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archaeoprehistorica:

Creevykeel Court Tomb, Sligo, Ireland

archaeologistsdontdigdinosaurs:

FOUR NEOLITHIC HOUSES UNEARTHED AT QUARRY
Article created on Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Four early Neolithic houses (3700 BC) have been unearthed by archaeologists at CEMEX’s Kingsmead Quarry in Berkshire. The discovery is unprecedented on a single site in England and challenges our current understanding of how people lived more than 5,700 years ago.
This rare find will give us a unique opportunity to learn more about the earliest permanent settlements in prehistoric Britain and how such sites developed. At this time new practices were being adopted with people switching lifestyle from hunter-gather to settled farmer.

A rare find

Few houses of this date have been found in England and rarely has more than one been found on a single site. These discoveries by excavators from Wessex Archaeology are key to enhancing the knowledge and understanding of this period nationally and at a local level tell us more about the history of the area around the Rivers Colne and Thames near Windsor.

Foundation trench of one of the Neolithic buildings. Image: CEMEX
“Unfortunately only the ground plans have survived as any timber would have rotted away long ago.

“However, we have a good idea of what these structures may have looked like from the many house finds in Ireland, from experimental work reconstructing prehistoric buildings, and for wood working techniques from timber-built walkways of the same date, such as the Sweet Track, that were found preserved in the peat deposits of the Somerset Levels.

“These finds add to our knowledge of life in Neolithic times and how buildings at that date were constructed,” comments Dr Alistair Barclay, Wessex Archaeology.

Area, ideal for settlement

The houses were probably built by pioneer farmers that had moved into the area bringing with them the knowledge and woodworking skills necessary to construct substantial buildings. The area was ideal for a settlement, it was close to the River Colne and there would have been ample woodland nearby.

All the houses were rectangular in shape with the largest being 15 x 7 metres. Two were constructed out of upright oak planks set into foundation trenches, whilst the others were built using wooden posts.

Pottery, flint tools, arrowheads, rubbing stones for grinding corn and charred food remains were recovered from the buildings confirming the lifestyle of the inhabitants and the approximate age of the houses.

Dates confirmed

Radiocarbon dating has been used to confirm the age of one of the houses (3800–3640 BC) and further dates will be obtained for the other buildings later in 2013, on the charred remains of cereal and hazelnut shell.

Andy Spencer, Sustainability Director, CEMEX commented “ In addition to extracting valuable building materials that go into buildings all around us, quarrying has given us some wonderful archaeological finds that tell us more about our ancestors and how they lived. At Kingsmead, the scope of the finds covers thousands of years and has provoked some interesting debate about the people who lived there.”

The excavations are part of CEMEX’s £4 million archaeological programme on the site, which has been in operation since 2003.

smashmorphed:

This is the Ballymacdermot Cairn located in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland. This monument, lying on the slopes of Ballymacdermot Mountain close to Newry, is an extremely well preserved Neolithic burial site with three chambers. It can be dated between 4000 and 2500 BC. Locally known as ‘The Fairy Ring’, and is reputed to be haunted. Capture here under full moon with a ring of Fire by means of oil lantern.

ignatavicius:

The World’s First Temple - Göbekli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe is a Neolithic hilltop sanctuary erected at the top of a mountain ridge in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, some 15 kilometers (9 mi) northeast of the town of Şanlıurfa (formerly Urfa / Edessa). It is the oldest known human-made religious structure. The site was most likely erected in the 10th millennium BCE and has been under excavation since 1994 by German and Turkish archaeologists. Together with Nevalı Çori, it has revolutionized understanding of Eurasian Neolithic history.

openaccessarchaeology:

Open Access Article- Archaeological research on Rapa Island, French Polynesia

http://epress.anu.edu.au/titles/terra-australis/taking-the-high-ground-terra-australis-37/pdf-download

lightpolite:

A diagramme of Stonehenge from Official UFO: Ancient Astronauts, vol. 1, no. 2. March 1976.

pvpool:

the Cairn of Barnenez, or the Barnenez Mound, was constructed in the Neolithic Period, about 4500BC. It is recognized for being perhaps the oldest megalithic monuments in Europe and also contains some of the best preserved megalithic art. It was constructed in two phases, the first cairn is believed to have been built between 4850 and 4250 BC. The second cairn dates to 4450 and 4000. It is estimated that it would have taken 200 ‘workers’ three months to build the first one. There are five chambers built into the first cairn and six in the second.

For reference, the Great Pyramid at Giza dates to 2560 BC. Sechin Bajo, in Peru, is the oldest structure in the Americas. It dates to 3500 BC. The oldest man-made structure known and recognized is the Theopetra Cave in Greece, which dates to 21000 BC!

The Marnenez Mound is in Breton, France. It over looks the Bay of Morlaix

wildeyedsoutherncelt:

Skara Brae, Orkney Photograph by Paul Sutherland Archaeology received a gift from nature in 1850, when a strong storm hit the Orkney Islands, stripping away sand dunes and uncovering the remains of the Skara Brae settlement. Later excavations would reveal a complex of stone houses linked by passageways that dates to between 3200 and 2500 B.C. It’s considered the best preserved Neolithic village ever found in northern Europe and is a World Heritage site.

aenglaland:

The West Kennet Long Barrow is a Neolithic tomb dating back to 3650 BC and is thus the oldest building in England. The inside tunnels were used as pagan burial chambers and are built from Saracen rock as seen on the exterior. 

lifeisnotademo:

Maeshowe, a 5000 year-old burial chamber in Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland (Image: Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation)

prettysweetlemons:

Neolithic Obsidian Trade
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