The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

News Items by Ravenfeather

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Ring of Brodgar (Circle henge)

Police appeal after Brodgar damage


Some idiot has seen fit to engrave some graffiti on to one of the stones at Brodgar.

Report and picture of the damage in the Orcadian

https://www.orcadian.co.uk/police-appeal-after-brodgar-damage/

Ness of Brodgar (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork)

Ness of Brodgar crowdfunding campaign is launched.


A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help fund this year’s excavation and post-excavation at the Ness of Brodgar archaeological site.

On July 2, archaeologists and volunteers will return to the Neolithic complex after ten months of careful planning and research.

But with the costs of the annual excavation and subsequent post-excavation work increasing as more needs to be done, the trust behind the dig is looking to online crowdfunding to help meet those costs, and is asking if £25,000 of those costs can be raised by public support.

Funds will not only go towards mounting post-excavation analysis of finds but will help with scaffolding platform hire, specialists, tour guides and transport as well as equipment for the annual excavation – from plastic bags to safety equipment.

Plans for 2018 include the further investigation of an enigmatic structure on the outskirts of the site – possibly a chambered tomb – as well as extending existing trenches to look at earlier buildings and, hopefully, find more evidence of the massive stone wall that once surrounded the complex.

https://www.orcadian.co.uk/ness-of-brodgar-crowdfunding-campaign-is-launched/

Maeshowe (Chambered Tomb)

New Visitor Centre Open


Report from the Orcadian with details of the new visitor centre.

http://www.orcadian.co.uk/new-maeshowe-visitor-centre-opens/

Orkney

Two Finds in One at Harray Chamber


From the Orcadian:

"A prehistoric underground structure has been rediscovered in Harray – rediscovered in that the archaeologists found it to be full of Victorian rubbish!

But although it had obviously been opened, entered and used in the 19th century, the chamber appears to have gone unrecorded.

Martin Carruthers, of the Archaeology Institute UHI, and county archaeologist Julie Gibson made their way out to the site, near the Harray Manse, last weekend.

Martin explained: “It’s either a souterrain or a ‘well’ and, given similar examples elsewhere in the county, probably dates to the Iron Age"

Read More: http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2016/05/two-finds-one-harray-chamber/

Sanday

Chance Discovery of Bronze Age Settlement on Sanday


From the Orcadian:

"Archaeological discoveries are often made when least expected, and this is exactly what happened on Monday, at Tresness, Sanday.

In very poor weather, Professor Jane Downes (University of the Highlands and Islands), Professor Colin Richards (University of Manchester), Dr Vicki Cummings (University of Central Lancaster) and Christopher Gee (ORCA, UHI) were walking out to Tresness to examine the eroding stalled cairn on the point.

But en route, they discovered the remains of no less than 14 Bronze Age houses, distributed over a kilometre stretch of sand.

What this discovery reveals is that an entire Bronze Age landscape on Sanday was covered by as the sand dunes formed in the second millennium BC.

But it was the scale and density of occupation that really surprised the archaeologists as they proceeded along the ness. Not only are house structures present but working areas are also visible"

http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2015/12/chance-discovery-of-massive-bronze-age-settlement-in-sanday/
Megalithic wanderer and modern day pagan.

I've always loved anything historical, particularly megalithic sites (I've many a fond memory of visits to Stonehenge in the mid 1970's as we used to stop there every year on the way to the annual family holiday down in Bournemouth, which I think started it off), and the discovery of a certain book by Mr. Cope set off an obsession in the late 1990's to see as many of these wonderful places as I can.

Enjoys walking in the wildnerness and climbing mountains (currently on the worlds slowest round of Munroe bagging), travel, playing guitar, real ale and malt whisky, historical re-enactment, fencing and wargaming (although not all at the same time!) Also adores small furry critters (particularly cats)

Spends most of the year in the megalithic desert of the Midlands, although fortunate enough to live part of the time in Kirkwall in the megalithic oasis of Orkney, with my lovely (and very patient) wife Ellen, and the cute furball that is our cat Hecate.

Favourite sites would be Callanish and Ring of Brodgar (where I was handfasted) in Scotland, Les Pierres Platts in Brittany, Havangsdosen in Sweden, Glavendrup in Denmark, and Sunkenkirk in England.

My TMA Content: