Stonehenge Slag

A bunny has been busy digging under Stone 14 - chucking out a lot of what seems to be slag, or furnace clinker, with bits of china and glass. Remains of the hard surface that was put down in the centre I guess, but why is it under Stone 14?

Newall on Stone 66

Stonehenge Stone no. 66

R. S. Newall (1952).

The Antiquaries Journal, Volume 32,
Issue 1-2, April 1952 pp 65-67

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=7860573

An interesting plan showing the parallel arrangements of the Altar Stone and the Great Trilithon. (And the end of the Bluestone Horseshoe?)

New Heritage of Astronomy Site Launched

Welcome to the new integrated web portal for the Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative, launched on August 24, 2012 during the sessions of the IAU’s Astronomy and World Heritage Working Group at the 28th IAU General Assembly in Beijing, China.

And of course it has lots, with more coming, about our favourite site.

The Stonehenge WHS contains more than 700 archaeological features, including more than 350 burial mounds, and a number of key monuments such as the Cursus (c. 3600–3400 BC); Woodhenge (c. 2300 BC), Durrington Walls henge (c. 2500 BC) and the Stonehenge Avenue (c. 2500–1700 BC). A new henge has recently been discovered at West Amesbury (c. 2400 BC) at the end of the Stonehenge Avenue.
A number of these monuments appear to have been deliberately aligned along the midwinter sunset-midsummer sunrise solstitial axis: Stonehenge stone circle, the ‘final approach’ of the Stonehenge Avenue, Coneybury henge, and Woodhenge. By contrast, a number of other monuments appear to have been aligned along the midsummer sunset-midwinter sunrise solstitial axis, including the timber circle known as Durrington Walls 68 and possibly the timber Northern Circle at Durrington Walls. There are also two further definite examples on significantly sloping ground, thus permitting us to identify their directionality: these are the recently discovered Durrington Walls Avenue, which is aligned on the midsummer sunset, and the Durrington Walls Southern Circle (another timber circle), which is aligned on the midwinter sunrise.

Stone 4 Carving

Ten years ago there was the first Laser Scanning of Stonehenge - reported here.

Since then there has been a more detailed scan which we await the results from. 

Stone 4 was one of the stones scanned and revealed many carvings.

Walking round the stones yesterday one of the carvings was so obvious I took a photo of it and thought it was interesting to compare it to the laser scan. 

Caption - Looking along the scanned area from the right. Note the axe heads in the foreground.

And here is my snap  showing the carving - it is the one in the scan with two dots above it. Can you see the rest?

With MPP at Clatford - Extra Photo

Your humble blogger helping MPP clear cattle from the ford across the Kennet at Clatford 

- Photo by Dan Rendell. 

Can't help humming...

Rollin rollin rollin
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them doggies rolling
Rawhide
Rain and wind and weather
Hell bent for leather
Wishing my girl was by my side
All the things Im missin
Good victuals, love and kissin
Are waiting at the end of my ride

Move em on (head em up)
Head em up (move em up)
Move em on (head em up)
Rawhide.....

With Mike Parker Pearson at Clatford

Just to the west of Marlborough Mike is directing a couple of digs relating to the route that the sarsen stones took to Stonehenge. The preliminary results he revealed to us were amazing, much more excavation and analysis is certainly justified by these finds and I'm excited by what the published results will reveal.

I think I can say that my proposed route is fairly close agreement to the findings though some adjustments and refinements will be needed.

A great afternoon, thanks to WAMS and MPP for organising it.

Mike Pitts' Screws - More Pictures

As he reported on his blog recently Mike Pitts found two modern screws, just a bit corroded, in two of the sarsens....one is in the small upright no. 11.

Here are some close up pictures of it, it is a mystery which no one seems to know about. Click any to enlarge.

I previously published photos of what I think is the other "screw" he mentions, which is in Stone 52, here.