Andy Burnham's Blog, page 153

Addenstorf Grabhuegelgruppe

A group of 45 Round Barrows near the village Addenstorf, in Lower Saxony. The place has a unique excavated, restored Round Barrow which is a very good attempt to show what's inside a barrow.

Noon Hill Slack

See the links in the comments on our page to archive photos of when Noon Hill was excavated in the 1950/60's and a 3D render of what the recovered urn looks like now.. Noon Hill Cairn is surrounded by a double row of concentric stones, although much ruined these can still be located amongst the tufts of grass. The cairn was excavated in 1958 and finds including a cinerary urn are in the Bolton Museum. It was reportedly further damaged in 2019.

Hazleton North

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Ancient DNA reveals the world’s oldest family tree from this Cotswolds megalithic tomb. This long barrow (or chambered cairn) was subject to total excavation under Dr Saville - see the comments below to download his report. The barrow was methodically examined layer by layer, to gain information on how it and other Cotswold long barrows were constructed and used and to gain information about the people who built and utilised it. The main chamber (pictured left) is now in the Corinium Museum.

Mitchell's Fold

Photo: Gathering at Mitchell’s Fold circle for the setting sun on the winter solstice 2021. A lovely atmosphere despite the cloudy sky at sunset! You are very welcome to share your solstice photos and experiences with us.. Perched on a flat shelf between Corndon Hill to the south and Stapeley Hill to the north-east, Mitchells Fold offers panoramic views towards Wales to the west. Fifteen stones remain from a possible thirty. The tallest is just short of two metres high.

Bat's Hogsty

This confusing earthwork of 92 x 106 m dimensions is located in a forest east from Aldershot. It consists of several lines of banks and ditches, which are in best condition at the south. At the SE the ditch is connected with a stream, so it could be waterlogged. Earlier field reports describe the earthworks as defenses, but the defensive function of the monument seems to be unlikely to me, mainly due to it’s location. New reports suggest that Bat's Hogsty is a maze. Age of the site is unknown.

Ty Newydd (Llanfaelog)

A view from the north west taken in 1980. From the road, this dolmen looked like a thin slab on top of two brick columns; in fact it is an enormous lintel stone, with some original supporting stones - but blatantly held up by these red brick uprights! Despite the obvious anachronistic character, the site is still imposing and endearing.

Ōmori Katsuyama

A great (approx 45m diameter) stone circle excavated during 1959-61 and again in 2006-08. Then the site was buried back into the earth. In 2021 it was registered as an entry of the Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now replica stones have been placed on the site like Tabata stone circle but the replica stones are ugly and far from reality. They look quite different from other Jōmon stone circles.

Buddhist Pyramids in Japan, Korea and beyond (Nara era, 8th C)

All the three major pyramids in Japan have a connection with Buddhism: a Buddhist scripture was excavated (now lost) from Kumayama Iseki in Okayama prefecture, Buddhist statues are installed into Zutō in Nara prefecture and Dotō in Ōsaka prefecture is rumoured to have been constructed by the traveling priest Gyōki (行基 668-749 CE).

Newgrange

Live streaming of the Winter Solstice at 08:45 UTC on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of December, More info here. Do you know of any other solstice live streams this year?

. Passage Grave in Co. Meath. One of Ireland’s top three tourist attractions, open daily, with guided tours in summer, the is a remarkable tomb even though its façade has been rather over-restored.

Sutton Hoo

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Lyre previously found at Sutton Hoo has a cousin in Kazakhstan. More in the comment on our page. Anglo-Saxon burial mounds in Suffolk, one of which contained the famous ship burial of King Raedwald who died in 625 AD. Image Left: The best-preserved lyre from Dzhetyasar. Length = 0.655m. The soundboard has not survived. Right: A reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo lyre