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Bronze Age Discoveries & Findings

rynner2 said:
Penlee Museum shows Bronze Age necklace Penwith lunula

A Bronze Age necklace found in Cornwall in the 18th Century has returned to the county after being housed at the British Museum for more than 150 years.
The necklace, known as Penwith lunula, has been loaned to the Penlee House Gallery and Museum in Penzance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-17745523
I went to see this yesterday. I almost missed it - it was smaller than I'd expected, and there was no big notice "Our Latest Acquisition!"

I managed a quick snap of it, as I hadn't seen any "No Photography" signs:

Penwith_Lunula.jpg


(I didn't use flash, so it's not detailed enough to read the info cards.)
 
It almost looks like a piece of modern jewellery...it has that simplicity about it.
 
Wrexham butcher discovers Bronze Age axe in Flintshire
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-nort ... s-17767303

The National Museum Wales hopes to acquire the treasure after valuation

Bronze Age treasure, including a 3,000-year-old axe, has been discovered by a metal-detecting butcher in Flintshire.

The hoard, found in the Treuddyn area, includes a socketed "Type Gillespie" axe and a hook-shaped tin object.

The items, thought to have been buried between 1050 BC and 800 BC, were declared treasure by the North East Wales Coroner at Wrexham on Thursday.

The items, found in a boggy field by Colin Lewis from Wrexham, will be analysed by experts before valuation.

The National Museum Wales wants to acquire the hoard following its independent valuation.

The items were found less than 20cm (eight inches) apart while Mr Lewis was metal-detecting in a boggy field under pasture.

Radiocarbon dating
It is believed they could have been buried together in a pit.

Part of the wooden shaft of the bronze axe survived inside its socket.

The tree species has not yet been identified, and it is thought a wood sample could be used for radiocarbon-dating.

The faceted axe is of a recognised style known as Type Gillespie.

The National Museum believes the tin hook-shaped artefact is possibly an attachment or a handle to a larger object.

It may have been deliberately selected for burial because of the importance of tin as a metal at the time.

Tin was alloyed with copper, and sometimes lead, to make bronze.

The hoard will now be sent to the British Museum for temporary safe keeping until a valuation committee decide on the value, with views from an independent expert, the finder and landowner.
 
rynner2 said:
Cornish Bronze Age boat project
20 April 2012 Last updated at 01:31

Archaeologists in Cornwall believe they have evidence that shows Bronze Age traders were maritime travellers and used hollowed-out wooden boats to cross the English Channel and buy and sell metals.

The Nebra Sky Disc - thought to be one of the oldest Bronze Age representations of the cosmos - was found in a field in Germany, but gold symbols on the bronze disc have been identified as coming from the Carnon Down mines in Cornwall.

The type of boats used by the Bronze Age traders are being recreated for a project at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. [video]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17775009

Carnon Downs is only a few miles from me...
...
Explore Cornwall’s prehistoric past at the Maritime Museum in Falmouth
7:00am Sunday 13th May 2012 in Falmouth/Penryn

Over the next two months visitors can discover more about Cornwall’s prehistoric past as the Maritime Museum in Falmouth plays host to academic lectures coinciding with the new 2012BC: Cornwall and the Sea in the Bronze Age exhibition.

The talks [began] on Wednesday May 9, with Dr Lucy Blue, from the University of Southampton, who will be examining how studying traditional boats, such as the sewn boats of the Indian Ocean, can inform on ancient boat building techniques in Bronze Age Britain.

Then on May 24, Prof Gregor Borg, from Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, will be exploring the fascinating story of the Nebra Sky Disc. Produced during the Bronze Age by metallurgists and astronomers from Cornish gold and tin which was traded across the sea to Europe, the Sky Disc is the world’s oldest astronomical map. The master copy of the Sky Disc is on display now at the Maritime Museum as part of the 2012BC exhibition – the first time it has ever been on display in the UK.

On May 31, Dr Linda Hurcombe will present an introduction to experimental archaeology. She will demonstrate how experiments can be fun, but also show us the skills and technologies of the past and give us a few surprises along the way.

As part of the 2012BC exhibition, a Bronze Age-type sewn-plank boat will be constructed at the Maritime Museum. On June 14 project director Prof Robert Van de Noort will be providing the archaeological background to the discoveries of sewn-plank boats in England and Wales, and explains how these craft were used in the Bronze Age.

And on June 21 discover why Cornwall was so important in the Bronze Age. Prof Anthony Harding will introduce the fascinating and varied evidence for far-reaching trade contacts with the wider world at the time of the reconstructed boat.

The lectures start at 7.30pm at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and cost just £5 each.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fp ... _Falmouth/

The Nebra sky disc - wow! Astronomy, the sea, and ancient history, all in one! 8)
 
I'm sure there's a reproduction of the Nebra thingy (or something like it) in the Flag Fen Museum in Peterborough. Can't find any details online, sorry.
 
More evidence of widespread travel and trade.

Ancient Stinging Nettles Reveal Bronze Age Trade Connections
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 093717.htm

The remains of the nettle cloth. (Credit: National Museum of Denmark)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2012) — A piece of nettle cloth retrieved from Denmark's richest known Bronze Age burial mound Lusehøj may actually derive from Austria, new findings suggest. The cloth thus tells a surprising story about long-distance Bronze Age trade connections around 800 BC.

2,800 years ago, one of Denmark's richest and most powerful men died. His body was burned. And the bereaved wrapped his bones in a cloth made from stinging nettle and put them in a stately bronze container, which also functioned as urn.

Now new findings suggest that the man's voyage to his final resting place may have been longer than such voyages usually were during the Bronze Age: the nettle cloth, which was wrapped around the deceased's bones, was not made in Denmark, and the evidence points to present-day Austria as the place of origin.

"I expected the nettles to have grown in Danish soil on the island of Funen, but when I analysed the plant fibres' strontium isotope levels, I could see that this was not the case," explains postdoc Karin Margarita Frei from the Danish National Research Foundation's Centre for Textile Research at the University of Copenhagen.

"The levels indicate that the nettles grew in an area with geologically old bedrock. We can only find rock with similar levels of strontium isotope in Sweden and Norway as well as in Central Europe."

Karin Margarita Frei had to conclude that Bronze Age Danes did not use local stinging nettle for their nettle textiles.

Strontium tells us where we come from

It is Karin Margarita Frei who has developed the method to determine plant textiles' strontium isotope levels that has led to the surprising discovery.

Strontium is an element which exists in Earth's crust, but its prevalence is subject to geological and topographical variation. Humans, animals, and plants absorb strontium through water and food. By measuring the strontium level in archaeological remains, researchers can determine where humans and animals lived, and where plants grew.

The new discovery is the result of a collaboration between an international team of researchers from the Danish National Research Foundation's Centre for Textile Research at the University of Copenhagen, the University of Bergen in Norway, and the National Museum of Denmark. The findings are described in an article that has just been published in Nature's online journal Scientific Reports.

Made in Austria

Karin Margarita Frei's work and the grave's archaeological remains suggest that the cloth may have been produced as far away as the Alps.

A bronze container, which had been used as urn, is of Central European origin and probably from the Kärnten-Steiermark region in Austria. The strontium isotope analysis of the cloth indicates that it may very well be from the same region. This assumption is supported by yet incomplete analyses of pitch found in the Lusehøj grave.

Textile archaeologist Ulla Mannering from the National Museum of Denmark offers an explanation as to how an Austrian cloth ended up in Funen, Denmark.

"Bronze Age Danes got their bronze from Central Europe, and imports were controlled by rich and powerful men. We can imagine how a bronze importer from Funen in Denmark died on a business trip to Austria. His bones were wrapped in an Austrian nettle cloth and placed in a stately urn that his travel companions transported back to Denmark," Ulla Mannering suggests.

Nettles made good textile

The strontium isotope analyses have surprised Ulla Mannering.

She concludes on the basis of the analyses that Central Europeans still used wild plants for textile production during the Bronze Age while at the same time cultivating textile plants such as flax on a large scale. Nettle textiles could apparently compete with textiles made from flax and other materials because top quality nettle fabrics are as good as raw silk.

The strontium isotope analyses also mean that Danish textile history needs revision.

"Until recently the Lusehøj nettle cloth was the oldest nettle cloth we knew, and the only Bronze Age nettle cloth, but with our new findings we actually have no evidence that nettle textiles were produced in Denmark at all during the Bronze Age," Ulla Mannering points out.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Copenhagen.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

C. Bergfjord, U. Mannering, K. M. Frei, M. Gleba, A. B. Scharff, I. Skals, J. Heinemeier, M. -L Nosch, B. Holst. Nettle as a distinct Bronze Age textile plant. Scientific Reports, 2012; 2 DOI: 10.1038/srep00664
 
Another bronze Age discovery, perhaps Europe's greatest fortified city of the era.

La Bastida Unearths 4,200-Year-Old Fortification, Unique in Continental Europe
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 091542.htm

Frontal view of the fortification, with several of the walls and five of the towers visible. (Credit: Image by ASOME-UAB)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 27, 2012) — The archaeological excavations carried out this year at the site of La Bastida (Totana, Murcia) have shed light on an imposing fortification system, unique for its time. The discovery, together with all other discoveries made in recent years, reaffirm that the city was the most advanced settlement in Europe in political and military terms during the Bronze Age (ca. 4,200 years ago -- 2,200 BCE), and is comparable only to the Minoan civilisation of Crete.

The discovery was presented today by Pedro Alberto Cruz Sánchez, Secretary of Culture of the Region of Murcia and Vicente Lull, professor of Prehistory of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and director of the excavation. The event also included the presence of Iván Martínez Flores, executive administrator of the research and head of the UAB Area for Strategic Projects.

The fortification consisted of a wall measuring two to three metres thick, built with large stones and lime mortar and supported by thick pyramid-based towers located at short distances of some four metres. The original height of the defensive wall was approximately 6 or 7 metres. Until now six towers have been discovered along a length of 70 metres, although the full perimeter of the fortification measured up to 300 metres. The entrance to the enclosure was a passageway constructed with strong walls and large doors at the end, held shut with thick wooden beams.

One of the most relevant architectural elements discovered is the ogival arched postern gate, or secondary door, located near the main entrance. The arch is in very good conditions and is the first one to be found in Prehistoric Europe. Precedents can be found in the second city of Troy (Turkey) and in the urban world of the Middle East (Palestine, Israel and Jordan), influenced by the civilisations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. This indicates that people from the East participated in the construction of the fortification. These people would have reached La Bastida after the crisis which devastated their region 4,300 years ago. It was not until some 400 to 800 years later that civilisations like the Hittites and Mycenaeans, or city-states such as Ugarit, incorporated these innovative methods into their military architecture.

A Construction Designed for Combat

The fortification of La Bastida is an impressive construction due to its monumentality, the expertise demonstrated in architecture and engineering, its antiquity and because it helps us today to learn about such a distant past which is also easily recognisable in the present. It also represents an innovation in the art of attacking and defending fortifications, especially on the military front. The construction was designed solely for military purposes, by people experienced in fighting methods unknown in those times to the West.

The towers and exterior walls denote advanced knowledge of architecture and engineering, with slopes of over 40 per cent. The lime mortar used offered exceptional solidity to the construction, strongly holding the stones and making the wall impermeable, as well as eliminating any elements attackers could hold on to.

The postern gate, as a hidden and covered entrance, demanded great planning of the defensive structure as a whole and of the correct engineering technique to fit it perfectly into the wall.

Continental Europe's First Bronze Age City

The latest excavations and the result of Carbon 14 dating indicate that La Bastida was probably the most powerful city of Europe during the Bronze Age and a fortified site since it was first built, in circa 2,200 BCE, with a defence system never before seen in Europe.

The fortification was not the only discovery made. From 2008 to 2011, excavations unearthed large residences measuring over 70 square metres distributed throughout the city's four hectares. These large houses and public buildings were alternated with other smaller constructions, all separated by entries, passageways and squares. A large pool held by a 20-metre dyke with a capacity for almost 400,000 litres of water also clearly denotes that the city's population was of a complexity and that it used advanced techniques incomparable to other cities of its time.

The discoveries made at La Bastida reveal a military, political and social rupture: the establishment of a violent and classist ruling society, which lasted seven centuries and conditioned the development of other communities living in the Iberian Peninsula. Overall, archaeologists are redefining what is known of the origin of economic and political inequalities in Europe, as well as military institution and the role played by violence in the formation of identities.

A Unique Archaeological Park in Spain

The excavations at La Bastida are directed by the Research Group in Mediterranean Social Archaeoecology (ASOME) of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), formed by lecturers Vicente Lull, Rafael Micó, Cristina Rihuete and Roberto Risch. The research group receives the support and funding of the Department of Culture Regional Cultural Ministry of Murcia, the UAB, and the Totana City Council. The Spanish Ministries of Industry, Trade and Tourism, and of Economics and Competitiveness also give financial support to the project.

La Bastida will be systematically excavated with the aim of becoming a unique archaeological park open to the public and consisting in a monographic museum, a research and documentation centre, and part of the site open to visitors. Advancing and maintaining this project will depend on the commitment shown by the different public institutions and social agents taking part in the excavation of La Bastida.

More information on La Bastida: http://www.la-bastida.com/LaBastida/

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, via AlphaGalileo.
 
Breakthrough in world's oldest undeciphered writing

The world's oldest undeciphered writing system, which has so far defied attempts to uncover its 5,000-year-old secrets, could be about to be decoded by Oxford University academics.

This international research project is already casting light on a lost bronze age middle eastern society where enslaved workers lived on rations close to the starvation level.

"I think we are finally on the point of making a breakthrough," says Jacob Dahl, fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford and director of the Ancient World Research Cluster.

Dr Dahl's secret weapon is being able to see this writing more clearly than ever before.

In a room high up in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, above the Egyptian mummies and fragments of early civilisations, a big black dome is clicking away and flashing out light.

This device, part sci-fi, part-DIY, is providing the most detailed and high quality images ever taken of these elusive symbols cut into clay tablets. This is Indiana Jones with software.

It's being used to help decode a writing system called proto-Elamite, used between around 3200BC and 2900BC in a region now in the south west of modern Iran.

And the Oxford team think that they could be on the brink of understanding this last great remaining cache of undeciphered texts from the ancient world. etc etc etc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19964786
 
Axe-tail soup?

Bronze Age pot contains 21 axe heads
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-20312504

The remaining axe heads are due to be removed and examined by Jersey Heritage

Related Stories

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A Bronze Age pot found in Jersey contains 21 socketed-axe heads, X-rays have revealed.

Ken Rive, a member of the Jersey metal detecting society, made the find in a field in Trinity last month.

Two axe heads have been removed from the pot and examined by staff at Cranfield University.

They found they contained a lot of lead, which suggests the 3,000-year-old axes were not functional tools but objects of prestige, researchers said.

With almost 55% of the axe being made of lead the axe would not have had a very sharp edge.

Five major finds of Bronze Age tools, weapons and jewellery have been uncovered in Jersey between 1836 and 2001. It is thought the islands may have been a staging post for traders.

Jersey Heritage plans to remove the remaining axe heads from the pot and examine all 23 to learn more about them and life in Jersey 3,000 years ago.
 
'Amazing' bronze age burial site treasures on Dartmoor
17 February 2013 Last updated at 23:38
[video]

Samantha Smith looks at what has been called the most significant historical find ever on Dartmoor - the discovery of an internationally important prehistoric burial site.
The 4,000-year-old remains of the Bronze Age grave or cist, which were found in a peat bog, are set to rewrite the history books.

BBC Inside Out has been given exclusive access to the results of the dig on White Horse Hill, which include an intact cremation deposit, an animal pelt, textiles, ear stud and beads.
Experts say it is unusual for so many organic objects to survive for this length of time in a grave from the Bronze Age period.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, the Wiltshire Conservation Service and other specialists have begun to piece together the story of this important discovery.
Work has moved to laboratories where painstaking investigation is taking place which, it is hoped, will reveal more about the lives of prehistoric people on Dartmoor.

Inside Out South West is broadcast on Monday, 18 February on BBC One at 19:30 GMT and nationwide on the iPlayer for seven days thereafter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21445658
 
rynner2 said:
'Amazing' bronze age burial site treasures on Dartmoor
17 February 2013 Last updated at 23:38
[video]

...

Inside Out South West is broadcast on Monday, 18 February on BBC One at 19:30 GMT and nationwide on the iPlayer for seven days thereafter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21445658

Another report, without video, is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-21442474

Whitehorse Hill (as the OS calls it) lies about 9 km WSW of the village of Chagford, on the eastern side of Dartmoor.

An article from last June is here:

http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=29778
 
rynner2 said:
Cornish Bronze Age boat project
20 April 2012 Last updated at 01:31

Archaeologists in Cornwall believe they have evidence that shows Bronze Age traders were maritime travellers and used hollowed-out wooden boats to cross the English Channel and buy and sell metals.

The Nebra Sky Disc - thought to be one of the oldest Bronze Age representations of the cosmos - was found in a field in Germany, but gold symbols on the bronze disc have been identified as coming from the Carnon Down mines in Cornwall.

The type of boats used by the Bronze Age traders are being recreated for a project at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. [video]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17775009
Shaky maiden voyage for replica Bronze Age boat
[video]
6 March 2013 Last updated at 17:21

A replica Bronze Age boat which was built using traditional techniques has made its maiden voyage in Falmouth, Cornwall.
The construction was part of a collaborative effort between the National Maritime Museum and the University of Exeter.

The BBC's Jon Kay took a closer look at how the boat was built and was onboard as it took to the water

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21681465
 
A longer account:

Bronze age boat launches in Falmouth: PICTURE GALLERY
2:17pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News .

Today history was made in Cornwall as a unique project to recreate a 4000 year old boat reached its dramatic conclusion as it launched into the waters of Falmouth Harbour.

Slipping majestically into the calm waters of Falmouth bay [No! The Harbour, as the first para said!] the 50ft long, 5 tonne vessel launched to a rapturous reception from the gathered crowd of onlookers.

A first for experimental archaeology and a first for the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, the 50ft long 5 tonne prehistoric boat has been reconstructed as part of a collaborative project with the University of Exeter. A team of volunteers, led by shipwright Brian Cumby, have spent the last year building this one of a kind craft out of two massive oak logs using replica methods and tools, such as bronze headed axes.

Andy Wyke, Boat Collection Manager at the Maritime Museum, said: “It has been incredible to see this whole project take shape in the Museum building over the past 11 months. Volunteers have poured everything into transforming three oak trees to what we have seen and achieved today. It’s been an incredible journey and one that will be remembered not only in our and Falmouth’s history. All the discoveries made have proven maritime history. Academic theory has come to life. We’re all so proud.”

This collaborative boat building project is led by Professor Robert Van de Noort from the University of Exeter. One of the world’s leading experts in Bronze Age period boats, he is heading up the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project and hasn’t been shy in getting hands-on with the build and today paddled the boat with supporting volunteers.

Professor Van de Noort says of today’s events: “I’m so happy with the responsiveness of the boat. We always said you had to build the whole boat to understand what Bronze Age people experienced. When I was steering the boat and it got up to speed, I could turn her easily and it was more seaworthy than I expected. We have learnt so much through the whole process and today’s launch has revolutionised everything we knew.”
“There have been doubters, professionally, who questioned the feasibility of this vessel crossing the seas. This project has proven that it was possible.”

Dr Linda Hurcombe, Archaeologist at University of Exeter concludes: “You think a lot as an academic, you prepare, you do the writing you make a grant application and then you actually achieve a research project and this was the culmination of a very large scale project that has worked out brilliantly. To sit inside something that has not been seen in British waters for 4000 years and paddle it, and to see the carving of the wood, the tallow and the yew stitching all working together is a sight to behold.”

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/10 ... RY/?ref=mr

"..it was more seaworthy than I expected."
"There have been doubters, professionally, who questioned the feasibility of this vessel crossing the seas. This project has proven that it was possible."

A bit strong to claim that much, after a quick trip on "calm waters". Perhaps it could "cross the seas", but only in fine weather - and that's MY professional opinion!

When you get out in waves (and assuming they didn't swamp the craft) the hull would experience flexing: one minute a wave would support the middle of the boat, so the ends would tend to droop; the next minute the ends might be supported, causing the middle to sag. All this would put considerable strain on the fastenings of "yew stitching". If they do try it out in the Bay, I hope they have a big safety boat in attendance!
8)
 
Bronze age boat launches in Falmouth - See how it was built: VIDEOS
2:34pm Thursday 7th March 2013 in News .

HISTORY was made in Cornwall this week as a unique project to recreate a 4000 year old boat reached its dramatic conclusion as it launched into the waters of Falmouth Harbour.

Professional boatbuilder Brian Cumby and a team of volunteers re-created the large replica Bronze Age stitched boat using traditional tools and materials. These video shows the progress from the first steps to the completion.

There are nine videos in total, scroll down to view.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/10 ... OS/?ref=mr

I've just watched No.6 - it's good quality time lapse photography (but with a slightly irritating musical sound track). Slightly bigger pictures on the YouTube version, plus full screen. A useful resource for would-be bronze age boatbuilders! ;)
 
rynner2 said:
"..it was more seaworthy than I expected."
"There have been doubters, professionally, who questioned the feasibility of this vessel crossing the seas. This project has proven that it was possible."

A bit strong to claim that much, after a quick trip on "calm waters". Perhaps it could "cross the seas", but only in fine weather - and that's MY professional opinion!

When you get out in waves (and assuming they didn't swamp the craft) the hull would experience flexing: one minute a wave would support the middle of the boat, so the ends would tend to droop; the next minute the ends might be supported, causing the middle to sag. All this would put considerable strain on the fastenings of "yew stitching". If they do try it out in the Bay, I hope they have a big safety boat in attendance!
8)
I've just watched the whole of the launch day video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 9tdqnYNLU#!
..and as the boat is moved from the Museum to the launch ramp on a long, many-wheeled trolley, you can clearly see the hull flexing as it moves along the road! (Hogging and sagging are the technical terms)

That was perhaps a better test of its seaworthiness than the quiet waters of the harbour! :D
 
http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fp ... t___VIDEO/

(Actually, it's another 'calm inner-harbour trial' ;) )

Annoyingly, the webpage has plastered an ad right over the video! :evil:
But you can get rid of that by clicking Full Screen. Good quality video, but the action's not that interesting!

I'm looking forward to real sea trials! :twisted:
 
I went to the NMMC today to get some photos of the residential cruise ship The World, but as a bonus I got a couple of shots of the replica bronze age boat as well! 8)

She was on the NMMC pontoon, and a few people standing around with crudely made paddles suggested it might be going on another 'test run'.
 
Excavation may reveal secret of the Hurlers
Saturday, September 14, 2013 Western Morning News
By SIMON PARKER

A Bronze Age crystal pavement described as "unique" by archaeologists is to be uncovered for the first time since the 1930s.

The monument, at the Hurlers stone circle on Bodmin Moor, is believed to be the only one of its kind in the British Isles. Scientists and historians hope that by studying it they will gain a better understanding of early civilisations.

Organised by the Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project, "Mapping the Sun" will be led by a team from Cornwall Council's Historic Environment department. Archaeologists will be setting up at the site close to the village of Minions this weekend and the excavation will be open to the public between Tuesday and Saturday.

Described as a community archaeology project, a range of activities will take place throughout the week. These will include astronomy workshops with Brian Sheen from Roseland Observatory, a sunrise equinox walk, a geophysical survey, a display of Bronze Age artefacts and an exhibition of archive photographs. There will also be opportunities to actually lend a hand in the delicate task of excavating the pavement.

The only time the 4,000-year-old causeway is thought to have been uncovered since it was originally laid took place 75 years ago, when workmen stabilised the site and re-erected a number of stones.

The existence of the quartz pavement only came to light again when Cornwall archaeologist Jacky Nowakowski was undertaking unrelated research at an English Heritage store in Gloucestershire. As she looked through files, Jacky came across an unpublished report and photographs from the Ministry of Works' excavation of the Hurlers in 1938.
"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I'd certainly not seen anything like it before. A feature such as this, which suggests a possible linking of the circles, is very unusual. The pavement is nationally unique as far as I know."

Internationally renowned for its line of three impressive stone circles, the Hurlers' original use has long been the subject of speculation and argument. Some believe its alignment mirrors the celestial bodies that make up Orion's Belt, while others claim it was used for religious purposes. Whatever the truth, there is no doubt that it was of major importance to the people who inhabited the moor 4,000 years ago.

The entire area around the Hurlers is peppered with archaeology. From a burial barrow, which contained the Rillaton Gold Cup, to Stowes Pound hill fort, Minions Mound to Long Tom, medieval streamworks to 19th century engine houses, the landscape is of enormous interest to historians. Jacky Nowakowski will explain many of the features when she leads a two-hour walk around the ancient monuments next Monday and Friday.

"I really hope the entire project and the series of linked events at this multi-faceted site will excite people," she said. "Our role will be to inform people about the site and to learn more about why it was built. Our other role is to help safeguard it for the future."

One important aspect of the dig will be to attempt to accurately date both the circle and pavement.
Jacky and her team have been given permission to excavate a portion of the original layer beneath the pavement in order to gauge whether it is contemporary with the circles. She said the discovery of pollen or other material will assist in dating the monument.

Mapping the Sun has been organised by Iain Rowe, of Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project. Iain, who had to obtain special permission from the Secretary of State for the Environment, said he was grateful to everyone involved in bringing it to fruition.
"We've had great support from the Duchy, which owns the site, English Heritage, which leases it, and Cornwall Heritage Trust, which manages it," he said. "We've also had a lot of help from commoners, graziers and local people.
"It promises to be a very interesting week because no-one is sure what will be revealed and what we may learn about the pavement's origins."

The site would be backfilled and the ground fully restored following next week's excavation. "There will be no sign we have been there," he added.

For full details of the week's events, visit caradonhill.org.uk

Read more: http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Excavation ... z2er2qrsK4
 
Hurlers stone circles pathway uncovered on Bodmin Moor
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-24228338

Bronze Age stone pathway

The dig was a community archaeological project with local people and enthusiasts helping the experts

A Bronze Age stone pathway that links stone circles has been uncovered for the first time since the 1930s.

Archaeologists were helped by local people to "re-discover" the feature, laid between two of the Hurlers stone circles on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall.

The 4,000-year-old pavement has been described as "unique" by archaeologists.

They hope it will give a better understanding of early civilisations.

The causeway was first uncovered more than 70 years ago, when workmen stabilised the site and re-erected a number of stones.

But its existence only came to light again when Cornish archaeologist, Jacky Nowakowski, found a reference to it in an unpublished report from the Ministry of Works' excavation of the Hurlers.

The Hurlers are a close grouping of three late Neolithic or early Bronze Age stone circles.

The excavation is part of a wider project organised by the Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project called "Mapping the Sun".

The dig will be led by a team from Cornwall Council's historic environment department.

After seven days of digging, the pavement will be re-covered to protect and preserve it.
 
Bronze Age 'boat building' discovery in Monmouth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-24271564

Reconstruction of the channels in the clay earth by Peter Bere

An artist's impression of how the channels could have been left in the ground at Monmouth

Archaeologists believe they have found the remains of a Bronze Age boat building community in Monmouth.

Excavations show 100ft-long (30m) channels in the clay along which experts think vessels were dragged into a long-gone prehistoric lake.

Monmouth Archaeological Society started to unearth new findings when work started on Parc Glyndwr housing estate two years ago.

The research is being published in a book called The Lost Lake.

Author and archaeologist Stephen Clarke, 71, said: "I started digging here with the society 50 years ago - I wish I had another 50 years."

He said finds had helped the group to better understand the ancient history of Monmouth long before Roman times.

The town is served by three rivers but the group said it had evidence to suggest it was actually built on what was a huge prehistoric lake which became a home to hunter gatherers.

Over millennia it drained away and finds including charcoal from fires, flint shards and pottery from the Stone Age, Iron Age and Roman times have been found by the town's professional and amateur archaeologists.

Reconstruction of a boat by Peter Bere
Reconstruction of a boat which may have made the marks in the ground
They have been excavated in sites around the town and in different layers of clay, sand, gravel and peat as the earth-bed composition changed from lake, lagoon, marsh and dry land, according to Mr Clarke.

Among the discoveries are a pair of "dead-straight" metre-wide channels in the clay shaped like the bottom of wooden canoes - along with a third smaller groove.

Mr Clarke said it supported the theory of a vessel having a support arm, adding he was seeking the opinion of marine archaeologists.

These channels were found over a mound of burned earth which has been carbon dated to the Bronze Age although other finds around the area date back to the Stone Age.

"I have seen 14-tonne machinery sliding in the clay so it would have been easy to push a boat," said Mr Clarke.

He believes the finds suggest a settlement and boat building industry although no boat timbers have been found.

"There is a lot to explain," said Mr Clarke, adding that the area "must have been alive with activity for thousands of years".

"It is so new [the findings] that most people in the country do not know about it," he said.

Monnow Bridge

Monnow Bridge would have been under the prehistoric lake, says Mr Clarke
 
World War Two Ipswich airfield site reveals Bronze Age finds
Archaeological site in Ipswich
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-25057532

Archaeologist have two weeks to research the 2.2-acre (0.89 hectare) site to the south-east of Ipswich

An archaeological dig on the site of a former World War Two airfield in Suffolk has revealed evidence of Bronze Age burial chambers.

The site, on the outskirts of Ipswich, is being excavated in readiness for a new care home due to open in 2015.

Fragments of pottery and urns indicated the site was "very close to a burial mound", archaeologists said.

The finds will be recorded and stored at Suffolk County Council's archaeology department.

Mark Hinman from Pre-Construct Archaeology said: "This is very much preservation by record, we record it so people can get on and build.

Dig site in Ipswich
The site has revealed fragments of decorated pottery
"We've found fragments of beaker pottery, which is quite decorated with zigzag designs and collared urn vessels.

"These were usually used in the burial of human remains in the Bronze Age period, so these items give us a sense we're very close to a burial mound.

"It's still early days but we're digging various ditches. Nearby excavations have shown this area was a popular settlement for farming and the burial mounds indicate a high population in the period.

"They also show a claim of ownership on the land and how we were moving from a mobile hunter/gathering society into the settled farmers we became as a nation."

The new care home, built on the site of the former Ipswich Airport, will provide nursing and dementia care services for up to 80 residents, along with day care activities.

Councillor Alan Murray, cabinet member for health and adult care, said: "These finds will help us to understand more about the history of this area and the Bronze Age in general."

The Ravenswood development is part of a £60m Care UK investment programme in partnership with Suffolk County Council.
 
Rare Neolithic or Bronze Age rock art in Ross-shire
By Steven McKenzie
BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-hig ... s-26366644

Rock with cup and ring markings

The rock decorated with cup and ring marks

A rare example of prehistoric rock art has been uncovered in the Highlands.

Archaeologists made the discovery while moving a boulder decorated with ancient cup and ring marks to a new location in Ross-shire.

When they turned the stone over they found the same impressions on the other side of the rock. It is one of only a few decorated stones of its kind.

John Wombell, of North of Scotland Archaeological Society (NOSAS), said: "This is an amazing discovery."

Susan Kruse, of Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH), first discovered the stone at Heights of Fodderty several years ago when out walking.

The second set of cup and ring marks were uncovered recently when archaeologists were moving the stone to a new site at nearby Heights of Brae Neil Gunn Viewpoint.

From the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the art was created between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago.

Rock with cup and ring markings
The newly-discovered markings on the opposite side of the stone
Archaeologists believe the markings may have been made for a number of reasons.

These include for rituals, as territorial markers or mapping the stars. They could even be the "doodlings" of bored, ancient shepherds.

Ms Kruse said: "Finding cup and ring decoration on the opposite side has raised a number of tantalising questions.

"Was the decoration meant to be viewed from both sides or was one decorated side deliberately placed face down?

"Or was the stone carved at different times?"

John Wombell and Susan Kruse
John Wombell and Susan Kruse with the stone at its new location
Mr Wombell, who is leading a project to record rock art in the Highlands and Grampian, said it was an important discovery.

He said: "Although some stones are decorated on different faces, I only know of a few other stones with decoration on opposite sides."

The archaeologist said most boulders with markings were too heavy to turn over to find out if they were decorated on the reverse side.

The stone in the new discovery was moved by crofters about 200 years ago when they used it for building a dyke.

There is a cluster of rock art in the local area.

A Neolithic chambered burial cairn and round houses dating to the Bronze and Iron Ages have also been found.

Another major discovery in the area was the Heights of Brae hoard, the largest surviving late Bronze Age gold find in Scotland.

A farmer uncovered the jewellery while ploughing a field in the 1960s.
 
I'll park this here, pro tem

Storms expose ancient human remains on Cornish beach

Efforts are under way to identify ancient human remains found on a Cornish beach.
Archaeologists believe the bones, exposed by storms in a cliff at Harlyn bay near Padstow, could be those of a young iron age or bronze age woman.
Once they have been radiocarbon dated it is hoped they will go on show at the Royal Cornwall Museum.

Archaeologist Andy Jones said there had been a lot of Bronze and Iron Age burials in the area.
Mr Jones, from Cornwall Council's historic environment service, said: "Based on what has been found before from the vicinity we thought there was a very good chance they were either going to be Bronze Aged or Iron Aged."

A member of the public reported the discovery to the police after noticing the cliff face had changed and the bones were in view following this year's winter storms. The passerby suspected the remains to be human.
Police and council officers then visited the site and an exhumation followed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-26621146

If the bones are Iron Age, I'll have to re-post.
 
More on Harlyn Bay:

Skeleton found in Cornish cliff face cavity inside bronze age stone burial chest
2:30pm Tuesday 18th March 2014 in News .

A phone call reporting that parts of a skeleton had been found in a cavity in a Cornish cliff face may sound like a plot for TV detective show, but for two Cornwall Council staff it marked the beginning of an intriguing investigation.

The council was contacted by the police after a call from a member of the public who had seen what they thought were human remains in a cavity the cliff face at Harlyn Bay.

The Public Health and Protection service are responsible for investigating these reports and, following an investigation which established this was a finding of interest, it was necessary to apply for an emergency licence from the Ministry of Justice to carry out an exhumation. This licence is granted under Section 25 of the Burial Act 1857.
Once it had been established that the bones were of historical significance the Council’s Historic Environment service was tasked with removing them.

Andy Jones, an Archaeologist Team Leader with the Historic Environment service and expert in Bronze Age ceremonial monuments, said: “This area is one of the most important for prehistoric burials in Cornwall” said Andy.
“The sand protects bone from the acidic soil conditions making it one of the few places in Cornwall where unburnt bone will survive”.

Andy and his team visited the site and found that the cavity was in fact a cist (a stone burial chest) which had been set into the ground. “Our investigation of the cist revealed that it contained a partial burial (the full skeleton does not seem to have been buried) of a young person - possibly female. There were no grave goods and the only find was a quartz block. “ The bones were carefully removed from the cavity and taken back to Andy’s base at New County Hall for further investigation, including radiocarbon dating.

This latest find is located close to several other burials of Bronze Age date (3500-4000 years ago), which have been exposed by earlier cliff falls and a large Iron Age (2500-2000 years ago) cist grave cemetery is located nearby.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/11 ... st/?ref=mr
 
Rare Bronze Age gold crescent moon discovered in Dorset field
By Stour & Avon Magazine | Posted: May 20, 2014
By Roger Guttridge

When David Spohr dug into a Dorset cow-field after his metal detector emitted a signal, he thought at first that he’d found nothing more than an old sardine tin.
But as he dug deeper, he could scarcely believe his eyes.
For the 55-year-old precision grinder from Creekmoor, Poole, realised he had struck gold – literally.
“I could see it was yellow and so shiny,” he said.
“I also saw some engraved edges and I realised it was something special.”

The object, buried under 10 inches of soil in the Tarrant Valley field, was a Bronze Age gold lunula in the shape of a crescent moon.
It was probably used by a tribal leader, high priest or healer as a symbol of authority.
The lunula, which weighs 71.5 grams, is one of only a handful found in mainland Britain and is thought to be the first located by a metal detector.
It is even more unusual to find one so far inland.

Members of the Stour Valley Search and Recovery Club say the lunula is the most exciting find in their 30-year history.
They believe it is between 2,500 and 4,500 years old but are hoping the British Museum, who are currently examining it, will be able to narrow down the date.

A team of experts will also give a valuation, which is expected to be in the thousands of pounds.
It would have been worth even more but unfortunately one of the lunula’s “paddles” was missing.
“I’ve heard everything from £2,000 to £20,000 but I’m not getting too excited until I get the letter,” said David.
A treasure inquest will also be held and the value will be split between David as the finder and the landowner.

David, whose previous finds include a Bronze Age ring that is now in the Dorset County Museum, had spent a fruitless morning with some of his fellow club members when he decided to stop for lunch.
“I headed across the field to get my sandwiches and kept the detector on as I walked,” he said.
“Halfway across I got the signal. I dug very carefully and was quite amazed when I got it out.
“We do find a lot of rubbish and you never think you’re going to find a lump of gold.” 8)

There was great excitement as fellow members of the Stour Valley Search and Recovery Club gathered round along with the landowner, who was alerted to the find by phone.
And David never did get to eat his sandwiches.
The club notified their finds liaison officer Ciorstaidh Hayward-Trevarthen at County Hall and the coroner was informed.

Research by club members suggests that more than 80 of the 100 lunulas found in the past were in Ireland and several others on the coast of mainland Europe.
In mainland Britain, one was found in Wales in 1869 and three on the coast of Cornwall*.

Read more at http://www.blackmorevale.co.uk/Rare-Bro ... So3zSIt.99

* See http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewt ... 20#1207420

PS: The River Tarrant flows from Tarrant Gunville in the north, through five other 'Tarrants' to Tarrant Crawford in the south, just before it joins the Dorset Stour! :D
 
Seahenge: Second Holme-next-the-Sea wooden circle dated to 2049BC

A second Bronze Age wooden circle discovered on a Norfolk beach has been dated to the same year as its neighbour, known as Seahenge.

Archaeologists have been testing wood from the second henge at Holme-next-the-Sea and believe it was also built using trees felled in 2049BC.

Both wooden circles were revealed in the sand near Hunstanton in the 1990s.

Experts said the study showed both structures were probably linked to the same burial.

Seahenge was excavated in 1998-99, despite protests, and put on display at Lynn Museum, King's Lynn.

Norfolk County Council said there were no plans to move the second circle.

When it was revealed at Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Holme Dunes nature reserve, the second henge had two logs laid flat in the centre of a wooden oval.

These have since been washed away and the remaining structure is now completely covered by sand.

The process of dating the wood using tree rings, called dendrochronology, started last year.

David Robertson, historic environment officer at Norfolk County Council, said the research showed the two circles "must have been directly linked".

"The reasons why the second circle was built are not clear," he said.

"It may have formed part of a burial mound and the two central logs may originally have supported a coffin.

"Seahenge is thought to have been a free-standing timber circle, possibly to mark the death of an individual, acting as a cenotaph, symbolising death rather than a location for burial.

"If part of a burial mound, the second circle would have been the actual burial place."

The study's full results are due to be published soon.
 
According to the Beeb, this find is from the Copper Age. But Wiki says:

"The Chalcolithic (...)[1] period or Copper Age,[1] also known as the Eneolithic[1]/Æneolithic (from Latin aeneus "of bronze"), is a phase of the Bronze Age before metallurgists discovered that adding tin to copper formed the harder bronze.
The Copper Age was originally defined as a transition between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. However, because it is characterized by the use of metals, the Copper Age is considered a part of the Bronze Age rather than the Stone Age. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Age "


Alston pupils unearth 4,000-year-old gold hair tress

A group of schoolboys has unearthed a rare 4,000-year-old ornament during a dig in Northumberland.
The children, from Alston Primary School in Cumbria, were taking part in an excavation at Kirkhaugh when they saw a glint of gold in the soil.
The object, which was found in a burial mound, is believed to be a decorated hair tress from about 2,300 BC.

One of the boys, Joseph Bell, aged seven, said when he saw the gold in the ground he started "dancing with joy". :D
The ornament, which is 1.3in (33mm) long and dates back to the Copper Age, was found alongside three flint arrowheads and a jet button.
It is thought to have been worn by a metal worker who could have travelled to Britain from overseas in search of gold and copper.

Eight-year-old Luca Alderson, said: "When I first saw it I felt happy but I thought it was plastic. When I found out it was gold, I was very happy."
This find is believed to be the partner of a matching one discovered at Kirkhaugh during an excavation in 1935 led by Herbert Maryon.

The dig was arranged by the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as part of an archaeology project.
Paul Frodsham, who lead the project, said: "All archaeological sites are important in their own way, but this is exceptional.
"It can be regarded as marking the very start of mineral exploitation in the North Pennines, leading in due course to Roman exploitation of lead and silver, and eventually to the vast post-medieval lead industry for which the region is internationally famous."

After being analysed by specialists, it is hoped the head tress will be reunited with the one found in 1935 which is housed at the Great North Museum in Newcastle.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28645612
 
rynner2 said:
Bronze age boat launches in Falmouth - See how it was built: VIDEOS
2:34pm Thursday 7th March 2013 in News .

HISTORY was made in Cornwall this week as a unique project to recreate a 4000 year old boat reached its dramatic conclusion as it launched into the waters of Falmouth Harbour.

Professional boatbuilder Brian Cumby and a team of volunteers re-created the large replica Bronze Age stitched boat using traditional tools and materials. These video shows the progress from the first steps to the completion.

There are nine videos in total, scroll down to view.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/10 ... OS/?ref=mr
From the other end of the Channel, this was on Ch4 tonight:

The Boats That Made Britain: A Time Team Special
Today on Channel 4 from 8:00pm to 9:00pm

Archaeological special with Tony Robinson. Twenty years ago, archaeologists in Dover town centre unearthed something that began to transform our picture of the Bronze Age. Six metres underground was the most intact Bronze Age boat ever found. Tony Robinson joins a team of experts as they strive to reconstruct the Dover Boat - one of the oldest seagoing boats in the world - and so unlock more of the secrets of this mysterious time in our past.

Probably available on 4oD. The programme mentions the NMMC project to build Morgawr, as well as the Salcombe Bay shipwreck, which is also mentioned on this MB somewhere.

The Dover Boat reconstruction was only half-scale (and a bit of a lash-up to my eyes), but let's hope they learned something useful from it!

But it seems there was was plenty of sea-going activity along the Channel in the Bronze Age.
 
Brown bears 'roamed Dartmoor', suggests grave pelt

A fur pelt found in an ancient burial chamber suggests that bears once roamed Dartmoor, it has been claimed.
Experts have confirmed the pelt, found by archaeologists in the bronze age granite cist on the moor in 2011, is from a brown bear.
Fiona Pitt, curator of Plymouth Museum, which is exhibiting the grave finds, said: "It's entirely possible bears were living in the local area."
The grave was found in a peat bog on White Horse Hill.

The bear pelt was wrapped around artefacts found in the grave, including cremated human remains.
It has only been identified now because the affect of the Dartmoor bog on the pelt meant the usual process of analysing its DNA was not possible.
English Heritage, which oversaw the project, employed a specialist from the Smithsonian Institute in the USA to test the pelt using a process called peptide mass fingerprinting.

Vanessa Straker, English Heritage's science advisor for the South West, said: "Finding the right technique to analyse it took some time.
"We thought it would be one of the easiest finds to identify, it looked very well preserved, but these things are so rarely preserved at all that we have little experience of working on them."
She added:"We think bears were spread around Britain at the time.
"Their natural habitat was around woodland so they may have been around Dartmoor."

Other discoveries at the 4,000-year-old site include a woven basket and a hoard of about 150 beads.
Some of the beads were made from amber which would have been traded from abroad, suggesting a person of high social status, said Ms Pitt.
"The pelt ties in with the high status of the person suggested by the other artefacts," Ms Straker said.

Despite there being about 200 burial cists on Dartmoor, the moor has offered up few secrets before due to grave robbing.
Ms Pitt said: "This is the most outstanding site to have been excavated locally in over 100 years.

"The items that were discovered in the cist are of national and international importance and provide one of the best glimpses into life in Bronze Age southern England that academics and scientists have ever had.
"Many of the finds are made from organic materials and are in an exceptional state of preservation."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-29067027
 
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