Monday 29 July 2013

Periglacial Stripes at Avebury


I popped along to the dig on the Avenue at Avebury this morning and was made very welcome by Dr Joshua Pollard.

Why not go along yourself? - Details -http://ntarchaeostonehengeaveburywhs.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/welcome-to-fragments-dig-in/

Lots of fascinating finds to be revealed by them later but as a Stonehenge chap I was amazed to see the periglacial stripes leading down the gentle slope at a slight angle to the steepest slope in a very similar manner to the periglacial stripes under the Avenue at Stonehenge. The area has never been ploughed so they show up very well. Click the photo for larger.

2 comments:

  1. Tim

    I would suggest that it is very easy for archaeologists to mistake plough marks with periglacial stripes. We have already seen archaeologists claim periglcial stripes at Airmains corner which I commented upon in Brian's blog.

    "Anonymous said...

    'periglacial stripes' really!!

    Of 52 trenches and 43 test pits in close approximation on 5 sites - we are lead to believe that just 29 evaluation plots have so called periglacial stripes(PS).

    If we plot these PS's on the map provided on the report we find on area AW only one 1x1m test pit (57) has these features but the three 30x3m trenches that surround TP57 have none - yet the trench to the south (TR5) past the two empty trenches (TR3 & TR4) does have them?

    Next door on area AE nine areas with nothing and only one (TR8) has PS's.

    In area D we do get a few hits eight out of twenty-one plots which look like a NW - SE alignment (which is strange as next door in Area C the reports state that the stripes go North to South).

    Area E has the most PS's thirteen out of nineteen plots - sadly these can not go either N - S nor NW - SE as empty trenches (TR34,TR35, TR42, TR43, TR49, TR51 & TR52) lack any PS's - so this must be East to West, if these so called 'archaeologists' are to be believed.

    In conclusion, PS's are either:

    1) Tiny weeny little things covering a few feet only

    2) PS's (like moles) disappear underground to reappear elsewhere?

    3) Or these are medieval or modern plough or cart marks and the so called 'experts' really don't have a clue?"

    If the picture represents these marks then they are very shallow in comparison to the avenue grooves - a map showing the angle and length of these features would be confirmation of there origin.

    Regards
    RJL

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    1. Hi Robert - thanks as always for your comment. I don't know about Airman's corner but these are definitely not plough marks, there is a lot more detail than can be seen in my snap.
      Here they cross the direction of the Avenue not run along it.And certainly they are small compared to the ones that are claimed at Stonehenge.

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