Through the dark vale: interpreting the Stonehenge Palisade through inter-disciplinary convergence (original) (raw)
Related papers
Non-invasive survey in the Stonehenge 'Triangle', Amesbury, Wiltshire, has highlighted a number of features that have a significant bearing on the interpretation of the site. Geophysical anomalies may signal the position of buried stones adding to the possibility of former stone arrangements, while laser scanning has provided detail on the manner in which the stones have been dressed; some subsequently carved with dagger and axe symbols. The probability that a lintelled bluestone trilithon formed an entrance in the north-east is highlighted. This work has added detail that allows discussion on whether the sarsen circle was a completed structure, although it is by no means conclusive in this respect. Instead, it is suggested that it was built as a facade, with other parts of the circuit added and with an entrance in the south.
The Early Field Systems of the Stonehenge Landscape
Heritage Site (WHS) during 2015 and 2016 has revealed new details of landscape structuration and the deposition of the dead during the Middle Bronze Age. The research reported here demonstrates the existence of early fields or enclosures in the eastern part of the WHS, that was previously thought to be an area of little agricultural or domestic activity in the Bronze Age. These features were succeeded by a major ditch system in which two individuals were buried, an unusual way of dealing with the dead in the Middle Bronze Age. At the same time, the body of a perinatal infant was deposited in a palisade ditch in the western part of the WHS. The paper explores how these actions help elucidate a period of significant change in the landscape around Stonehenge, during which natural features, ancestral monuments and the recent dead were enmeshed in complex ways of bounding and dividing the landscape.
Analytical Surveys of Stonehenge and its Environs, 2009–2013: Part 2 – the Stones
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2015
Non-invasive survey in the Stonehenge ‘Triangle’, Amesbury, Wiltshire, has highlighted a number of features that have a significant bearing on the interpretation of the site. Geophysical anomalies may signal the position of buried stones adding to the possibility of former stone arrangements, while laser scanning has provided detail on the manner in which the stones have been dressed; some subsequently carved with axe and dagger symbols. The probability that a lintelled bluestone trilithon formed an entrance in the north-east is signposted. This work has added detail that allows discussion on the question of whether the sarsen circle was a completed structure, although it is by no means conclusive in this respect. Instead, it is suggested that it was built as a façade, with other parts of the circuit added and with an entrance in the south.
The archaeology of Stonehenge - a preliminary survey
Queensland Archaeological Research
No archaeology data has been published from the Stonehenge region of central western Queensland. Indeed the only archaeological activity carried out in the area to this point in time, has been sporadic forays by one or two consultants, leading to a restricted amount of information being available for public comment. The following paper begins the process of addressing this situation by discussing archaeological sites found during the field component of a consultancy in the Stonehenge-Longreach district. General interpretations are offered regarding prehistoric human behaviour and the paper also highlights some problems associated with the interpretation of archaeological material in the field.
The Stonehenge Riverside Project: exploring the Neolithic landscape of Stonehenge
Documenta Praehistorica, 2008
The Stonehenge Riverside Project is a collaborative enterprise directed by six academics from five UK universities, investigating the place of Stonehenge within its contemporary landscape. In this contribution, a series of novel approaches being employed on the project are outlined, before the results of investigations at the Greater Stonehenge Cursus, Woodhenge, the Cuckoo Stone and Durrington Walls are discussed.
Archaeology and legend: investigating Stonehenge
Archaeology International
Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments, built 4,500–5,000 years ago during the Neolithic in a time long before written history. The recent dramatic discovery of a dismantled stone circle near the sources of some of Stonehenge’s stones in southwest Wales raises the fascinating possibility that an ancient story about Stonehenge’s origin, written down 900 years ago and subsequently dismissed as pure invention, might contain a grain of truth. This article explores the pros and cons of comparing the legend with the archaeological evidence.