Crathes Castle
Posted on 05/29/2004 5:35:47 PM PDT by blam
Archaeologists startled to discover Neolithic ritual site
FRANK URQUHART
THE setting for one of the most famous castles in Scotland’s North-east was first used as the site for a high-status building almost 6,000 years ago, it was revealed yesterday.
A team of archaeologists began work earlier this month at the Crathes Castle Estate, on Royal Deeside, to investigate what was thought to be the remains of a timber hall from the Dark Ages, 1,500 years ago.
But they have instead found the remains of a large Neolithic building which may have been used as a prehistoric ritual site.
The remarkable discovery was yesterday hailed as one of the most significant archeological finds made in the North east of Scotland for years.
Charlie Murray, co-director of the excavation, said: "What we discovered is highly significant and has taken everyone by surprise. This site is of huge importance and we will now have to really rethink our use of the landscape by the farmers and what they were doing in the early Neolithic period.
"Considering you are talking about 5,500 years ago, the structure we have found was massive, constructed of huge timber posts and as a big as 25 metres by up to ten metres."
Crathes Castle
Is it my imagination or has there been a marked increase in archaeology in Scotland since that nation obtained semi-independent ststus?
...rethink our use of the land by farmers...
Yeah, this is all about acheology. Something smells of peanut butter and biosphere preserves.
Sounds like, fun. Please add me to that list.
Will do. Hey are you watching those bills on the other threads?
Do they mean "rethink our land use by the farmers" today, or the farmers "in the early Neolithic"? It is confusing.
I was wondering the same thing.
Just now reading a book called The Roads And Tracks Of Britain and it states that the island was extensively farmed from one end to the other during the Neolithic. Forests burnt off, as did the American Indians. Reverted to forest later. Interesting.
You know, it seems like he tried to have it both ways with that sentence. In truth this is an interesting discovery. I wouldn't want anything to get destroyed in the area, so people should be careful.
I will admit that they are pretty excited about that structure, that isn't really all that big at all.
It seems to me that we have this impression that people were complete idiots up until 100 years ago. Even in my short lifetime I've seen vast changes to areas I've frequented. I'd imagine there were some pretty incredible things in the past, that would surprise folks who think only those in our time could build decent structures.
I'm watching them at work.
Have you ever noticed that EVERY building they find is a ritual site? I'm certain that Seamus is up in heaven right now laughing at those guys who thought his pig barn was a ritual site.
I've been to Crathes Castle! The gardens are stunning.
Yes, I am told that the Indians in WA state, where I live, burned the forests and underbrush periodically, whenever the forests became too thick for wild life to proliferate. Now the enviro-nazis want to “preserve” the old growth forests for the sake of the marbled murrelet. They gave up on the spotted owl when one nested in a traffic circle in Everett.
By what rite do they make such wild conjectures? Their pretense of knowledge and pontification about ancient matters has become quite a ritual.
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