting to preserve an historic site near Kingskerswell which is threatened by the construction of a new bypass. Test excavations at Aller Cross have uncovered evidence of Iron Age and Roman occupation and connections with other important sites such as Kents Cavern in Torquay, and Glastonbury. Pottery and other artifacts indicate the possibility of links with Europe.
Details first emerged ten years ago during fieldwork carried out by Wessex Archaeology. A later report by Devon Archaeological Society concluded that the identification of pre-Roman activity on the site was significant and that the initial exploration had chanced upon an important archaeological site in the Devon countryside.
Paul Bright, a local Councillor and Vice-Chairman of the Kingskerswell Alliance, said: "This latest evidence highlights that the environmental price tag we have to pay is just too high. We already have a lot of support in the village." Devon County Council has now promised a comprehensive environmental survey well before the bypass, scheduled for eight years hence, is built. The research will be conducted at locations that will be kept secret to deter treasure hunters.
The Kingskerswell Alliance, set up to oppose the current plans, supports decongestion of the A380 but does not believe the £47m bypass is the answer. More information can be found at www.kingskerswellalliance.org.uk.
Source: This is Devon (10 May 2003)
Stonehenge lichen survey
The first ever comprehensive survey of rare lichens at Stonehenge (England) was completed on Friday 16th May. The results of the week long survey will indicate what species are growing on the megalithic monument and enable these species to be preserved. The survey team of internationally renowned ecologists hopes that the number of known lichen species will have increased from the last count of 79.
Alan Cathersides, English Heritage senior landscape manager, said: "This survey is part of a continuing process to help us understand more about the history and ecology of Stonehenge. Hopefully it will answer some of the questions on how these unique lichen communities have developed."
Source: BBC News (14 May 2003)
Teens deface petroglyphs in Utah cave
Two teenagers turned themselves in to police and admitted they had defaced ancient petroglyphs in Juke Box Cave, which is in the Wendover area of western Utah, near the Nevada border (USA). They scrawled obscene pictures and parts of their names with charcoal over the Indian rock art.
The cave art was sealed behind a locked and gated entrance, but the vandals used a car jack to bend two bars far enough apart to squeeze through, investigators said. "We will be able to reverse the damage, but it will take time to assess the best way to clean up the graphics without wrecking any of the original artwork," said assistant state archaeologist Ron Rood. State workers reinforced the gate to make it harder for vandals to pry it open.
Juke Box (so named because a concrete floor was poured in the cavern during World War II and it was used as a dance hall by airmen stationed at Wendover) and nearby Danger Cave have been visited by vandals and looters many times, despite gates and other efforts to protect the sites. In 1999, intruders broke through an iron gate on Juke Box Cave and dug a hole, apparently hoping to find artifacts.
The caves are part of Danger Cave State Park, which was set aside because of its prehistorical significance but never developed due to lack of funding. Archaeological digs in the 1940s and 1950s found evidence of some of the earliest human habitation in the Great Basin, going back more than 10,000 years in Danger Cave and 7,000 years in Juke Box.
Sources: KSL TV (12 May 2003), Las Vegas Sun (13 May 2003), The Salt Lake Tribune (14 May 2003)
Prehistoric discoveries in China
Archeologist working at the Yuezhuang site dating back to the Neolithic Age in Jinan, east China's Shangdong Province, found a number of relics dated from the Neolithic Age (including a spin wheel) and Ming and Qing dynasties. These findings have been unearthed at the site since March of 2003. Among them, the most interesting are a series of vessels of the Tang and Song dynasties.
In the Northern part of the country, four ancient tombs dating back more than 2,000 years have been excavated at Mao'erling hill in Shanxi Province. A series of funerary objects, including bronze, pottery and jade articles have been unearthed, and, according to archaeologists, the objects can be traced to the Warring States period (475-221 BCe).
Sources: Xinhua News Agency (15 May 2003), People's Daily (18 May 2003)
Iron Age skull found in England
An Ancient skull thought to be that of an Iron Age man has been found in a field near Fiskerton, east of Lincoln (England), by 34-year-old Erik Grigg. Shocked by what could have been a gruesome discovery Mr Grigg called the police. Officers visited the field and took away the head for forensic analysis but determined that it had belonged to someone who died thousands of years ago.
The skull has since been examined by forensic scientists at the University of Lincoln, and specialists at the Lincoln City Archaeology Unit. Dr Ron Dixon, a principal lecturer in forensic science at the university's department of biological sciences, said: "We don't know very much about it at the moment. Although it could be from the late Iron Age - which would place it in a similar time bracket to other archaeological finds from the area - it could also have been part of a graveyard, or even a medieval fill-site." "It is fairly complete," he added, "And it has been out in the environment. A find of this sort is quite rare, but it does happen from time to time.
The skull was found in an area which, in recent years, was discovered to be an Iron Age causeway in that region of the River Witham. Wooden posts in the ground turned out to be part of a 2,500-year-old trackway, probably built so early Britons could cross marshy areas. Excavations in the area have unearthed a wide range of ancient artefacts, including swords, axes, and an almost perfectly preserved log boat.
The newly-discovered skull will now be dried out and cleaned up in a process which will take many weeks to complete. It is hoped that samples from soil packed into the skull will show where the skull originated. Following a thorough examination the skull will be kept at the university as a teaching aid.
Source: This is Lincolnshire (16 May 2003)
