'Breakthrough' at Stonehenge digA quick update from Stonehenge, where the dig progresses and the finds haul increases - in the linked article, there are no less than three embedded video clips, each lasting no more than a few minutes.
The first, with Professor Darvill, shows us some of the bluestone fragments that have so far been recovered - we see him standing in the re-excavated trench that was originally dug in 1964 by Atkinson, the last person to conduct archaeology within the stone circle. The current dig has broken new ground in the search for sockets that previously held bluestones within them, in the hope that further finds will determine the purpose not only of their original inclusion, but indeed corroborate the idea that because of their vaunted powers of healing and magic, the bluestones were brought to Stonehenge to enable the site to function as a kind of healing centre for the ill and infirm.
Excavations so far reveal two sockets from which bluestone has been robbed out and broken up, but curiously, one hole appears to have been created to hold a bluestone in the historical period, possibly as late as Mediaeval times, testament indeed to the veneration in which this unusual dolerite material may have been held, up until so relatively recently.
The second video features Professor Wainwright explaining why the dig is taking place and what the researchers hope to achieve through their efforts, and as this has been covered previously, we'll skip right to the end of the report, where the third video clip takes us through some of the other finds that have been unearthed this past week.
Yvette Staelens talks us through, beginning with the piece of beaker pottery discussed earlier in the week - she explains how this type of material is particularly sought after when digging at Stonehenge, as it is frequently found within what are considered to be high-status burials, in association with other artifacts such as those made from gold, amber and flint, from which arrowheads were fashioned.
Roman pottery fragments have also been found, and although it isn't known exactly what Roman people would have been doing at the site, it is suggested that Stonehenge was attracting these people to whom a site such as this would have been quite unlike anything else they had encountered anywhere in the Roman Empire as was - perhaps they were visiting the site as a place to take a picnic, and littered up the site with broken or abandoned pottery that had contained their food and drink.
Three larger chunks of rock are produced, and we're told that these were used for breaking up pieces of stone in the process of extracting flakes.
But the most visually interesting object was a fragment of bluestone, or spotted dolerite - the spots come from the inclusions of feldspar and quartz, and as Dennis Price alluded to in this linked article, this material reminds some people of the stars and constellations that we see in the night sky, as it may well have done for some of our prehistoric ancestors who went to the trouble of transporting heavy blocks of bluestone all the way to Stonehenge from the Preseli mountains.
And to finish off, we have this from the Smithsonian Channel blog, in which poster David Royle, the Executive Vice President of the Smithsonian Channel, has published an article, 'The Druids Speak', from which the following is taken...
On the front of Ian the Druid’s white robes, he wears a blue tunic with a symbol of interwoven rings. I have never seen it before and don’t have a clue what it means. It’s called a “Request.” Ian explains that it’s a Pagan symbol that’s used by Druids and Wicca’s and New Age people. In the Christian faith, he says, it would represent the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. But for the Druids, it represents the maiden; the mother…and I think he says “the crow.” I look confused and repeat back to myself, “The crow? What have crows got to do with it?”
The Druid, ever patient, explains, “No, the crone.” Now if you’re still mystified, join the club. Ian sees my obvious confusion, and repeats “the crone. She’s an old hag. It represents the never ending circle of life.”Although as we see later, the crow is in fact represented by the use of its feathers, but to find out more, you'll need to read the rest of the linked blog post.
see also : Flickr : Smithsonian Channel Stonehenge Excavation's Photostream
... if you use the Flock 1.1 browser, this photostream can be loaded into your media bar, from where you can add it as a favourite, and see further updates as soon as they become available. (hat-tip to Paull Young for the heads-up)
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