Posted on 03/31/2008 3:07:36 PM PDT by blam
Archaeologists begin historic Stonehenge dig
By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 3:38pm BST 31/03/2008
Archaeologists began a historic dig on Monday which they hope will unlock the ancient secrets of Stonehenge once and for all.
The researchers started digging a trench to examine the first stones erected at the site – the first excavation at the monument to be given the go-ahead for 44 years.
Professors Geoffrey Wainwright (right) and Tim Darvill hope to unlock ancient secrets
Samples recovered from the pit will provide material that could allow the team to date the start of work on the landmark to within 10 years.
Those leading the two-week dig believe it will provide evidence to back their belief that Stonehenge was the Lourdes of its day - a source of healing to which diseased and injured ancient Britons flocked seeking cures for their ailments.
Prof Tim Darvill, of the University of Bournemouth, said: "It is an incredibly exciting moment and a great privilege to be able to excavate inside Stonehenge.
"This excavation is the first opportunity in nearly half a century to bring the power of modern scientific archaeology to bear on a problem that has taxed the minds of travellers, antiquaries, and archaeologists since medieval times - just why were the bluestones so important and powerful to have warranted our ancestors to make the gargantuan journey to bring them to Salisbury Plain?"
Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, was built in different stages between 3000BC and 1600BC, and a wide variety of theories about their meaning and function have been proposed. These days it is associated with druidism, paganism and New Age philosophy.
Some have suggested the monument, famous for its orientation in relation to the rising and setting sun, was a temple used to worship ancient earth deities. Others believe it to be a sacred burial place, a site where people honoured the dead or even a prehistoric astronomical observatory.
Twelfth century historian Geoffrey of Monmouth said Merlin the wizard ordered the stones to be brought from Ireland. A double circle of bluestones was the first stone structure erected at the site, put up long before the monument's larger, more famous Sarsen stones.
These origin rings are no longer visible, but visitors can see some freestanding bluestones that were re-erected at a later date. Their arrival has previously been dated at around 2,550BC, however this is only a rough estimate.
The archaeologists were last week granted rare permission by English Heritage and ministers to excavate a trench 11ft by 8ft and 4ft deep in an area known to contain a pit for one of the original bluestones.
This will allow them to investigate the "Stonehenge layer" – a band of debris and stone chippings which contain many bluestone fragments. Radiocarbon dating will be used to provide a more accurate date for the arrival of the bluestones, while seeds and pollen will provide clues about contemporary agriculture and the environment at the time.
The bluestones are believed to have originated from the Carn Menyn region of the Presili Hills of North Pembrokeshire.
Investigations by Prof Darvill and Prof Wainwright over the last six years have shown the area is littered with discarded columns similar to those at Stonehenge. Some 20 nearby springs are known to have been regarded as having medicinal properties.
There is also evidence of settlements, burials and rock art that suggest it was a place of some significance.
Many of the human remains excavated from burial mounds around Stonehenge show signs of individuals having been unwell or injured prior to their death.
Chemical analysis of their teeth has shown that a good proportion of those buried near the monument were not locals, but in fact came from as far away as Wales, Ireland and the Lake District.
This evidence has led Prof Darvill and Prof Wainwright to conclude that Stonehenge was a source and centre of healing.
Prof Wainwright said: "This dig will help us to set the first Stonehenge in its social and economic framework. "It will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 153 mile journey from Preseli to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project.
"We have our fingertips on the answer to the eternal question of why Stonehenge was built."
GGG Ping.
It was just about 44 years ago that I visited Stonehenge and I didn’t see any digging.
Remind me to put it in my will that I want to be buried with a titanium tablet engraved with the message, “Here lies the man who has just cursed you and your descendants. Have a nice day.”
How do I know? The statues told me so!
or for use as shade from ancient global warming.
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Thanks Blam. I leave for a couple of hours, and return to a surfeit of GGG riches. |
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Do we know offhand if the site has been hit with ground penetrating radar?
Faith healing. Sure, why not.
Shucks, Kieth Laumer taught me that, back in '62 or '63.
I was sitting in the shade of a Bolo Mark IV, while it's main batteries cooled down & the infinite repeaters provided automatic air cover for the landing of CDT Peacekeepers and a delegation led by Third Assistant Consul Reteif. With nothing better to do, I pulled out my battered copy of A Trace of Memory, settled down with a bottle of vintage Pepsi, and began reading...
Do let us know when they find the dope smoking pipes.
;’)
http://www.weirdmichigan.com/folkart.html
http://www.weirdmichigan.com/pp.stonehenge.jpg
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/OVERhenges.html
StoneHenge is one of the coolest things that our ancestors did, regardless of its purpose. It has fascinated me, from afar, for four decades. I hope I see results from this excavation.
Maybe it was a tavern.
Interesting; thanks.
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