 Previous 20 | Showing 41-57 of 57 news posts. Most recent first
Boat provides historical insight.
A Bronze Age logboat which had lain unseen in the River Tay for 3,000 years is being studied by archaeologists.
It is hoped the find will yield important new information about how human ancestors lived.
Although the boat, made from the trunk of a single oak, was found five years ago, it was only lifted out of the Tay during the summer.
Repairs carried out on the 30ft vessel have already given experts an insight into Bronze Age technology.
The boat, which would have been powered by up to 12 men, is being studied by archaeologists in Edinburgh who have claimed it to be one of the best examples of its kind in Scotland.
Experts have also been intrigued about the discovery of sulphur in the wood.
Noel Fojut, of heritage agency Historic Scotland, said: "There are very advanced techniques now for analysing the material, such as what was used to make a repair in the middle of the boat.
"We can now do a lot with very small samples, so the boat looks just as it did before."
The logboat currently has to be kept wet to prevent drying out and cracking.
However, once the research has finished, it will be injected with chemicals and freeze dried to preserve it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6213857.stm
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Stonehenge 'in serious trouble'
The Unesco World Heritage site, Stonehenge, is "a destination in trouble", a new survey has found.
The National Geographic Traveler magazine marked the site 56 out of 100 against criteria including historic preservation and tourism management.
Survey panellists said Stonehenge was a "mess", "over-loved" and "crowded".
English Nature, which looks after the site said it was "actively seeking to revamp its visitor facilities" and improve the near-by A303 road.
More than 400 tourism experts rated 94 World Heritage sites in the third survey of its kind for National Geographic.
The lowest ranking destination was given to the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, which scored only 39 out of 100.
In a statement, English Nature said: "It is true that the site has lost some its magic, but the fact is that it is the only UK World Heritage Site to have been nominated as one the New Seven Wonders of the World."
It is competing against other iconic buildings and structures, ranging from the Statue of Liberty to the Great Wall of China, in a global hunt for the New Seven Wonders of the World.
The poll is being organised by the Swiss-based group New7Wonders and the winners will be announced in July 2007.
Last year, planning permission was refused for a new visitor centre at Stonehenge but English Nature plans to appeal against the decision in December.
It also said that the much-needed improvements to the A303 - which have been endorsed at a public inquiry were now subject to a government review as a result of cost increases.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/6112476.stm
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Stonehenge '7 Wonders' finalist
An airship has flown over Stonehenge to celebrate the 5,000-year-old landmark's inclusion on a shortlist to decide the seven wonders of the modern world.
Fifty robed druids performed a ceremony inside the circle to mark the event.
Stonehenge, the only British entry, is up against iconic buildings and structures ranging from the Statue of Liberty to the Great Wall of China.
The global poll is being organised by the Swiss-based group New7Wonders. The winners will be announced in July 2007.
The New7Wonders winner will be chosen by the public.
Bernard Webber, New7Wonders founder, said: "I think it (Stonehenge) has great potential because of its simplicity. It's like a mirror for humanity."
"Stonehenge's beauty is also its environment which, if the roads were not here, would be even better. I think it has a good chance."
Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, is one of 21 finalists.
Some 20m votes have already been received, including many from India for the Taj Mahal, China for the Great Wall and Peru for Machu Picchu.
But European voters have been slower off the mark, said Tia Viering, a spokeswoman for New7Wonders.
The news of Stonehenge's entry has been greeted with enthusiasm.
"It should win simply because it's prehistoric. It's 5,000 years old and was built before written language, before metal tools and before the invention of the wheel," said Dave Batchelor, of Stonehenge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/6058282.stm
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Nuisance notice served on trust
An enforcement notice has been served on the National Trust by a local council because of ongoing problems with travellers and pagans.
Kennet District Council issued the planning enforcement notice on the trust after overnight problems at Avebury Stone circle in Wiltshire.
A spokesman said complaints had been received about bad behaviour caused by the influx of New Age visitors.
The trust has until 6 November to lodge an appeal.
A council spokesman said: "The council has warned the National Trust that it should not allow overnight camping and caravanning in its car parks because it is a breach of planning control.
"The trust has responded by saying that it is trying to find an alternative site."
Regional director Brendan McCarthy said the trust had been working hard to find a solution that balanced a large number of factors and interest groups.
He said: "We are all aware of the unsuitability of the current car park for the larger pagan celebrations and the trust is committed to finding an alternative which will be acceptable to all parties."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6044972.stm
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Public inquiry on Stonehenge plan (or, "When will it end?")
Plans for a £67m visitor centre at Stonehenge, complete with its own rail link, are to go to a public inquiry.
Salisbury District Council approved the plans last week but the plans were "called in" by the government.
The plans were already turned down once by the district council over environmental fears, but approved after an appeal and consultation.
The government said the scheme was called in because "the proposals raise issues of more than local importance".
Government planners also wanted to consider the centre's indirect involvement with plans to upgrade the A303 and Stonehenge to World Heritage Site status.
Council planners in Salisbury had previously approved the scheme under the condition the road was upgraded to include a tunnel.
The planning inspector will now carry out another inquiry and will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Local Government, Ruth Kelly, who will have a final say on the matter.
A Salisbury District Council spokesman said there had already been two consultations on the centre at a cost of £10,000 each plus staff costs.
Councillor Richard Britton, leader of Salisbury District Council, said: "It is unfortunate that this issue is to be the subject of yet another public enquiry.
"We had hoped that, by making our approval subject to a number of conditions, the issue would have been resolved.
"We are extremely concerned with the further financial burden this inquiry will place on the council. The expense involved with such a process could be very significant indeed."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5295108.stm
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Plea to PM over Stonehenge saga
The Prime Minister is being urged to step in to decide on the future of traffic around Stonehenge.
The RAC has written to Tony Blair, asking him to get personally involved after a series of u-turns and delay.
The motoring foundation favours putting the A303 through a 1.3-mile tunnel, bored into the Wiltshire countryside.
The scheme was recommended after a public inquiry, but was put on hold by the Department for Transport when its costs rose to £510m.
In his letter to Mr Blair, RAC Foundation chairman David Holmes said: "Only you have the authority to cut through departmental inertia and get some action."
A long-awaited visitor centre and rail link for the ancient site cannot go ahead until the government has sanctioned the road improvements.
Mr Holmes added: "Because the cost estimate for the scheme rose to £510m, the Department for Transport insisted on re-examining some of the options which the public inquiry ruled out.
"This is a backwards step, as any of these alternatives would have to be the subject of further consultation and full public inquiries. None could start for a decade or more."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5284486.stm
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Cat drags in new theory on cairns
The actions of a domestic cat have thrown up a new theory about ancient stone burial cairns in Caithness.
Archaeologists built a mock-up of the structures as part of an experiment.
Emma Sanderson, of Caithness Archaeology Trust, said it was found that a dead rabbit had been left in the replica by a cat.
She said it could mean that animal bones found in real cairns were not the remains of ceremonial offerings, as thought, but left by other creatures.
Archaeologists built reconstructions of burial cairns and ancient towers called brochs as part of a series of research projects and excavations carried out in Caithness over the summer.
Prince Charles, who is on holiday at Castle of Mey, visited the ruins of a broch near Keiss this week.
A team from Nottingham University also dived to a number of wrecks off the Caithness coast, including one thought to be a World War I German warship.
The archaeologists are now analysing their field work, including new insights into cairns.
"One day a couple of weeks ago a dead rabbit was laid out in the cairn. It had been placed there by a cat," said Ms Sanderson.
She said it was previously thought that animal remains found in actual cairns were left as ceremonial offerings.
However, the cat's dead rabbit has provided a new theory that they had been killed by other animals years after the cairn had fallen into disrepair.
Another theory about cairns may also have been exploded after archaeologists knocked down their mock-up.
It was noted that the stones collapsed in a pattern previously thought to be evidence of ceremonial closing of the cairn.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5245956.stm
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Prehistoric causeway is uncovered
Evidence of a prehistoric causeway has been uncovered during flood defence work on the marshes of Suffolk.
Contractors working on the Environment Agency's excavation of a new dyke on Beccles town marshes found timber remains which had been hand-sculpted.
Archaeologists said the wooden causeway was used from the Bronze Age in about 1000BC, through the Iron Age to Roman times and the 4th century AD.
The site will now be analysed and dated with the results published this year.
Archaeologists from the University of Birmingham and Suffolk County Council Archaeological Field Services Team were called in to investigate the find.
Results suggest the more than 2,624ft (800m) long wooden causeway may have run from dry land on the edge of Beccles, across a swamp to a spot on the River Waveney.
A 98ft-long (30m) section of the causeway has been recorded with more than 40 in-situ timber posts uncovered.
The 16ft-wide (5m) causeway would have carried carts and was the Bronze Age equivalent of a motorway.
The wet conditions of the site mean that organic material such as wood has been well preserved.
Jane Sidell, from English Heritage, said: "This is the first such structure to have been discovered within Suffolk, and is one of only a few in Britain, and as such is a nationally important find.
"It gives us an excellent opportunity to examine ancient, possibly ritual, use of the marshland, and how the marshes have developed over time."
Dr Henry Chapman, from the University of Birmingham, said: "You have got a causeway which has been used for a tremendous amount of time, which is unique - we haven't got something like that.
"It has been added to over time to preserve it, which shows its importance to early Beccles."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/5241084.stm
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Stonehenge photo shoot rained off
Rain grounded an airborne celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the first aerial photographs of Stonehenge.
A balloon carrying photographers was due to fly over the ancient Wiltshire landmark to recapture images taken in 1906 by Lieutenant Philip Henry Sharpe.
But the poor weather on Salisbury Plain on Tuesday forced the balloon to remain grounded.
English Heritage later provided aerial pictures taken from a balloon over Stonehenge earlier this year.
Archaeological benefits
Lt Sharpe was a member of the Royal Engineers' Balloon Section - precursor to the Royal Flying Corps and later the RAF - when he took the first aerial shots.
The images helped with the discovery of other earthworks around the stones.
Stonehenge's chief archaeologist Dave Batchelor said: "Aerial photography is most useful in helping us understand the human use and development of the landscape around Stonehenge."
Aerial views of Stonehenge taken 100 years ago are on display at Stonehenge until 7 August.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5234914.stm
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Stonehenge visitor plan approved.
Plans to build a new visitor centre, with its own rail link, at Stonehenge have been approved by councillors.
English Heritage's original application was refused by Salisbury District Council amid fears a rail link would damage the environment.
But after an appeal, planners on Monday approved the scheme with conditions.
The development cannot start until the government has sanctioned improvements to the nearby A303, including a tunnel through the Wiltshire countryside.
World heritage site
Councillor Mike Hewitt said the plans had met with some opposition.
"None of us like the application 100%, but it is the best we have got at the moment," he said.
"The current visitor centre is not a good advertisement for the UK. It is cramped and there is nowhere to shelter from the rain.
"After all, it is a world heritage site, one of those things you are supposed to see before you die and if you went down there you'd wonder what we were expecting people to pay for."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5167584.stm
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Stonehenge visitor plan supported
English Heritage plans for a new Stonehenge visitor centre are being recommended for approval.
Salisbury District Council had refused the original plans amid fears a train to ferry visitors to the site would damage the environment.
There were also concerns about whether the nearby A303 would be upgraded.
The plans have been resubmitted following an appeal and a final decision on the centre will be made by the council on 10 July.
Planning officials have advised the council they can make approval of the visitor centre conditional on improvements to the A303 going ahead.
1,000 comments
A consultation period is now complete and the plans will go before a special meeting of the council for comment on 4 July before another meeting is held for a final decision six days later.
At both meetings - to be held at 1630 BST at Amesbury Sports Centre - time will be set aside for the public to have their say.
When it received the original planning application in September 2004, more than 1,000 comments were received from members of the public.
Since the application was resubmitted in April a further 77 comments have been received.
All comments received since 2004, along with the views of statutory consultees, will feature in a report going to both committees.
When the planning and regulatory committee has made its decision, the government can choose to refer the decision to a public inquiry.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5117174.stm
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Rampart find excites historians
A dig near Malmesbury town walls has uncovered a substantial stone-fronted defensive rampart and a deep ditch which could date to the Iron Age.
Archaeologists believe the prehistoric hill fort would have had impressive multiple defences rising above the valley of the River Avon.
English Heritage said the results were very exciting and showed how important the town's defences were.
The work was said to bring a new dimension to the story of Malmesbury.
'Defensive rampart'
A project spokesman said it was the first time that the area outside of the line of defences has been examined archaeologically.
The finds add to discoveries recorded during the previous investigation carried out during November 2005 during restoration work on the walls, that revealed new evidence about the nature of the town's defences.
When the collapsing stone of the wall was removed, substantial clay deposits almost 3m (10ft) high were found. Archaeologists identified these as the upper rampart of the Iron Age hill fort on which Malmesbury was later built.
It is believed the whole of the Eastgate Bastion is an artificially constructed fortified gate (barbican) built to extend the area of the former hill fort and to provide substantial and impressive stone-built defences.
Investigations revealed evidence of a further rampart against the outer face of the lower levels of the town wall.
This consisted of burnt material including a large quantity of slag.
Archaeologists consider that this burnt material is probably Late Saxon and may date from the 8th or 9th Centuries AD.
If confirmed, it would add support to Malmesbury's claim to be the oldest borough in England.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4995232.stm
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Cash boost for new Lakes website
A website featuring thousands of sites of archaeological interest in Cumbria's Lake District is being set up with the help of a £171,000 grant.
The district has more than 6,500 historical attractions including Shap Abbey, Castlerigg Stone Circle and Hardknott Roman Fort.
The Lake District has 275 monuments and 1,740 listed buildings.
The project is being paid for by the Heritage Lottery Fund and run by the Lake District National Park Authority.
Lisa Keys, a former exhibition interpreter at the National Museums Liverpool, who is helping to run the project, said: "At the moment unless you are very interested in archaeology, there isn't a particularly accessible way of finding out more details.
"By the time we've finished there'll be lots of exciting ways to link into the past which everyone from schoolchildren to communities and the area's 12 million visitors can all use.
"Most people don't come to here to delve into history, but we want to share all this fantastic archaeology and see heritage placed on a prominent platform alongside the beautiful scenery."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/4996970.stm
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Proposals to recreate Stonehenge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4753205.stm
An ambitious project to recreate Stonehenge as it would have looked 4,000 years ago is being planned.
Fragments of only three circles remain, but quarry firm Preseli Bluestone wants to build all seven from scratch.
It is hoped the circles will be completed by 2009. The new site would be open to visitors.
An exact location is yet to be decided, but the Cotswold Water Park, which straddles Wiltshire and Gloucs, is one of several sites being considered.
Preseli Bluestone owns the quarry in Wales where the stones for the ancient Wiltshire monument originally came from.
Colin Shearing, from the company, said: "We don't want to replicate Stonehenge as it stands today, but rather as how it would have looked when completed about 4,000 years ago."
The new Stonehenge would be built using both modern and ancient methods which the public would be invited to watch.
The plans are in the very early stages, but the aim is to create a 21st Century 'landmark architectural heritage sculpture' which allows visitors to walk among, and touch, the stones.
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Dig Planned for Lakes Beauty Spot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/4795288.stm
Archaeologists hope to unearth Bronze Age treasures after receiving £50,000 to help fund a dig in a Cumbria valley. The three-year project in the Duddon Valley in the south west of the Lake District, will be carried out by professional archaeologists.
Much of the work will focus on the cairn at Seathwaite Tarn - a mound of landmark and burial stones.
The project is costing £133,000 in total and is being supported by the Lake District National Park Authority.
Archaeologists will be helped by university students, volunteers and members of the Duddon Valley History Group.
Park Authority senior archaeologist John Hodgson said: "The valley is a quiet and scenic part of the Lake District National Park.
"However, its quiet character masks a very long history of occupation. A wealth of physical remains exist from this long period, much of which has not been recorded."
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New Plans for Stonehenge Bypass
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4639116.stm
New plans for Stonehenge bypass
A government transport minister has been outlining possible options for the A303 road around historic Stonehenge.
It follows a decision in July 2005 to review plans - now estimated to cost £510m - to bore a tunnel at the site.
Stephen Ladyman said in addition to the tunnel, the viability of a bypass to the north or south or a 'cut and cover' tunnel would be examined.
He said: "The Government is committed to improving the A303 past the World Heritage Site at Stonehenge."
He added: "I hope that everyone with an interest in this important issue will take this opportunity to contribute to the review process."
David Lammy of the Highways Agency added: "This review is an important stage in our work. We need to find a solution for the A303 past Stonehenge that is right for the setting of the stones and right for the historic landscape which surrounds them."
The public consultation period runs from 23 January to 24 April 2006, with public exhibitions being held in Salisbury on 9-11 February 2006 and in London on 17-18 February 2006.
Alternatives to the underground road tunnel at the site could threaten the recovery of one of Britain's rarest birds - the stone curlew - the RSPB has warned.
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Previous 20 | Showing 41-57 of 57 news posts. Most recent first |
Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
In death's dream kingdom
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind's singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.
T.S.Eliot "The Hollow Men"
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