The work of the first excavators of Avebury, Britain's largest stone circle, will be discussed in a free public lecture at the University of Bath in Swindon on Wednesday, March 28.

Dr Ros Cleal, curator of the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury, will draw on the museum's archives and photo collection to illustrate excavation work that went on from the mid 17th to 20th centuries, forming the basis of much of what is known of the Avebury monuments today.

The talk, From Utter Darkness to a Thin Mist: Early Excavators at Avebury, will feature the work of nationally-known antiquaries and archaeologists such as John Aubrey and William Stukeley, and those of more local fame such as Maud Cunnington and Alexander Keiller.

The Alexander Keiller Museum was founded in 1938 and features the history of the stone circle, particularly its archaeological excavations.

The collection is mainly of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age date, with some Anglo-Saxon and later material. It has a large excavation archive from excavations in the 1920s and 1930s.

Admission and parking for the lecture is free and people can just turn up on the evening. The lecture runs from 5.30pm until 6.30pm in the University Hall at the Oakfield campus.

Time to meet our distant ancestors up close

Mar 12 2007

ADVANCED scientific wizardry in Wales is helping to bring our ancestors to life and sharpen up the "fuzzy" image of prehistory. Extra-precise dating techniques at Cardiff University are helping to paint a far clearer picture of what new archaeological finds might mean. Scientists can date their findings much more precisely, allowing them to look at individuals' lives in detail instead of a grand historical timespan. The techniques have been used in the dating of human bones discovered at a prehistoric burial site which indicates they belong to people who may have died in a massacre in the Neolithic Age. Remains of the 14 people - three of whom were probably killed by arrows - were discovered at Wayland's Smithy, a burial mound near the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire, in the 1960s. Their bones were buried in the oldest part of the mound, known as a chambered long barrow, and researchers have now narrowed the date of their burials to between 3590 and 3560 BC. The ground-breaking research was carried out by English Heritage with the help of Cardiff University and the University of Central Lancashire. Professor Alasdair Whittle of the Cardiff School of History and Archaeology at Cardiff University, said, "Up to now prehistorians have tended to emphasise long-term change, in search of long-running or underlying processes at the expense of shorter-term events and succession. "This dating programme will help direct the study of prehistory to get much closer to people." Michael Wysocki, senior lecturer in forensic and investigative science at the University of Central Lancashire, said the findings opened up the possibility that they could have died as a result of a massacre, maybe in a scramble for land or a cattle raid. This, he said, suggested the Neolithic Age was marked by more violence than previously thought. "We know one person was shot through the lower abdomen because we have found the tiny tip of a flint arrowhead embedded in their pelvic bone," he said. "We also know that the bodies of two people were scavenged and partially dismembered by dogs or wolves before their remains were buried in the monument. "All this new evidence suggests that the period between 3625 BC and 3590 BC may have been one of increasing social tension and upheaval." The research has also dispelled the traditional view that Neolithic long barrows were used over centuries. Instead, their use has been revealed to be short-lived and intensive with few barrows used for more than three to four generations. The research also throws light on the differences in which communities treated their ancestors. The end of the active use of four Neolithic sites in South-West England - Ascott-under-Wychwood, Hazleton, West Kennet and Fussell's Lodge - was previously thought to be separated by centuries, as they were closed differently and human remains were deposited in diverse ways. But by combining radiocarbon dates with archaeological information, researchers can now reveal that these sites all ended their burial within a decade or so of 3625 BC. Alex Bayliss, radiocarbon dating expert at English Heritage, said, "Prehistorians till now have only been able to assign the people whom they study to imprecise times. "As a result, prehistory is often seen as a fuzzy period, a timeless stretch in which nothing changes for long periods. "With this research, we can now think about the Neolithic period in terms of individuals and communities and make useful and revealing comparisons between their choices and behaviour in the remote past. "This dating programme demands a revolution in our thinking about prehistory and not just that of early Neolithic burial monuments in southern Britain," he added. "Finally, we can now think about Neolithic history - ideas, events and people - at specific times over 5,000 years ago." Radiocarbon dating alone has only previously been able to provide a broad range of dates, usually spanning 250 years.

Avebury car park furore

The parish council in Avebury is at odds with the National Trust over a proposal to put a permanent height barrier at the entrance to the village's main car park.

But Kennet District Council officers in a report to today's regulatory committee recommend approval of a barrier for limited periods only.

For years villagers have been complaining about the southern car park on the Swindon Road being used as an illegal campsite.

At the solstice and other pagan festivals tents, motorhomes and converted vans stay for days.

Last year Kennet served an enforcement notice on the National Trust requiring it to stop the use of the car park as a caravan/camping site.

The trust, which owns the car park, has proposed installing a permanently locked steel barrier 2.1 metres high.

In a statement accompanying the planning application the trust said it was experiencing problems in managing the car park.

To tackle the problem of unauthorised camping of caravans and camper vans the trust was proposing the height barrier.

The trust said: "This will permit the free access of cars and other low vehicles but prevent access by camper vans and similar."

Wiltshire's highways department has no objection as long as the barrier is set back at least six metres from the road.

However, Avebury Parish Council has lodged a series of objections saying: A steel barrier would be out of keeping with the World Heritage Site.

Coaches and camper vans would clog up the centre of the village.
A barrier would discriminate against coaches and tourists with camper vans or caravans who are visiting but do not wish to stay overnight.

There would be confusion for visitors, particularly those with high-sided vehicles, on a busy main road.

A height barrier would not prevent illegal camping with tents.

The parish council has suggested that the situation can be controlled by having the car park manned on the times when the festivals take place.

Other objectors raising the same points as the parish council include Berwick Bassett and Winterbourne Monkton Parish Council, the Avebury Society, the World Heritage Site officer and one motor caravanner.

Planning officers recommend approval of the height barrier only over festival periods when illegal camping is likely to take place, from three days before the festival.

However, they recommend the height barrier should be removed within two days of a festival ending.

Total Lunar Eclipse from Avebury
3rd March 2007


Silbury Hill gets a new path from the car park
1st March 2007


A photograph of a plane taking a photograph of a plane taking a photograph
of the Avebury Villagers standing in a circle inside Avebury stone circle.


Fathers 4 Justice protest at Stonehenge
February 22nd 2007


Silbury gets a haircut.
Bushes and tree's are cleared off of Silbury hill by
Julian Richards, Gill Swanton and crew.
18th February 2007



Snow arrives at Avebury
8th February









RIP Tim Sebastian
who passed away 1st February 2006

I, the under-mentioned, by this document
Do declare my true intentions, my last will, my testament.
When I turn up my toes, when I rattle my clack, when I agonise,
I want no great wet weepings, no tearing of hair, no wringing of hands,
No sighs, no lack-a-days, no woe-is-me's and none of your sad adieus.
Go, go, go and get the priest and then go get the booze, boys.

Death, where is thy victory? Grave, where is thy sting?
When I snuff it bury me quickly, then let carousels begin -
But not a do with a few ham sandwiches, a sausage roll or two and "A small port wine, please".
Roll the carpet right back, get cracking with your old Gay Gordons
And your knees up, shake it up, live it up, sup it up, hell of a kind of a time.
And if the coppers come around, well, tell them the party's mine, boys.

Let best beef be eaten, fill every empty glass,
Let no breast be beaten, let no tooth be gnashed.
Don't bother with a fancy tombstone or a big-deal angel or a little copper flower pot:
Grow a dog-rose in my eyes or a pussy-willow
But no forget-me-nots, no epitaphs, no keepsakes; you can let my memory slip.
You can say a prayer or two for me soul then, but - make it quick, boys.

Lady, if your bosom is heaving don't waste your bosom on me.
Let it heave for a man who's breathing, a man who can feel, a man who can see.
And to my cronies: you can read my books, you can drive around in my motor car.
And you can fish your trout with my fly and tackle, you can play on my guitar,
And sing my songs, wear my shirts. You can even settle my debts.
You can kiss my little missus if she's willing then, but - no regrets, boys.

Your rosebuds are numbered;
Gather them now for rosebuds' sake.
And if your hands aren't too encumbered
Gather a bud or two for Jake.

The last will and testimony of Jake Thackray.
Click here to listen to the Mp3
(Dedicated to Tim)


http://www.badger.org.uk/index.html

How busy badgers are undermining care of ancient heritage sites

The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 has led to such a big increase in the badger population that their incessant
burrowing is damaging archaeological sites across the country.

Badgers are particularly drawn to Neolithic mounds, Iron Age settlements and Anglo-Saxon burial sites because the earthworks
are much softer on the claws than is hard bedrock. They provide the perfect conditions for the building of the animals’ setts.

But, to the dismay of archaeologists, the badgers are burrowing through ancient sites and churning up the remains.
Vital evidence is being lost in the destruction and displacement of archaelogical layers and artefacts, from fragile pottery
to human bones found in prehistoric and Anglo-Saxon graves.

The Protection of Badgers Act made it an offence to kill, injure, capture or mistreat the animals,
which were once hunted for food and bristles for shaving brushes.
The protection has led to an increase in their numbers from about 175,000 to more than 275,000. In the 1970s, there were only 50,000.

The warmer winters have also had an effect, enabling more cubs to survive and the badgers to be more active.
Their burrowing, along with that of rabbits and moles, has particularly affected Salisbury Plain, which has about 2,500 sites, including Bronze Age barrows and Iron Age enclosures. Badger and rabbit burrows are now running through layers beneath a Bronze Age round barrow
that was re-used for burials in the Anglo-Saxon period.

Archaeologists at the National Trust and English Heritage are trying to assess the scale of the problem.
Jonathan Last, head of research policy for prehistory at English Heritage, spoke of finding a balance between protecting wildlife and conserving ancient monuments. “It’s a real problem,” he said. “The damage can be very serious.”

Preventing badger damage can be very expensive.
Fences are one option, but they have to be robust, as badgers are strong.
At Avebury in Wiltshire, archaeologists lured away some of the badgers with trails of honey-coated peanuts, and at a nearby Neolithic site,
West Kennet long barrow, they installed a barrier with one-way badger gates.

The National Trust said that archaeologists were finding that the animals could help as well as impede their work. At one of the trust’s properties, the caves around Dovedale, South Peak, in Derbyshire, human bones from a 3,000-year-old skeleton were tossed out of the caves by burrowing badgers.
The bones were an important find.

Dr Last said: “There’s an element of the badgers being helpful in unearthing artefacts.
Unfortunately, we can’t send a badger in with a trowel and shovel to do it properly.”

Dig to stop flooding at historic site

The village of Avebury has been no stranger to excavations of one sort or another over the years, but recent excavations undertaken by Kennet District Council were not a quest to resolve the mysteries of the past, but to attend to a more modern problem that has been troubling residents in the High Street.

Surface water flooding began to occur at increasingly regular intervals in the High Street, with the threat of flooding to properties a distinct possibility. Kennet District Council, working together with Wiltshire County Council and a local land owner have now implemented a solution.

A large culvert running from the High Street to a drainage ditch system behind the village was cleared by Wiltshire County Council, using high pressure jetting equipment. The drainage ditch system, which connects to the River Kennet, had filled with silt over the years and Kennet District Council Engineers arranged for the ditch to be dug out and regraded.

Avebury's World Heritage status requires strict procedures to be followed when excavations are undertaken within such a sensitive area.
Kennet District Council arranged for an archaeological assessment to be made prior to the works and employed an archaeologist to maintain a watching brief throughout the whole of the earth moving operations.

Although expectations were high, no archaeological remains were encountered.
Kennet District Council was keen to safeguard evidence of past Avebury residents, while ensuring the well being of todays.

Councillor Peter Evans, Member Champion for the Environment said:
"This is an excellent example of partnership working at a local level to resolve a flooding problem."
January 4th

DRUIDS are demanding the re-burial of a child's skeleton displayed in the stone circle museum in Avebury.

On Tuesday the Council of British Druids backed up their request with a small ceremony at the Alexander Keiller Museum.

The child's skeleton was discovered during excavations at the North Ditch at Windmill Hill in 1929. Dubbed Charlie or Charlotte, is one of the most popular exhibits in the museum.

Now the Order of Druids, the group that celebrates mother earth and holds solstice ceremonies at Avebury, wants the skeleton reinterred.

The druids are in talks with the National Trust, which runs the museum, over the issue.

Experts say it is likely that many skeletons, skulls and other human remains in British museums will have to be considered for reburial.

In Australia the Aboriginals and in the USA the Native Americans have successfully fought for the return of ancestral remains.

Now the National Trust and other museum authorities in the UK could face a similar barrage of requests.

David Thackray, head of archaeology at the National Trust, and Sebastian Payne, chief scientist at English Heritage, issued a joint statement.

It said: "Human remains have a unique status within museum collections and should always be treated with respect."

Leading Avebury archaeologist Mike Pitts said he was sympathetic to the request from the druids. He said: "The issue of how we handle and display human remains in museums is of great importance." The ceremony outside the museum was led by the druid Lady Archdeacon of Glastonbury Denise Price and involved prayers for the child.

Paul Davis from the Council of British Druids said he was sure their request would be successful.

Mr Davis said: "It will happen, it's just a case of whentomorrow, in ten years or in 100 years."

February 1st