maximus otter
Recovering policeman
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Distinctive and rare rock crystals were moved over long distances by Early Neolithic Brits and were used to mark their burial sites, according to groundbreaking new archaeological research.
Evidence for the use of rock crystal—a rare type of perfectly transparent quartz which forms in large hexagonal gems—has occasionally been found at prehistoric sites in the British Isles, but little investigation has previously been done specifically into how the material was used and its potential significance.
A group of archaeologists from The University of Manchester worked on a dig at Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, a mile south of another dig at Arthur's Stone. There, they studied a complex of 6000-year-old timber halls, burial mounds and enclosures from the Early Neolithic period, when farming and agriculture arrived in Britain for the first time.
As well as a range of artifacts including pottery, stone implements and cremated bones, they uncovered rock crystal which had been knapped like the flint at the site, but unlike the flint, it had not been turned into tools such as arrow heads or scrapers—instead, pieces were intentionally gathered and deposited within the burial mounds. The experts say the material was deposited at the site over many generations, potentially for up to 300 years.
"The crystals would have looked very unusual in comparison to other stones they used, and are extremely distinctive as they emit light when hit or rubbed together and produce small patches of rainbow—we argue that their use would have created memorable moments that brought individuals together, forged local identities and connected the living with the dead whose remains they were deposited with," says Dr. Nick Overton.
https://phys.org/news/2022-08-prehistoric-brits-rare-crystals-burial.html
maximus otter
Evidence for the use of rock crystal—a rare type of perfectly transparent quartz which forms in large hexagonal gems—has occasionally been found at prehistoric sites in the British Isles, but little investigation has previously been done specifically into how the material was used and its potential significance.
A group of archaeologists from The University of Manchester worked on a dig at Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, a mile south of another dig at Arthur's Stone. There, they studied a complex of 6000-year-old timber halls, burial mounds and enclosures from the Early Neolithic period, when farming and agriculture arrived in Britain for the first time.
As well as a range of artifacts including pottery, stone implements and cremated bones, they uncovered rock crystal which had been knapped like the flint at the site, but unlike the flint, it had not been turned into tools such as arrow heads or scrapers—instead, pieces were intentionally gathered and deposited within the burial mounds. The experts say the material was deposited at the site over many generations, potentially for up to 300 years.
"The crystals would have looked very unusual in comparison to other stones they used, and are extremely distinctive as they emit light when hit or rubbed together and produce small patches of rainbow—we argue that their use would have created memorable moments that brought individuals together, forged local identities and connected the living with the dead whose remains they were deposited with," says Dr. Nick Overton.
https://phys.org/news/2022-08-prehistoric-brits-rare-crystals-burial.html
maximus otter
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