Andy Burnham's Blog, page 237

Carreg-y-Llech

An Impressive standing stone in Flintshire (Sir y Fflint) - almost as wide as it is tall - imposing itself on its surroundings. The stile gives easy access from the road but it is easily seen from the car. The name translates as ‘the stone [of the] slab’ but ‘llech’ can also suggest ‘slate’ - probably from Greek origins > ‘-lith’ etc. Well worth visiting (Werth ymweld â hon.)

Midhowe Chambered Cairn

Prof. Colin Richards chambered tombs talk free via video/audio conference from Orkney, 28th Feb 1pm. Prof Richards will argue that archaeologists have misunderstood the role of Neolithic chambered tomb monuments and the role and participation of the dead. Title: Decaying flesh and instability of substances: rethinking Neolithic chambered tombs. More details in the comments on our page. On the island of Rousay, originally built ca.3500 B.C. and discovered in 1932 by the landowner, the huge Midhowe Chambered Cairn is the largest cairn on Orkney - over 75 feet long. It is divided by pairs of upright slabs into 12 compartments, several of which contained stone benches. The remains of 25 people were found in the compartments, and pottery was also recovered.

Situs Pekasele

An ancient mound in Indonesia, with sculptured stones and menhirs. It is in a very nice setting. The Balinese transmigrants and local communities still honour the site. There are two sculptured stones in good condition - one is known as Peka Sele. There is also an intriguing "stone map" on the top of the mound. The flat stone is interpreted by local as a map (of the sky?).

Bitsyari Bay, West Papua

The site is in Bitsyari Bay opposite the Namatote islands, West Papua. The rock art is located along a stretch of cliffs only accessible from the sea. It takes around 2 hours by boat from Kaimana. The sites are known to locals and cannot be missed. Some of the paintings have been already damaged but most of them are clearly visible from the boat. They remind a lot of aboriginal paintings from Australia.

Chester Minerva shrine

A new video shows how antiquarian illustrations can assist in visualising the heavily eroded and damaged but hugely important Minerva shrine, near Chester. As ever - see the comments on our page for more. A unique site, in a park in Chester is a figure of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and of soldiers. It is the only such site still in its original location in Northern Europe. The shrine is believed to have been carved into the sandstone block in the 2nd Century AD. The figure is badly worn but can still be made out.

Creswell Crags

The biggest concentration of protective 'witch' marks ever found in British caves has been discovered at Creswell Crags in the East Midlands. More details in the comments on our page.. Creswell Crags is an ensemble of several small caves along both sides of a small gorge on border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The caves provided shelter for Neanderthal and anatomically modern people through a crucial period of human evolution between 130,000 and 10,000 years ago. Archaeological finds include flint and bone tools, and carvings, proving that Ice Age hunters visited the site to hunt reindeer and horse. There is a museum and visitor centre.

Île Melon grand menhir

A huge menhir between 6 and 7 metres tall and estimated to weigh 80 tonnes once stood on Île Melon, Bretagne. It was destroyed on 2nd March 1942 by the German military under the pretext that it served as a landmark for navigation. Many large sections of the menhir can still be seen laying on the island.

Vottovaara Mountain

Seids or seitas are objects or sites revered by the Saami people as representing nature or earth spirits. Found throughout the area once called Lapland, (now Karelia, Russia) they were constructed and revered in the distant past by the Saamis’ pre-Christian ancestors. They can take many forms, including constructions of wood or just secluded pools or valleys, but in this case the word refers to seid stones, which are stones or boulders, often of unusual shapes or placed in unusual ways. These are the megaliths of the ancient northern peoples.

Rock Cones of Urgup (Cappadocia)

These fascinating naturally-formed rock citadels (their shapes including pinnacles, cones, domes, columns and pyramid shapes) have survived because they are made of a much harder rock than the plateau around it which has since weathered away.

Afton Down

Cliffrich (Luke) has been exploring the barrows and stones on the Isle of Wight - you can read his visit blog here.. The Afton Downs and Freshwater Golf Club barrows make up one barrow cemetery. The round / bowl barrows are mostly very well preserved and some of the best I have seen on the Isle of Wight so far. There is also a disc barrow, bell barrow, and a long-barrow.