Winter Solstice: Stone Age people in Ireland built a Fantastic Monument to the New Year

Ancient Origins

Today, the Irish and visitors celebrated the Winter Solstice as they did thousands of years ago at Newgrange, a huge Stone Age megalithic monument into the deepest part of whose main chamber the sun shines at sunrise. This year about 30,000 people participated in a lottery, from whom 50 were chosen, to be in the 5,000-year-old monument at sunrise to witness the primeval event the mornings of Dec. 18 to 23.

While the monument near the Boyne River in County Meath is open all year and is one of Ireland’s most popular attractions, it draws special international attention today.

Newgrange predates the great pyramids at Giza in Egypt by some 500 years and Stonehenge by about 1,000 years. When it was built, sunrise on the shortest day of the year, what we now call December 21, entered the main chamber precisely at sunrise. Experts say it is not by chance that the sun shines there. Now it enters about four minutes after sunrise because of changes in the Earth’s orbiting of the sun since then.

Solstice sunrise light entering the Newgrange monument, a photo by Cyril Byrne of the Irish Times, as seen on NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day website.

Archaeologists say they believe Newgrange and two other nearby monuments, Knowth and Dowth, were tombs, built in ancient times to provide somewhere to bury the dead and as ritual and community gatherings, perhaps to honor ancestors. They believe it took decades to construct by generations of the Neolithic people, about whom little is known.

The tomb itself is massive and impressive and is surrounded by a henge or ring of huge stones. Experts say they believe the huge stones were moved from the nearby river, perhaps by rolling them on logs.

This short YouTube video from National Geographic gives great views of the Newgrange tomb and monument.

The number of bone fragments found inside Newgrange hardly constitute evidence of a communal burial chamber, Ancient Origins reported in 2013 in a two-part article about the Neolithic structure. In total, the bones of only five individuals were found inside the monument during excavations in the 1960s. Some bones could have been taken away after the rediscovery of the entrance to the passage and chamber in 1699. But at over 85 meters (278 feet) in diameter, and containing more than 250,000 tons of stone and earth, this monument would seem such a lavish and grandiose tomb for a few mere mortals, if that were indeed its sole purpose.

The structure of the passage tomb was buried in earth for many centuries, until archaeologist M.J. O’Kelly began excavating it in 1962. He worked there until 1975. In 1967, he saw for the first time in thousands of years the dawn sunlight striking into the chamber on December 21. The light enters a perfectly placed window and hits deep in the tomb where the human remains were found.

 O’Kelly wrote in his notes: “The effect is very dramatic as the direct light of the sun brightens and cast a glow of light all over the chamber. I can see parts of the roof and a reflected light shines right back into the back of the end chamber.”

 O’Kelly and others have restored the Newgrange mound. It is 12 meters (40 feet) high. The total area of the monument and surrounds covers about 1 acre, and its roof is intact and still waterproof 5,000 years after construction. Triple-spiral carvings like the Celts did still adorn many of the stones making up the tomb.

The triple spiral carvings on a wall at Newgrange (Photo by Johnbod/Wikimedia Commons)

Up until 1967, after archaeological excavation, conservation and restoration work, it was not possible for the light of the sun to illuminate the interior. This was because of the slow subsidence of the roofing stones of the passage, which had slowly sunk as the supporting orthostats leaned inwards over the long centuries. Before 1967, when Professor O’Kelly became the first person to witness the solstice event in modern times, nobody could have witnessed this phenomenon. And yet, local folklore held that the sun shone into Newgrange on the shortest day of the year. O’Kelly pointed to this as being one of the reasons for his visit to the chamber in December 1967.

 But the astronomical mysteries of Newgrange run deeper. In 1958, in his book about primitive mythology, Joseph Campbell recounted a folk tale from the Boyne Valley in which a local had told him the light of the Morning Star, Venus, shone into the chamber of Newgrange at dawn on one day every eight years and cast a beam upon a stone on the floor of the chamber containing two worn sockets. This might seem like an incredible suggestion, except for the fact that it is astronomically accurate. Venus follows an eight-year cycle and on one year out of every eight, it rises in the pre-dawn sky of winter solstice and its light would be able to be seen from within the chamber.

 Featured image: December 21, the longest night and shortest day of the year, is a special event at Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. This photo was shot August 24, 2014. (Photo by Paul A. Byrne/Wikimedia Commons)

By: Mark Miller

Archaeologists Uncover 9,000-Year-Old Underwater Stone Age Settlement

Ancient Origins

Six years ago, divers discovered the oldest known stationary fish traps in northern Europe off the coast of southern Sweden. Since then, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved Stone Age site. They now believe the location was a lagoon environment where Mesolithic humans lived during parts of the year.

Stone Age fish straps. Source: Video screenshot / Lund University Other spectacular finds include a 9,000-year-old pick axe made out of elk antlers. The discoveries indicate mass fishing and therefore a semi-permanent settlement. "As geologists, we want to recreate this area and understand how it looked. Was it warm or cold? How did the environment change over time?" says Anton Hansson, PhD student in Quaternary geology at Lund University.

9,000-year-old Elk antler pick axe. Source: Video screenshot / Lund University Changes in the sea level have allowed the findings to be preserved deep below the surface of Hanö Bay in the Baltic Sea. The researchers have drilled into the seabed and radiocarbon dated the core, as well as examined pollen and diatoms. They have also produced a bathymetrical map that reveals depth variations. "These sites have been known, but only through scattered finds. We now have the technology for more detailed interpretations of the landscape," says Anton Hansson. "If you want to fully understand how humans dispersed from Africa, and their way of life, we also have to find all their settlements. Quite a few of these are currently underwater, since the sea level is higher today than during the last glaciation. Humans have always prefered coastal sites," concludes Hansson.

Publication: A submerged Mesolithic lagoonal landscape in the Baltic Sea, south-eastern Sweden – Early Holocene environmental reconstruction and shore-level displacement based on a multiproxy approach

Top image: Discoveries indicate mass fishing and therefore a semi-permanent settlement. Credit: Arne Sjöström

This article, originally titled ‘ Underwater Stone Age settlement mapped out’ , was published by Lund University.

5,000-Year-Old Mystery Structure Discovered Near Stone Age Temple in Scotland

Ancient Origins

A mysterious Stone Age building has been unearthed at the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney, Scotland. Researchers discovered it while excavating a Neolithic midden (rubbish dump.) It is located near one of Scotland's most famous rings of standing stones – the Ring of Brodgar.

According to The Herald Scotland, the site contains a Stone Age temple, and the discovery of the structure helped to re-date the location.
While digging at the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney, the researchers found the layout of a series of slabs which are unlike anything previously found on the island. The structure is 4 meters (13 ft.) long and it was unearthed amongst the remains of Neolithic rubbish.

Aerial view of the structure. (James Robertson/Orkneyskycam.co.uk)

The walls of the construction are 10 meters (33 ft.) wide and the researchers say that the structure is about 5,000 years old. They speculate that the building was covered over by the huge midden, but it could possibly be a chambered tomb. The researchers also found human remains – a human arm bone.
DiscoverStone AgeScotlandNeolithicExcavation (archaeology)
The team of researchers is led by Nick Card, an archaeologist at the University of the Highlands and Islands, who believes that the bone was deliberately placed and could possibly be the remains of a respected original founder of the large complex.

• The Ring of Brodgar, the Neolithic Henge of Orkney Island
• Stone Age Orkney Islanders Dismembered Deceased Relatives and Defleshed their Bones

The slabs, also called orthostats, have rounded edges and appear to have been weathered or worked in the same way as standing stones found at Stenness just 0.3 miles (0.48 km) away.

Sunset at the Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney. (Fantoman400/CC BY SA 3.0)

As the site director, Nick Card, said:

"The sheer size and scale of the stones unearthed are unprecedented on this site. The way the stones are built into the construction is also unique to the Ness. This all suggests that they may have been re-used and taken from elsewhere. Perhaps they may be part of a stone circle that pre-dates the main Ness site. It is all a bit of mystery and we won't know more until we do more work."

Since 2002, the researchers have discovered many impressive artifacts, including artwork, pottery, animal bones, stone tools and parts of buildings at the site. These findings make this location one of the most interesting Neolithic sites in Scotland. It was inhabited between 3,200 and 2,200 BC - the same period as another famous site located just a few miles away on Orkney – Skara Brae.

Old settlement Skara Brae in 2012, Orkney Island, Scotland. (Chmee2/CC BY SA 3.0)

The site in the Ness of Brodgar is located on a peninsula of land just a few hundred meters wide that divides two saltwater lochs.
It seems that the two or three constructions (i.e. the Ring of Brodgar, Standing Stones of Stenness, and the recently uncovered structure) were a ceremonial corridor. However, the exact purpose of the Stone Age temple, nicknamed ''The Neolithic Cathedral'', is unknown. The director of excavations suggests that it could have been a whole complex that created a ceremonial center.

• Incredible sophistication of 5,000-year-old temple complex on Orkney Island
• Storms wash away sand revealing 4,000-year-old child skeleton in Orkney

2014 image of work at the Neolithic settlement at Brodgar, Scotland. (AlastairG/CC BY SA 2.0)

On August 19, 2016, Natalia Klimczak reported on another discovery related to Orkney on Ancient Origins. She wrote that a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide revealed an explanation to one of the greatest mysteries of the British standing stone monuments. They say that the great stone circles were constructed specifically in line with the movements of the Sun and Moon 5,000 years ago.
An article in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports says the researchers used innovative 2D and 3D technology to construct quantitative tests of the alignment patterns of the standing stones. The researchers explained in their article that nobody had ever statistically determined that a single stone circle was constructed with astronomical phenomena in mind.
Earlier, researchers supposed that it may be so, but there was no concrete evidence which could confirm this belief before the present study. The researchers examined some of the oldest great stone circles built in Scotland, for example Callanish, on the Isle of Lewis, and Stenness, Isle of Orkney ─ both predating Stonehenge's standing stones by about 500 years.

The Neolithic stones of Callanish. (Chris Combe/CC BY 2.0)

Thus, Orkney Island continues to be a hotspot for archaeologists – what will be unearthed there next?
Top image: Ring of Brodgar, a Neolithic stone circle and henge monument, with the Loch of Harray in the background. (Stevekeiretsu/CC BY SA 3.0) Detail: Aerial view of the newly-uncovered structure. (James Robertson)
By Natalia Klimzcak

Stone Age Text Links Australia to Europe: Initial Evidence for Worldwide Travel by an Ancient Stone Age Civilization

Ancient Origins

Dr. Derek Cunningham has recently introduced a new intriguing theory to archaeology that many geometric patterns seen worldwide are a form of ancient text, with the angular writing based on the astronomical values used by astronomers to measure time and predict eclipse events. In this theory it was noted that many geometrical patterns seen throughout the archaeological record align to angles matching the circa 1 degree sidereal motion of earth as it travels around the sun; the 5.1 degree angle of the moon’s orbital plane relative to Earth, the 18.6 year lunar cycle, and the 27.32 day sidereal month.

One of his early studies was the preliminary analysis of Saksaywaman Temple in Peru, where he argued that the polygonal walls of the temple align, and also the entire temple complex were designed to align to these key astronomical values. In this theory the angular offsets are argued to be either offsets angled to either above or below the vertical or to the left and right of the horizontal; with perhaps the direction of the offset marking a vowel sound and the angle the sound of the consonant. Thus it is quite possible that the walls could have created a basic but readable text.

The polygonal walls of Saksaywaman in Peru

Arrangement of stones in a wall at Saksaywaman. Astronomical values can be found in the form of an angular array, offset to either above or below the horizontal, or the right or left of the vertical. Photo credit: Derek Cunningham

In Derek’s most recent study of this proposed angular text, he has returned with what can only be said is a well thought out study that takes direct aim at the often used counter argument that the alignments are actually totally random.
In this new test, Derek reasoned that if all geometric patterns found worldwide are entirely random, then even if within the experiment deliberate bias is shown to align the geometric image so that one particular angle dominates - in other words to force an optimum angular alignment - then because in the counter argument all lines are entirely randomly distributed, then the secondary to quaternary values should also be entirely random. In other words, only the primary value optimised should be the same.
If, however, the various geometric patterns found worldwide are as Derek claimed an ancient form of text, then perhaps the exact same secondary, tertiary and quaternary angular values should be emphasised in the various ancient images. And that is exactly what he found.
Using the 5.1 degree angle representing the moon’s orbital plane relative to Earth as a key reference point for his study, a very careful study of Australian geometric images has revealed that the secondary to quaternary angles seen most in geometric artwork does repetitively and routinely aligned to the same secondary to quaternary angular values. For the preliminary study Australia was chosen because it has remained isolated for much of its history, and thus the observed result could not be argued to be caused by potential long distance trade routes.
Derek then chose to extend this study to look at to various geometric images found in Europe. This included a comparison with the Polygonal walls found at Delphi, and an interesting analysis of the extremely archaic and unusual fan motif found carved on a tibia bone of a straight-tusked elephant at Bilzingsleben in Germany. In each case the intent was to directly compare the European secondary to quaternary angular values with those seen in ancient Australian geometrics.

Photograph showing part of the Polygonal Wall found under the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Image taken by Dr. Derek Cunningham.

 

Image of a 20,000-year-old Cylcon held in the collection of ancient writing of Martin Schøyen. Here a detailed analysis of the various lines present on the stone showed an identical angular distribution to the Polygonal Stone Wall found at Delphi 
After a careful study of the angular distribution produced by the various polygonal stones found at Delphi it was determined that the same angular preferences seen in Australia are indeed found in distant Europe. Specifically, it was found that European and Australian art both emphasised the 18.6 year lunar cycle and the 27.32 day sidereal month; and because identical primary to quaternary values were seen, the statistical analysis argues that the link between these images must date back at least 50,000 years ago. This suggests that an ancient Stone Age civilization was actively traveling the world, leaving behind postcards for us to find.
One of the more unusual visual pieces of evidence gathered in this particular study was an engraved stone found in Australia that replicates a geometrical pattern discovered in Bilzingsleben Germany. The Australian stone was discovered by Jennifer Summerville, who then passed the stone on to Derek for a more detailed analysis.

Astronomical alignments of Aboriginal engravings found on a stone in Australia

Fan-motif found on the Bilzingsleben elephant tibia bone found in Germany

As can be seen the stone creates a fan motif that is identical in structure and angular content to the more famous fan-motif that is found on the Bilzingsleben elephant tibia bone. The bone is currently dated by archaeologist John Feliks to be circa 400,000 years old.
Equally intriguing, the exact same angular values can be found in the various geometric images found in Lascaux Cave. These geometrics are at a minimum circa 13,000 years old.
The various similarities seen in the geometric artwork found in Australia and Europe have long been known. What really has been missing until now is a simple method to measure the “artistic intent” of the Stone Age artist who made these patterns.
As astronomical values are inherently numerical in nature this creates the potential to analyze mathematically ancient artwork for intent, and also to create a method that allows us to directly compare artwork that is entirely dissimilar. This is a major breakthrough in the study of the ancient past.
With this new ability to directly compare dissimilar geometrical images an entirely new experimental technique is created that for the first time ever allows us to read the drawings left behind by our very distant ancestors.
Top image: Aboriginal rock paintings that show astronomical alignments.

Secrets of Stone Age Jade Axes Revealed in Scotland

Ancient Origins

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland showcases a rarely seen collection of Stone Age jade axeheads. Most of them were brought to Scotland around 4,000 years BC. In those times they were at least 100 years old.

The display that opened on May 20 contains a collection of jade axeheads which were created over 6,000 years ago. The artifacts were made in the Italian Alps, far from Scotland. The axeheads were brought to Scotland by pioneering farming groups from the northern region of France. The history of the axeheads was discovered by a French-led group of researchers involved in National Museums Scotland ''Projet [Project] Jade''.
Dr. Alison Sheridan, Principal Curator of Early Prehistory in the Department of Scottish History and Archaeology, said that the Museum hopes to ''inspire and fascinate'' modern people with the unique history of the ''extraordinary jade axeheads''.

A Greenlaw axehead. (National Museum of Scotland)

The jade axes are polished and it would have taken many hours to make one. They were probably used as ritual or ceremonial objects; however these artifacts were important for the expansion of a civilization as well. The polished stone axes transformed society after the Ice Age. They allowed people to clear space in forests and plant crops more effectively than ever before. However, it is unlikely that the jade axes were used to cut large quantities of wood.

• New research may solve mystery of enigmatic Sanxingdui civilization of China
• Five Huge Bronze Age axes discovered in a field in Jutland, Denmark

Moreover, the researchers have argued that the axes were status symbols - a luxurious confirmation of the power and prestige of the owner. Jade is not found in Britain, the rock comes from Mont Viso, located south-west of Turin and Mont Beigua above Geona in Italy.
Apart from the jadeitite, omphacitite, nephrite, and eclogite stones were also discovered. However, for many decades archaeologists used the term ''jade'' for all of them. The axeheads were made near high mountains. People who made these axeheads climbed to heights of over 2,000 meters (6561.68 ft.) in the Italian Alps.

Block of raw jadeitite from the Oncino valley with Mont Viso in the background. (Projet Jade)

According to the researchers, the people who lived there during the Neolithic period associated mountains with the realm of the gods. The Neolithic people probably also believed that pieces of the mountains had powers which could heal and protect.
Jade axeheads are in collections of some other museums as well. According to Gillian Varndell, Curator of the British Museum (which owns a jade axehead discovered in Canterbury):

''The axe has been a powerful symbol for thousands of years in many parts of the world. It means different things to different societies. To the early farmers the everyday working axehead was an essential tool for clearing land for cultivation. Objects like the Canterbury jade axehead, however, were not used for farming, they were symbols of status. Ownership of one was undoubtedly restricted. The green color of jade might itself have been significant, as copies were made using local greenish rock. More than a hundred axeheads made from jade have been found in Britain and Ireland. Most of them have been accidental and isolated, so there is no sense of a pattern.''

• Taosi Confirmed as 4,200-Year-Old Legendary Capital of Chinese Hero Emperor
• The Mysterious Origin of the Jade Discs

Jade axe, Canterbury, Kent, England, Neolithic, about 4,000-2,000 BC. (Public Domain)

Nowadays, over 1,600 large axeheads made from jadeitite, omphacitite, nephrite, and eclogite are known in Europe. Excavations in Ireland suggest that they are not very popular artifacts. There, only four out of over 21,000 stone axeheads were found to be made of jadeite.
Archaeologists began to analyze the jade axeheads for the first time in the 1940s. They examined the stone axes of the South-Western Group of Museums. In the 1960 and 1970s, a few researchers tried to explore the secrets of the jade axeheads, but the real progress in researching the origins of these artifacts was made Pierre and Anne-Marie Pétrequin, with their team known as Projet Jade.
They have taken a Europe-wide approach, locating axehead sources high in the mountains of northern Italy. On Monte Viso they discovered the quarries dated back to 5,200 BC. When people brought the jade axes to Brittany, they started to copy them in local fibrolite. In Ireland, copies were made in local stone sources too.
The rituals and ceremonies connected with the jade axeheads are still unknown. The team of researchers hopes that future work will bring about more information on this area.

Fragment of deliberately-broken axehead, found near Douglas Castle, South Lanarkshire. The straight line along the bottom is due to the removal of a slice to make a petrological thin section during the 1960s. (National Museum of Scotland)

Top image: A Stone Age Jadeitite axehead. Credit: Projet Jade
By Natalia Klimczak

Enigmatic Engraved Pendant from Stone Age Site is the Oldest in Britain

Ancient Origins

The oldest known engraved pendant in Britain, a small piece of shale dating back about 11,000 years, has been discovered at a Stone Age site in Yorkshire, England.
Archaeologists found the pendant at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr in 2015. The team of researchers wrote in an article in Internet Archaeology:

“Engraved motifs on Mesolithic pendants are extremely rare, with the exception of amber pendants from southern Scandinavia. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, particularly in Denmark. When it was first uncovered the lines were barely visible but using a range of digital imaging techniques it has been possible to examine them in detail and determine the style of engraving as well as the order in which the lines might have been made.”

The team, led by archaeologist Nicky Milner of the University of York, wrote that they used microwear and residue analysis to determine whether the pendant was strung and worn. They also wanted to know if the lines had been made easier to see by painting it, as was the case for some amber pendants found in Denmark.
The paper says the combination of scientific and analytical techniques had not been used before and may be a model for analyzing artifacts in the future. In addition to three archaeologists, the team had a physicist and an anatomist.

A composite image of the phasing of the engravings.  (Milner et al./ Internet Archaeology)

The researchers said that despite the sophistication of their analysis, they can only speculate about what the engravings meant to the people who made them.

• Ancient Last Supper charm is earliest known use of magic in Christianity
• 12,300-Year-Old Bone Pendants May be Oldest Artwork Ever Discovered in Alaska
• Discovery of Hammer of Thor artifact solved mystery of Viking amulets

Previously at the site of Star Carr, researchers found a piece of perforated amber, shale beads, bird bones, and two perforated animal teeth. But this is the first piece found there with an engraved design. And though there have been finds of other engraved pendants in bone, antler, and wood from the Mesolithic in Europe, none found so far have been made of shale.

Shale beads from Star Carr with the ‘celtiform bead’ at the top. (Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge)

An engraved pendant from this era had never before been found in Britain, the paper says:

“The area where the pendant was discovered is where [archaeologist Grahame] Clark found a large quantity of bone, antler and wood, including rare artefacts such as 21 headdresses made from red deer skulls and 191 antler barbed points; the pendant appears to be from the same detrital muds and is therefore broadly associated with these other finds.”

The pendant was found in the mud of a lake that dried out thousands of years ago. The sediments in which it was found have a high content of organic material and formed about 9,000 BC, scientific dating shows.

The pendant was lost or placed in shallow water, about a half-meter (1.6 feet) deep, about 10 meters (33 feet) from the shore of the lake. Analysis showed that reeds, sedges, and aquatic plants were growing where the pendant was deposited.

Location map of Star Carr. (Milner et al./ Internet Archaeology)

The website Current Archaeology, in an article about Star Carr, asks what one could learn from the site, first excavated by Grahame Clark in from 1949 to 1951, and responds: “The answer is a new understanding that overturns much of what we have been taught about the lives of early settlers in northern Europe.” Chris Catling writes:

“But everyone knows that Mesolithic people were highly mobile, moving about the landscape in small bands of two or three families. Talk of houses, settlements and putting down roots is anachronistic: that did not happen for another 5,000 years or so, when people began to farm the landscape rather than hunt and forage for wild food.”

• 5,500-Year-Old Neolithic Cranial Amulets Shed Light on Ancient Belief System
• New Study Analyzes a Mesolithic Cemetery Full of Children and an Odd Standing Burial
• Archaeologists find evidence of devastating ancient earthquake in mountaintop city of Hippos

The members of the Vale of Pickering Research Trust, including Dr. Milner, returned to Star Carr and theorized a different story. They found evidence of a site 80 times larger than other sites of the period. “They also found the earliest known house in Britain with signs of long-lasting or repeated occupation, along with a series of timber platforms spreading along the lake edge,” writes Current Archaeology. “Not all Mesolithic people were wanderers, always moving on to a new source of food; some pioneer groups invested significant amounts of time and labour in building long-lasting structures in favoured landscape settings, like Star Carr.”

Excavations at the Star Carr site. (Star Carr Archaeology Project)

As for the pendant, they determined it had not been painted and may have been worn very little, on a special occasion, because use-wear analysis was unable to determine whether it had ever been strung. They wrote:

“On contextualising the art on the Star Carr pendant within the broader evidence for art in Mesolithic Britain and Denmark, the latter producing the largest collection of Mesolithic art in Europe, we discovered that both the engraving—in particular the distinctive barbed lines of Clark's type C—and the choice of pendant form are closely aligned with what is known from southern Scandinavia. However, it is important to acknowledge that despite the broad spectrum of scientific analyses applied to this object, revealing new and unprecedented insights into its making, some artefacts will remain enigmatic; we can only speculate as to what the art represents, and what the production and possibly wearing and display of this object meant to the people living along this lake edge during the ninth millennium BC.”

An image of the pendant using specular enhancement. (Milner et al./ Internet Archaeology)

Featured Image: An artist’s reconstruction of life at Star Carr, where recent excavations have uncovered evidence of a thriving Mesolithic settlement. (Current Archaeology) Insert: Photo showing details such as small incisions and wear marks on the pendant. (Milner et al./ Internet Archaeology)

By Mark Miller

The Missing Link to Stonehenge: Stone Age Eco-Home Discovered near Famous Monument

Ancient Origin

In what archaeologists are calling the missing link to Stonehenge, the world’s first “eco” home, and the oldest settlement yet found in the prehistoric monument landscape has been discovered. Built from the roots of a fallen tree, the “environmentally sensitive” dwelling is shaking up previously held notions about Mesolithic people, challenging the idea that they were nomadic, and effectively rewriting British history.
David Jacques, archaeology project director at the University of Buckingham said the find is “tremendously important.” Jacques has been leading excavations and research at the Blick Mead (also called Vespasian's Camp) site at Amesbury, Wiltshire, since 2005.
The discovery places these early people in the “important prehistoric landscape at the dawn of the Neolithic period, when Mesolithic people were thought to have been wiped out, and raises the question of whether they were the forefathers of those who built Stonehenge,” reports Belfast Telegraph.

"This is a key site for where Britain began,” said Jacques in a University of Buckingham press release.

The iconic Stonehenge at Whiltshire, UK. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Prehistoric Environmental “Eco House”: Back to their Roots

Researchers unearthed the remains of the dwelling which was built out of the root system of a fallen tree. The living area was built into a nine foot (2.7 meter) wide hollow in the tree.
The house is said to have been “environmentally sensitive”, making use of the natural features of the location, and appears to be like nothing else found at Stonehenge so far.

Roots of a fallen tree served as a wall to the hollowed-out dwelling. Credit: University of Buckingham/PA

The press release describes the home:

“Our green ancestors used the giant base – around 9 meters – of a large tree which had fallen to make into the wall of their house. The earthy wooden wall had been lined with flints and the huge, roughly 3 meter pit left by the tree being unearthed had been lined with cobbles by the resourceful people, using stones flung up by the roots of the tree, when it was felled. It then appears to have been roofed with animal skin and had a stone hearth close by.  Other indications that our precursors were eco-friendly long before we ever imagined are the presence of a number of large stones placed near the building’s wall which may have been primitive ‘storage heaters’ – warmed by a fire and placed close to where people slept instead of keeping a fire burning all night.”

Stones had also been brought in from far-flung locations and placed around the dwelling as decoration or mementos.
The hunter-gatherers showed a level of sophistication not before seen with their home.

“Rather than seeing these people as making do with anything nature happens to throw up, a better way is that, environmentally, they are amazingly well attuned and have a skillful and sophisticated understanding of the landscape. They are adapting themselves around it,” Jacques said, according to The Guardian.

The site has the potential to spur a shift in thinking. “It is suggesting that Stonehenge has got a back story and we have found a missing link to it,” said Jacques.

• Major Discovery: 4,500-year-old megalithic super-henge found buried one mile from Stonehenge
• Feeding Stonehenge: Hearty Menu for Monument Builders Revealed - Barbeque Pork, Roast Beef, Yogurt and Cheeses
• Archaeologists Search for Neolithic Home of Avebury Stone Circle Builders Between the Monuments

The dwelling, radiocarbon dated to between 4336 and 4246 BC through tests on a wooden post, was found at Blick Mead in Wiltshire, UK, just over a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the location of the famous Neolithic monument Stonehenge, and only 50 feet (15 meters) away from the busy A303 roadway in Wiltshire.

Development Danger and Rescue Archaeology

This crucial discovery may be under threat if plans for a tunnel for the A303 road go ahead.
The controversial government-backed tunnel would be 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometers) long, and run within 65 feet (20 meters) of the dwelling. Archaeologists fear this may not only damage the discovered site, but obliterate other buried secrets of the ancient people who lived in the area.
In a bid to prevent the loss of history, Jacques is advocating that the road be rerouted and the entire Stonehenge area be made into a national park.
The government proposed the tunnel in 2014 to deal with congestion on the A303, and to direct the roadway away from Stonehenge—a move said to keep traffic pollution away from the ancient site, but also so as to block the view from the passing public.

A303 passing close to Stonehenge. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Officials from UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and sites visited the Eco House site in Blick Mead this week. There are many historical and preservation groups which support the tunnel development. The Guardian reports that Historic England, the National Trust and English Heritage released a joint statement that they await further information on the tunnel plans and are confident the importance of the Eco House will be taken into consideration.
So-called “rescue archaeology” will be done on endangered sites and in the trenches of tunnel construction in a race to remove and archive as many artifacts as possible.

Photo showing a carriage and cart path passed close by to Stonehenge in 1885. (Public Domain)

Blick Mead, Unique Prehistoric Hillfort

According to the University of Buckingham, Blick Mead was built on a hill not far from the eventual site of Stonehenge. The hillfort was first built up during the late Bronze age (1100 BC – 800 BC), and is unique in that it has an unusual shape, looking like an arrowhead when seen from above.
It was later dubbed “Vespasian's Camp” in the incorrect belief it was an ancient Roman settlement.

Amesbury, Wiltshire North bank of Blick Mead (Vespasian's Camp). (Public Domain)

• 4,400-year-old ruins found near ceremonial site may be the oldest house ever found in Britain
• Body of 4,000-year-old teenager near Stonehenge may give clues about Bronze Age lives
• Archaeologists reveal astounding Bronze Age microscopic gold work from around Stonehenge

A trove of artifacts have been unearthed at the site: approximately 12,000 pieces of worked flint, and 500 fragments of bone dating to 8,000 years ago have been found. Many of the tools have retained their razor-like sharpness, so much so that excavators received sliced fingers from handling them. Teeth of giant Aurochs, the prehistoric ancestors of cattle, have also been recovered at the site.
A scene of continuous use for nearly 3,000 years, it’s believed Blick Mead may have been a place for the butchering of aurochs and a site of huge ritual feasts, as well as a tool making center.
According to Belfast Telegraph, Jacques is pressing for preservation of the crucial site, saying: “We already know it's the longest used Mesolithic site in the whole of Europe and that the earliest monuments at Stonehenge were Mesolithic.

“How much else is there out there? These are the earliest British stories, covering the time from the point where it wasn't an island to becoming an island.
“They're our stories, and they shouldn't be being squandered.”

Video:

David Jacques and the excavations at Blick Mead near Stonehenge (2013)

Featured Image: Archaeologist David Jacques demonstrates how a tree root system could function as a wall for Stone Age people.  Credit: University of Buckingham
By: Liz Leafloor

Major Discovery: 4,500-year-old megalithic super-henge found buried one mile from Stonehenge

Ancient Origins

An enormous row of 90 megalithic stones has been found buried beneath the prehistoric super-henge of Durrington Walls earthworks, only one mile from the world-famous site of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.  The huge line of megalithic stones lies 3 feet underground and has just been discovered through the use of sophisticated radar equipment. The finding is believed to have been a huge ritual monument.
“We’re looking at one of the largest stone monuments in Europe and it has been under our noses for something like 4,000 years… It’s truly remarkable.” said Professor Vince Gaffney, from the University of Bradford and co-director of the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, which made the discovery. “We don’t think there’s anything quite like this anywhere else in the world. This is completely new and the scale is extraordinary,” he added. 
The discovery was announced at the opening of the British Science Festival in Bradford, and has been described as the most exciting finding of Neolithic Britain for many years.
The Irish Times, which has been reporting live from the Science Festival, reports that the giant monoliths are up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall, and are believed to be sarsen stones – sandstone blocks which were also used for the heelstone and circle uprights at Stonehenge. The stones are lying horizontally and archaeologists believe they were deliberately pushed over and covered with earth.
“Not only does the new evidence demonstrate a completely unexpected phase of monumental architecture at one of the greatest ceremonial sites in prehistoric Europe, the new stone row could well be contemporary with the famous Stonehenge sarsen circle or even earlier,” said Professor Gaffney.

A reconstruction depicting how the row of megalithic stones would have looked. Credit: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute.

The row of megalithic stones formed the southern arm of a c-shaped ritual enclosure, which faced directly towards the River Avon, the rest of which was made up of an artificially scarped natural elevation in the ground. The monument was later converted from a c-shaped to a roughly circular enclosure, now known as Durrington Walls – Britain’s largest pre-historic henge, roughly 12 times the size of Stonehenge itself.
Durrington Walls measures around 1,640 feet (500 meters) in diameter and is surrounded by a ditch of up to 54ft (16 meters) wide and a bank of more than three foot (1 meter) high.  It is built on the same summer solstice alignment as Stonehenge. The enormous structure is believed to have formed a gigantic ceremonial complex in the Stonehenge landscape.
 “It was probably for a ritual of some sort or it could have marked out an arena,” said Professor Gaffney. “These monuments were very theatrical. This a design to impress and empower.”
One theory is that the row of megaliths marked a ritual procession route.

• Fifteen previously unknown monuments discovered underground in Stonehenge landscape
• Body of 4,000-year-old teenager near Stonehenge may give clues about Bronze Age lives
• Radar finds HUNDREDS more megalithic monuments, chapels, and shrines around Stonehenge

The c-shaped structure of Durrington Walls with the line of newly-discovered megaliths along the southern arm. Credit: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute.

The completed super-henge after the stones were toppled over and buried. Credit: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute.

“These latest results have produced tantalising evidence of what lies beneath the ancient earthworks at Durrington Walls,” Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust Archaeologist for the Avebury and Stonehenge World Heritage Site, told The Telegraph. “The presence of what appear to be stones, surrounding the site of one of the largest Neolithic settlements in Europe adds a whole new chapter to the Stonehenge story.”
Featured image: The earliest phase of Durrington Walls with its line of megaliths. Credit: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute.
By April Holloway

Atlantis of Britain: Prehistoric Territory of Doggerland Prepares to Unveil its Secrets

Ancient Origins

, sometimes called the Stone Age Atlantis of Britain or a prehistoric Garden of Eden, is an area archaeologists have been waiting to rediscover. Finally, modern technology has reached a level in which their dreams may become a reality. Doggerland is thought to have been first inhabited around 10,000 BC, and innovative technology is expected to aid a new study in glimpsing into what life was like for the prehistoric humans living in the region before the catastrophic floods covered the territory sometime between 8000 - 6000 BC.
Located in the North Sea, Doggerland is believed to have once measured approximately 100,000 square miles (258998 square kilometers). However, the end of the Ice Age saw a great rise in the sea level and an increase in storms and flooding in the region, causing Doggerland to gradually shrink.

Location of Doggerland (in bright green) (University of Bradford)

The location is known for providing prehistoric animal bones and, to a lesser extent, human remains and artifacts.
By using seabed mapping the team of archaeologists, computer scientists, and molecular biologists from the University of Bradford have begun tracking the changes in the ancient environment of Doggerland. They judge that the climate change diminished the territory of Doggerland so much that it turned from a vast territory to an island, and then was eventually consumed by the surrounding waters around 5500 BC.
Specifically, a tsunami of 5 meter (16 feet) waves, set off by an immense landslide near Norway, is the culprit in the catastrophe that ended human inhabitants in Doggerland, according to the study presented by Imperial College in 2014.

• North Sea islands with prehistoric inhabitants were wiped out by tsunami
• Atlantis
• The ancient city of Lacedaemon – is it the legendary Atlantis?

Apart from seabed mapping, survey ships in the current study have also been sent out to begin collecting pollen, insects, plant and animal DNA (using sedaDNA technology), along with artifacts so that a better picture of the landscape, lifestyle and human use of Doggerland can be revealed.
Professor Robin Allaby, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, and one of the researchers on the project said in a statement that: "The constant environment of the sea floor preserves ancient DNA exceptionally well allowing us to reconstruct palaeoenvironments many thousands of years older than is possible on land at the same latitude.”
The techniques to be used in the study are groundbreaking according to Dr David Smith of the University of Birmingham.  As he told The Telegraph: “This is the first time that this type of reconstruction has been attempted at this detail and scale in any marine environment. The opportunity to provide complementary analysis of established and new technologies, including DNA, at such a scale is also likely to provide a step change in our understanding of past environments and our approach to landscape reconstruction.

“Mapping Doggerland” part of the North Sea Palaeolandscapes Project, published in 2008 (University of Birmingham)

The lead researcher, Professor Vince Gaffney of the University of Bradford, has high hopes that the five year study will provide a big payoff in terms of understanding the recolonizing of Northern Europe by Stone Age humans.  Professor Gaffney told The Independent:

Because these areas of continental shelf became sea, they have been inaccessible to archaeologists until now. However, this project will access new data at a scale never previously attempted. Novel mapping, DNA extraction and computer modeling representing people, animals and even individual plants will generate a 4 dimensional model of how Doggerland was colonized and eventually lost to the sea. A dramatic, and previously lost, period of human prehistory will begin to emerge from the seismic traces, fragments of DNA and snippets of computer code that will form the primary data of this innovative archaeological project.

The study of Doggerland has received a €2.5 million ($2.8 million) Advanced Research Grant from the European Research Council, with hopes that the results of the study provide better insight into the life of prehistoric inhabitants who are thought to have resided in the area for about 6000 years.
Featured Image: The Mesolithic people of Doggerland (Alexander Maleev)
By Alicia McDermott

Ancient Irish Were the First Known to Mark an Eclipse in Stone

More than 5,000 years ago people in Ireland carved a representation of an eclipse into three stones at a megalithic monument—the first known recording of a solar eclipse, scholars say. Researchers have further noted that the sun shines into a chamber of this monument in County Meath on the later ancient Celtic festivals of Samhain and Imbolc.
IrishCentral reports:

Our ancient Irish ancestors carved images of an ancient eclipse into giant stones over 5,000 years ago, on November 30, 3340 BC to be exact. This is the oldest known recorded solar eclipse in history. The illustrations are found on the Stone Age “Cairn L,” on Carbane West, at Loughcrew, outside Kells, in County Meath. The landscape of rolling hills is littered with Neolithic monuments. Some say that originally there were at least 40 to 50 monuments, but others say the figure was more like 100.

“Cairn L” received a mention in Astronomy Ireland’s article: “Irish Recorded Oldest Known Eclipse 5355 Years Ago.” They write that the Irish Neolithic astronomer priests recorded the events on three stones relating to the eclipse, as seen from that location.

Researchers Jack Roberts and Martin Brennan found the sun illuminates a chamber in the monuments on November 1 and February 2, the cross-quarter days, which marked dates halfway between solstices and equinoxes.

A solar eclipse, May 20, 2012 (Photo by Brocken Inaglory/Wikimedia Commons)

November 1 is the end of summer, which is what Samhain means. The ancient Celts, who came later than the people who made the eclipse carving, considered Samhain the beginning of winter. Christians call it All Saints Day.

• Ancient Myths and Legends Served to Explain the Startling Phenomenon of Solar Eclipse
• Does Oldest Written Text Reveal a 30,000 year old Cult that Worshipped the Prediction of Eclipses?
• Do the ancient stone walls of Saksaywaman in Peru contain hidden communication?

February 2, or Imbolc, is midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It was later celebrated by Christians as Candlemas and in Ireland as St. Brigit's Day. The Celts called it the Festival of Lights and lit every candle and lamp in the house to commemorate the rebirth of the sun. Christians too celebrated February 2 with lights. On that day candles were lit in churches to celebrate the presentation of Jesus Christ in the Jerusalem temple.
The Irish called it Imbolc (“lamb's milk”) because it was when lambing season started.
“It was also called Brigantia for the Celtic female deity of light, calling attention to the Sun's being halfway on its advance from the winter solstice to the spring equinox,” Alamanac.com explains.

Angels take St. Bride or Brigit, a Catholicized ancient Celtic goddess of light, to Bethlehem to foster the Christ child, John Duncan (Sofi/Flickr)

Imbolc is also called Brigit's Day. Brigit means The Bright One. This sun goddess, later subsumed into the Catholic roster of saints, presided over the forge and hearth, crops, livestock and nature and also inspired skills of sacred arts and crafts, according to Celticatlanta.com.
Irish Central reports that many people believe the Celts invented the Festival of Lights to welcome the eclipse. They are also believed to have predicted when the eclipse would happen.
Brennan and Roberts noted the sun may not have shown into the chamber on Samhain and Imbolc when the Celts built it in 3340 BC.
In addition, Brennan and Roberts observed full moonlight illuminating the end of the cairn, where light shone on a cup mark on the endstone on August 26, 1980. Then, as the light moved across the chamber, it illuminated the bottom of the Whispering Stone.

“The 3340 BC eclipse is the only eclipse that fits out of the 92 solar eclipses in history tracked by Irish archaeoastronomer expert, Paul Griffin,” Irish Central says. “With none of the technology available to our modern experts the ancient Irish constructed these complex structures, that not only endured over 5,000 years, but were built with such accuracy that they continue to perform their astronomical functions today.”

Within Cairn L is a tall stone pillar called the Whispering Stone, 2 meters tall (7 feet). Irish Central believes that the chamber and cairn were built to house the Whispering Stone.
Featured image: One of the Loughcrew eclipse rocks (IrishCentral)

By Mark Miller

Ancient Origins