Chapple, R. M. 2014 Archaeology of Gatherings Conference. Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland. October 2013. Part VI. Blogspot post (original) (raw)

A Massive, Late Neolithic Pit Structure associated with Durrington Walls Henge

Internet archaeology, 2020

A series of massive geophysical anomalies, located south of the Durrington Walls henge monument, were identified during fluxgate gradiometer survey undertaken by the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project (SHLP). Initially interpreted as dewponds, these data have been re-evaluated, along with information on similar features revealed by archaeological contractors undertaking survey and excavation to the north of the Durrington Walls henge. Analysis of the available data identified a total of 20 comparable features, which align within a series of arcs adjacent to Durrington Walls. Further geophysical survey, supported by mechanical coring, was undertaken on several geophysical anomalies to assess their nature, and to provide dating and environmental evidence. The results of fieldwork demonstrate that some of these features, at least, were massive, circular pits with a surface diameter of 20m or more and a depth of at least 5m. Struck flint and bone were recovered from primary silts and radiocarbon dating indicates a Late Neolithic date for the lower silts of one pit. The degree of similarity across the 20 features identified suggests that they could have formed part of a circuit of large pits around Durrington Walls, and this may also have incorporated the recently discovered Larkhill causewayed enclosure. The diameter of the circuit of pits exceeds 2km and there is some evidence that an intermittent, inner post alignment may have existed within the circuit of pits. One pit may provide evidence for a recut; suggesting that some of these features could have been maintained through to the Middle Bronze Age. Together, these features represent a unique group of features related to the henge at Durrington Walls, executed at a scale not previously recorded.

Burials and builders of Stonehenge: social identities in Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic Britain

Journal of Neolithic Archaeology, 2010

Über die Identität der Erbauer von Stonehenge wurde schon lange gerätselt. Vor fünfzig Jahren spekulierten Archäologen, mediterrane oder ägyptische Architekten hätten lokale Barbaren beim Bau angeleitet. Die Ergebnisse der aktuellen Untersuchungen deuten an, dass die Vorbilder der Architektur allesamt bei bereits bekannten britischen Traditionen im Monumentbau aus Wales und Wessex zu suchen sind. Erste Ergebnisse osteologischer Untersuchungen demonstrieren, dass von den geschätzten 150 Menschen, die in Stonehenge bestattet sind, die 64 ausgegrabenen von einem ausgewählten Segment der Gesellschaft stammen. Neben zwei erwachsenen Frauen und zwei bis drei Kindern waren alle übrigen wohl adulte Männer. Die wenigen Grabbeigaben, die in diesen Brandgräbern gefunden wurden, deuten auf Individuen von religiöser oder politischer Autorität. Sie wurden in Stonehenge während der Zeit 3000-2300 cal BC bestattet und könnten eine oder mehrere Herrscherdynastien repräsentieren. Die erste Bauphase von Stonehenge (3000-2920 cal BC) fällt in eine Zeit steigender Uniformität der materiellen Kultur in Britannien, sowohl im Hinblick auf Keramikstile und Hengemonumente, als auch im Hinblick auf Hausformen. Seine Errichtung könnte geplant worden sein, um die verschiedenen Regionen Britanniens zu vereinen, insbesondere die von Sandsteinen geprägte Wessexregion und die von Dolerit (Bluestone) geprägten Regionen in Wales. Die zweite Bauphase von Stonehenge (2620-2480 cal BC), als das Monument in etwa die heute sichtbare Form annahm, war mit einer großen Siedlung im nahegelegenen Durrington Walls assoziiert, die später zu einem Henge umgebaut und so monumentalisiert wurde. Die Inspiration für die Steinarchitektur in Stonehenge-die Zuformung der Steine, die Sturzsteine, das Element der Verzapfung-kann in der einheimischen Holzarchitektur Britanniens gesucht werden. Insbesondere die Form der Anlage kann von den timber circles in Wessex und anderswo in Britannien abgeleitet werden, während die hufeisenförmige Anordnung der Trilithen von den halbovalen hölzernen Wohnhäusern aus Wales, aber auch aus Durrington Walls und Stonehenge selbst abgeleitet werden kann. Insgesamt kann Stonehenge als eine monumentale steinerne Repräsentation von Baustilen gedeutet werden, die üblicherweise in Holz ausgeführt wurden.

The Stonehenge Riverside project Research design and initial results

2004

Stonehenge was in use throughout the third millennium , within a landscape of linked Neolithic and Early Bronze Age timber, chalk and earth monuments. Its stone phase began probably in the mid-third millennium  and its famous sarsens were erected around the same time that the henge enclosure of Durrington Walls with its timber circles was constructed three miles upstream along the River Avon. The river may have been significant as a link between the living and the dead, represented in the use of perishable wood and permanent stone materials. This theory has been elaborated to develop expectations about the landscape which may be investigated on the ground. One of these is the expectation that Durrington Walls was connected to the river by an access in a similar way that Stonehenge is linked to the river by the Avenue. This paper sets out the research design for a new project "Stonehenge river-side" and reports on the findings of the 2003 field season.

Houses of the Holy: Architecture and Meaning in the Structure of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK

Time and Mind, 2016

Stonehenge in central southern England is internationally known. Recent re-evaluations of its date and construction sequence provides an opportunity to review the meaning and purpose of key structural components. Here it is argued that the central stone structures did not have a single purpose but rather embody a series of symbolic representations. During the early third millennium this included a square-incircle motif representing a sacred house or 'big house' edged by the five Sarsen Trilithons. During the late third millennium BC, as house styles changed, some of the stones were rearranged to form a central oval setting that perpetuated the idea of the a sacred dwelling. The Sarsen Circle may have embodied a timereckoning system based on the lunar month. From about 2500 BC more than 80 bluestones were brought to the site from sources in the Preseli Hills of west Wales about 220km distant. Initially arranged as a Double Circle they are variously rearranged at least four times over the following centuries. The diverse lithology of the bluestones reflects the landscape from which the stones derived so that the monument embodied a microcosm of the distant land. Associations with water and healing suggest one reason why Stonehenge became such a powerful place in prehistoric times.

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.

Durrington walls and the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project 2010–2016

Since 2010 the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project (SHLP) has undertaken extensive archaeological prospection across much of the landscape surrounding Stonehenge. These remote sensing and geophysical surveys have revealed a significant number of new sites and landscape features whilst providing new information on many previously known monuments. The project goal to integrate multimethod mapping over large areas of the landscape has also provided opportunities to re‐interpret the landscape context of individual monuments and, in the case of the major henge at Durrington Walls, to generate novel insights into the structure and sequence of a monument which has attracted considerable research attention over many decades. This article outlines the recent work of the SHLP and the results of the survey at Durrington Walls that shed new light on this enigmatic monument including a site 'hidden' within the monument.