Landscape-perception http://www.landscape-perception.com/ en Copyright 2012 Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:38:57 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Visual Investigations Sightlines Sightlines within the core Avebury Complex landscape were examined in order to revisit and confirm by direct field observations findings made by one of the investigators several years prior to the Landscape and Perception project. These sightlines allow exploration of the relationships between the Avebury monuments and between the monuments and the surrounding topography, the ‘lie of the land’. (This work is to some extent preliminary, and would be extended if a larger project can be resourced.) The study focused on Silbury Hill, standing as it does fairly central within the core landscape. The great mound acts like the hub of a wheel whose rim is formed by the nearest surrounding major monuments, some possibly contemporary with the mound, and others earlier. When viewed from each of these monuments the profile of Silbury Hill is intersected by the distant skyline between the flat summit and the weathered ledge. Viewed from West Kennet Long Barrow, the skyline to the north is formed by Windmill Hill, and this intersects the profile of Silbury Hill at about the same height as the weathered ledge. This observation is possible only from the western tip of the long barrow, and it is significant that this part was an extension that had been added onto the barrow – perhaps around the time Silbury was being built. This sightline provides a visual connection between one of the oldest monuments, West Kennet long barrow, and the ancestral Windmill Hill, and associates these sites with the awesome "new" monument of Silbury in between. Observations of Silbury made at other times from the other key monumental sites in the heart of the complex, namely, East Kennet long barrow, the Sanctuary, Avebury henge, and another great long barrow to the west confirmed that in each case the skyline passed behind the profile of the great mound somewhere between the flat summit and the weathered ledge. At Avebury henge, the viewing position was taken to be where the tallest stone had stood, a now-destroyed feature that had been called the Obelisk and which had stood in the southern half of the great, outer, circle. Only the top segment of Silbury is visible from the henge, visually wedged between the distant horizon and the foreground slope of Waden Hill. A very tight, precise sightline, so precise, in fact, that just before harvest time the height of the cereal crop on Waden Hill blocks it. This must always have been the case, for it is known from pollen analysis that cereals were grown there in Neolithic times. It is tempting to suspect that this relates to the fact that an early phase of the major part of the structure at Silbury appears to have been started at harvest time, suggesting that it was connected with harvest celebrations and rituals – the Stone Age forerunners of Lughnasa and Lammas – and perhaps the fecundity of the Earth in general. What could the significance have been of this top segment of the mound? Looking eastwards from the top of Silbury around the times of Lughnasa and Beltane (early August and early May respectively, when the sun rises from the same part of the horizon) the far skyline is visible just over the top of nearby Waden Hill. The sun can be seen rising from it. If the viewpoint is then immediately moved lower down to the east-facing part of the Silbury ledge, then the distant horizon appears to drop behind the bulk of Waden Hill's looming ridge, and the sun is seen to rise, again, over this a few minutes later. So Silbury appears to have been built exactly tall enough to separate the near and distant eastern skylines, and thus facilitate a symbolic "double sunrise" at ceremonially important times of the year. What appears to be a further, even more dramatic piece of ritual showmanship can also be experienced by an observer on the summit of Silbury at these times: a glow of light can be seen stretching away to the western horizon from the tip of Silbury's shadow cast by the rising sun. This is a refractive effect known as a "glory" created in the dewdrops in the fields below. The psychological effect of this phenomenon is to make one feel as if Silbury Hill is blessing the land. [PLEASE NOTE: due to careless damage, it is now strictly forbidden to climb Silbury Hill.] It is reasonable to speculate, therefore, that Silbury Hill stands just where it does and to the height that it does in order to be able to facilitate the north-south visual link between West Kennet long barrow and Windmill Hill, the demands of the "double sunrise" effect to the east, and to enable the skyline association to be visible from the key monument sites all around. If so, it is a staggering display of Stone Age sacred geography co-ordinating built monuments with natural topography and astronomy. Interpretation is always a risky business, but it seems reasonable to see Silbury Hill in terms of acting as intermediary between the fecundity of the Earth and the source of life, the sun – considered to be a goddess, Sunna, in early northern Europe. Perhaps the great mound symbolised the Earth Mother herself.

The Silbury ‘Sunroll’

A “sunroll” is the visual illusion of a setting sun rolling down a hill slope when viewed from a certain location, a backsight (there is a sun rising counterpart to the phenomenon as well). Except in equatorial regions, the sun doesn’t drop vertically to its setting position on the horizon but follows a sloping path down to its setting point, the angle of the path depending on the latitude. When the path’s angle matches that of a hill slope, we have a sunroll. Archaeoastronomer George Currie calculated that a sunroll should be visible at Avebury – specifically down the north-eastern slope of Silbury Hill as viewed from a point in the Palisades (see Introductory). Viewing from the identified point in the Palisades, on-site researchers Pete Glastonbury and Steve Marshall confirmed Currie’s calculations with a sighting of the sunroll on May 15, 2009 (Marshall et al., 2010). The sun’s setting position moved northward until the summer solstice (June 21), and then returned southward to provide another optimum roll on July25th. Marshall, Glastonbury and the investigators, with others, witnessed the roll on July 25, 2009.

Simulcra

A simulacrum is the accidental, chance, resemblance of one thing, typically anthropomorphic or zoomorphic, in another’s shape, such as a face or figure in the clouds, the gnarled bark of a tree or in rocky crags. It has been widely noted that a number of the standing stones at Avebury have resemblances to animal heads, human faces, gargoyle-like configurations, etc. Conservative opinion dismisses these simulacra as due to weathering, but while one must always be on guard for reading too much into the forms of rocks, some of the shapes are pretty fundamental to the stones, and if we can see the likenesses today, presumably so could the Neolithic people who strained and struggled to select and erect them. Indeed, without the weathering they might have been even more noticeable. With these simulacra, are we glimpsing the lost gods of the Stone Age, the pantheon of Avebury? Here are a select few the investigators have noted. ]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/visual_investigations.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/visual_investigations.html Visual Investigations Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:38:57 +0000 Acoustic Investigations www.stevemarshall.org.uk/recordings.htm). It is to be noted that a plane water surface enhances echoes, so there might have been even more marked effects if the experiment had been conducted during a wet period when the moat would have contained water, which was not the case during the experiment. Because of this and other acoustic explorations by others at Avebury (some described later in this section), the fact that the complex was secondary to Preseli as far as the project’s focus was concerned, and the relatively limited resources available to what is after all a pilot project, the investigators have undertaken only very preliminary acoustic work there, and these are detailed in this section. A mapping of inter-site audibility within the complex is, however, planned for Spring 2012 and the results will be reported on this website in due course.

Devil's Den

Being the relatively best preserved dolmen within the general Avebury complex, the Devil’s Den was an obvious target for the investigators to check for lithophonic (“ringing rock”) properties. The monument was tested by percussion using small hammerstones, but no special acoustic effects were heard.

West Kennet Long Barrow

This monument is one of the earliest constructions within the Avebury complex. One of its reported acoustic aspects the investigators wanted to check related to an observation from a reliable source that the interior of the long barrow could collect sounds from unexpectedly large distances away in the surrounding landscape, like a giant stone ear or microphone. (This phenomenon has been noted by archaeologists in certain painted cave locations in southern California.) After a very preliminary test the investigators were unable to confirm this claim, but more exacting tests are required at a later date. As the monument contains stone chambers and a passage, it is an ideal subject for testing acoustic resonances. On a visit to the barrow, the investigators conducted some preliminary tests, using balloon bursts as an inexpensive but workable impulse sound sources, authentic Australian Aboriginal ritual clicking sticks, and the human voice. Drumming was not tested at this time. There were noticeable resonances within the monument occasioned by these sound sources, but, again, more comprehensive and exacting tests are awaited. No electronic testing instrumentation was used by the investigators for this preliminary exploration, but many months afterwards local musician and composer Steve Marshall, in touch with the investigators, conducted acoustic resonance explorations using his voice and an electronic keyboard as a tuning reference. In the first two eastern side chambers his bass voice produced a distinctive resonance so strong that it persisted for half a second or longer. The pitch was E2 (equivalent to the lowest open string of a guitar), and throughout the barrow he found a primary pitch of A2 – the 110 Hz resonance frequency already found in numerous Neolithic stone chambers elsewhere, and which seems to have distinctive regional brain effects on listeners – see the Archaeoacoustics page. Marshall has reported his full findings in the November 2011 (vol.4. no. 3) edition of Time & Mind – The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture.

The Coves

There are the remains of two “coves” at Avebury – open box-like settings of stones in the northern inner stone circle in the henge itself and at the Longstones at the end of the Beckhampton Avenue to the west of the henge. The Avebury Henge Cove. Even with one of its three stones missing, this open setting of megaliths produces powerful, resonant echoes as the investigators discovered during very preliminary percussive testing between the existing megaliths, and as had been noted years earlier by prehistorian Aubrey Burl during his studies at Avebury. A problem for full, precise acoustic study, though, is that nearby buildings also produce echoes which would make it technically difficult to isolate the ones specifically associated with the Cove, plus the fact that the missing megalith would need to be replaced by a dummy stone (such as a sheet of hardboard of appropriate size). The Longstones Cove. Of the two Longstones, it is the massive “Adam” stone that is the survivor of the cove that once existed at this location. (The companion Longstone, “Eve”, is the sole standing survivor of the Beckhampton Avenue.) Excavations between 1999-2003 confirmed that there had been a setting of four megaliths, of which Adam is the only survivor, forming a cove structure. The positions of the other three stones were recorded. The 18th-century antiquarian, William Stukeley, had noted the presence of the Longstones Cove long before, when it was more evident. In 2009, an experiment to mimic the possible acoustic characteristics of the Longstones Cove setting was conducted by Steve Allan, a lecturer in Music Systems Engineering at the University of the West of England (UWE), aided by Richard Pearson and Steve Marshall. Four hardboard sheets were erected at an open field site near the university to mimic the standing stones in their original positions. The main finding of the experiment was that the reconstructed arrangement of sound reflective surfaces acted somewhat like a megaphone. If this is indicative of the actual, original Longstone Cove, then the implication could be that cove settings were the locations where the Neolithic officiants conducted their oral or musical activities.]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/acoustic_investigations.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/acoustic_investigations.html Acoustic Investigations Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:09:20 +0000 Avebury - Select Bibliography Atkinson, R.J.C. Silbury Hill, BBC Publications, 1969. Atkinson, R.J.C., ‘Silbury Hill, 1969-70’, in Antiquity, Vol. 44, 1970. Barker, C.T., ‘The Long Mounds of the Avebury Region’, in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Vol. 70, 1985. Barrett, J.C., Fragments From Antiquity, Blackwell, 1994. Bradley, R., ‘The Bank Barrows and Related Monuments of Dorset in the Light of Recent Field Work’, in Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Proceedings, 105, 1983. Burl, A. Prehistoric Avebury. Yale University Press. 1979. Chadburn, A., ‘The conservation project at Silbury Hill 2000-2008’, Research News,No.10, Winter 2008-09, English Heritage, 8-10. Devereux, P., ‘Three-dimensional aspects of apparent relationships between selected natural and artificial features within the topography of the Avebury Complex’, in Antiquity, Vol. 65, No. 249, December, 1991. Devereux, P. The Sacred Place. Cassell. 2000. Gillings, M. and Pollard, J. Avebury. Duckworth. 2004. Grinsell, L.V. Folklore of Prehistoric Sites in Britain, David & Charles. 1976. Hawkins, G. Beyond Stonehenge, Hutchinson, 1973. Keys, D., ‘Huge “temple” found under Avebury circle’, in The Independent, 22 November 1990. Leary, J.,‘The Silbury Sequence: seeing past tunnel vision’, Research News,No.10, Winter 2008-09, English Heritage,14-17. Leary, J. and Field, D., The Story of Silbury Hill, English Heritage, 2010. Malone, C. The English Heritage Book of Avebury, Batsford. 1999. Marshall, S. and Currie, G., ‘Investigation of a “Sun Roll” Effect in Relation to Silbury Hill’, Time & Mind, vol.3, no.3, November 2010,291-302. Mortimer, N. Stukeley Illustrated. Green Magic. 2003. Piggott, S. The West Kennet Long Barrow: Excavations 1955-6. HMSO. 1962. Pollard, J. and Reynolds, A. Avebury – The Biography of a Landscape. Tempus. 2002. Saunders, N., ‘Avebury Revisited’ in New Scientist, 20 April, 1991. Thomas, J. and Whittle, A., ‘Anatomy of a Tomb – West Kennet Revisited’, in Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 5, 1986. Thurnham, J., ‘On Examination of a Chambered Long-Barrow at West Kennet, Wiltshire’ (1860) in Archaeologia, 38, Vol. XXXVIII. Ucko, P.J., Hunter, M., Clark, A.J., & David, A. Avebury Reconsidered: From the 1660s to the 1990s. Unwin Hyman. 1990. Vatcher, F.de M., & Vatcher, L. The Avebury Monuments. HMSO. 1976. Whittle, A., ‘A late Neolithic complex at West Kennet, Wiltshire, England’, in Antiquity, Vol. 65, No 247, June 1991. Whittle, A. Sacred Mound, Holy Rings. Oxford Monograph 74. 1997. http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/bibliography.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/bibliography.html Avebury - Select Bibliography Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:39:24 +0000 Greater Avebury Complex

An Introduction to Avebury

The Henge The Core Avebury Complex Greater Avebury Complex Select Bibliography]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/greater_avebury_complex.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/greater_avebury_complex.html Avebury - Greater Avebury Complex Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:36:56 +0000 The Core Avebury Complex Windmill Hill (SU 087714). This natural hill is just over a mile north-northwest of Avebury henge can be considered the ‘grandmother’ of Avebury’s sacred landscape – the Neolithic use of it had commenced by or before 3,700 BC, long before the henge and some other features of the Avebury complex had been built.

Beckhampton Avenue and the Longstones.

No clear evidence of this avenue is now visible, but following 18th century observations by the antiquarian William Stukeley, recent field archaeology (1999-2003) identified its course as far as the Longstones (aka Long Stones).These two surviving megaliths are known as Adam and Eve, and Stukeley considered them to be a cove (a box-like arrangement of large megaliths). That has been approximately vindicated by the modern investigations. Specifically, Adam is the sole survivor of a cove arranged in a splayed setting of four massive sarsen stones. (Eve is a survivor of the actual avenue.)’Adam’ is the larger stone of the two Longstones and weighs over 30 tons. The modern investigations indicate that the cove had been built over an earlier line of stones set at right angles to the course of the avenue.

West Kennet Avenue

Running from (or to) the south entrance of Avebury henge are two lines of stones. This avenue of standing stones averages 50 feet (15m) in width and is believed to have originally linked the henge with the Sanctuary (see below) on Overton Hill. The avenue was first recorded by John Aubrey, but Stukeley paid much attention to it, making a record of the stones extant at his time, which proved valuable to later archaeologists. The course of the avenue southwards has a distinct kink near the henge entrance, and then proceeds to the top of a ridge where two of the tallest surviving stones still stand. From there it drops downhill in a curving course (formed by straight sections connected at slightly different angles), with the east slope of Waden Hill to the west and the lane (B4003), linking the village of Avebury with the A4, on the east. It seems that the course of the avenue ran more or less south to the recently discovered West Kennet palisaded enclosures and then struck eastwards up Overton Hill to the Sanctuary from there. The stones of this southerly segment are either still buried or missing.

Silbury Hill (SU 100685)

This site, a bare mile south-west of Avebury henge, was the tallest artificial mound in Neolithic Europe. Built in alternating layers of clay and chalk, it stands 130 feet (40m) high, contains over 12 million cubic feet (339,600 cu m) of chalk and covers over 5 acres (2ha) at its base. It has a platform-like flat summit, about 100 feet (30 m) across. It sits in the Avebury landscape like a giant Christmas pudding, silent and enigmatic, immediately west of Waden Hill (a natural ridge) and east of the Winterbourne stream. The mound was built in phases over centuries, starting around 2,400 BC. The bulk of the mound was built in stepped sequences; these were smoothed by a covering of soil, but the top ledge is still distinguishable, perhaps never having been smoothed originally. Over recent centuries Silbury has been subjected to various excavations into its interior, and the latest (and possibly last) major conservation and excavation programme culminated in 2008, though post excavation analysis work continues. In this programme, a new tunnel was dug into the heart of the mound. Nothing was found in the interior of the mound other than some large sarsen stones, similar to the sort used in the megalithic monuments in the complex. There is speculation that these might have symbolised the ancestors. The sides of the carefully-engineered tunnel, presenting a view of the layering of the mound, were intricately photographed for further analysis, and the tunnel was carefully filled in to prevent the sort of subsidence which had become evident in recent years – subsidence due variously to earlier tunnelling and to recent vandalism. Among other observations, archaeologists in the new Silbury work came to the conclusion that the summit had originally been rounded, but had been flattened in Roman or later times. Similarly, it seems that the top ledge had been re-cut in Norman times, when the mound was pressed into service as a motte-and-bailey fortification. This doubtless would have helped preserve the profile of the top ledge.

West Kennet Palisaded Enclosures (SU 110682)

Although there are slight hints in earlier air photographs and archaeological explorations, it is only in recent years that the foundations of two great circular ditch enclosures have been confirmed, located on either side of the River Kennet close to West Kennet Farm on the A4, and less than a kilometre north-east of West Kennet Long Barrow (see below). “Palisade Enclosure 1” has been confirmed as having two concentric ditches enclosing an approximately circular area over 200m across. Test trenches have revealed that these ditches held oak posts forming a dense timber palisade. They rotted in situ, and may have been burned. Animal deposits had been placed at the bases of some of the posts. An intriguing feature of this enclosure is that the River Kennet cuts right through its centre – it was built over the river. Only part of one ditch of Palisade Enclosure 2 has so far been located, but this, too, contained timber posts. Within the circuit of the ditch, however, there were two smaller concentric circular ditches belonging to a former timber building 40m in diameter. Air photos and magnetometer surveys show some straight crop markings associated with the second palisaded enclosure: these seem to have been linear palisades. One connects to another circular marking (‘Structure 4’) over 200m away. An intriguing solar phenomenon involving Silbury Hill can be observed from the Palisades (see “Visual Investigations”).

Waden Mound (SU107683)

Between the Palisades and Silbury Hill, immediately alongside the A4 road, there is a small mound 11m tall. No one knew what this was – a road detritus dump? A Roman deposit? But in 2010-11 archaeological survey work indicated that it was prehistoric, perhaps as old as Silbury Hill. Observing from the Palisades, Silbury Hill and this mound are both visible. Now formally called Waden Mound, this is also known more affectionately by the nickname “Silbaby”.

West Kennet Long Barrow (SU 104677)

West Kennet Long Barrow (WKLB) is some 330 feet (100m) long and ten feet (3m)high. It is oriented east-west, its megalithic entrance facing the equinoctial rising sun. Within the east end of the barrow there is a stone-built passageway with two chambers at either side and a terminal chamber at its western end. This megalithic chambering occupies only a tiny part of the barrow’s total volume. The first stage of the barrow was probably commenced sometime between 3700 and 3500 BC. It was thus contemporary with the activities on Windmill Hill– an association the present investigators consider to be important (see “Visual Investigations”). This early construction consisted of a core of sarsen boulders laid directly on the old ground surface, capped with chalk rubble from flanking side-ditches. When fresh, this feature would have created a stark white marker in the landscape, eminently visible from the summit of Windmill Hill. (There is some evidence that the original WKLB may have been shorter than what we see now. It may have had an earthen ‘tail’ added much later, around the time Silbury was built, extending its length westwards. This could be important – see ‘Visual Investigations’). The skeletal remains of 46 individuals were found in the barrow, and judging by their careful, selective placing the early usage of this site may have incorporated a range of mortuary practices and rituals.

East Kennet Long Barrow (SU 116668)

This is an even mightier barrow than West Kennet, being 345 feet (105m) in length and 14 feet (4m)high, and makes a noticeable tree-capped landmark. It is oriented south-east to north-west and has not been excavated, though in all probability it, too, contains stone chambering. It can only be assumed that its date is similar to that of West Kennet.

The Sanctuary (SU 118679)

Archaeologists have found evidence of six concentric rings of post and stone holes on this site atop Overton Hill, hard by the prehistoric Ridgeway track (and the A4 road) and in effect marking the eastern perimeter of the core Avebury Complex. These various holes are now indicated by concrete markers as nothing has survived from the site, which was finally destroyed in the 18th Century. Interpretation of the various holes is difficult. The post holes may have resulted from a sequence of circular timber buildings, with the stone circles enclosing the last of these, or the post holes may record arrangements of ritual poles, like totem poles. The consensus amongst archaeologists today, however, is that the postholes relate to a series of wooden buildings, the first, small, hut being erected around 3,000 BC. This may have been the dwelling of a holy person, a shaman perhaps. This was followed over succeeding centuries by three further phases of construction, in which stone settings began to be incorporated. The final phase was probably contemporary with the erection of the West Kennet Avenue, and consisted of a ring of 42 stones 138 feet (42m) in diameter acting as an outer limit or temenos of the site. Two rows of stones, presumed to be the West Kennet Avenue, formerly connected with the Sanctuary stone circle on its west side. A short alignment of stones outside the northwest quadrant intriguingly points to the Avebury henge, out of sight from this position. The function of the site is unclear, but many human bones and evidence for feasts have been uncovered there, suggesting that the buildings may have been mortuary houses of some kind, where ritual celebrations took place.

An Introduction to Avebury

The Henge The Core Avebury Complex Greater Avebury Complex Select Bibliography ]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/the_core_avebury_complex.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/the_core_avebury_complex.html Avebury - The Core Avebury Complex Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:11:44 +0000 The Henge

An Introduction to Avebury

The Henge The Core Avebury Complex Greater Avebury Complex Select Bibliography]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/the_henge.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/the_henge.html Avebury - The Henge Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:03:48 +0000 Avebury opening statement An Introduction to Avebury The Henge The Core Avebury Complex Greater Avebury Complex Select Bibliography]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/avebury_opening_statement.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/avebury_opening_statement.html Avebury opening statement Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:12:52 +0000 Strumble Head Carn Wen At SM949.392, almost overlooking Fishguard Bay, there is a set of dolmens forming a N-S alignment. It is said that up to 6 or 7 could possibly be involved, though most authorities say that there are just 4, and we could find only 4 readily visible ones. The confusion is easy to understand as the site is in a very shabby condition, wedged in between housing, small allotments and rubbish dumps, compounded by undergrowth and many rocks protruding from the ground that may be part of the largely overgrown natural outcrop the dolmens are adjacent to, or tumbled and scattered elements of the supposed other dolmens. None of the dolmen capstones possess lithophonic properties, though one did have unusual resonant qualities. Sighting to Mynydd Preseli was impossible to judge in situ because of the housing and other obstructions, but in theory some part of the Mynydd Preseli massif might have once been visible from the site. It would certainly have been visible from a former dolmen site (SM943.392) shortly to the west and above the Carn Wen site at Pen-Rhiw (the Parc-y cromlech). One thing the Carn Wen group yet again demonstrated was the association of dolmens with natural outcrops – a consistent pattern in this part of Wales.

Carn Wdna

At SM933.393, on the steep NW slope of the Garn Wnda garn or outcrop. Its huge capstone is supported at the front by a triangular stone upright and at the back is wedged into the slope of the garn, immediately beneath a vertical rock face. Dolmens with part of their capstones embedded in the ground behind like this are referred to as “earth fast”. Early archaeological investigation of this site found a few burnt bones in a crude ceramic urn. Here, as we have been finding throughout the region, dolmens seem to have a relationship with natural outcrops, being either on them, immediately adjacent to them, or within distant visibility of them – usually at the limits of visibility, a sort of visual precision that seems to have been significant. It was found that the capstone of Carn Wnda was non-lithophonic, though it had points of unusual resonance. The rock wall behind the dolmen did not produce any particularly noteworthy echoes, and because of deteriorating weather conditions there was no extensive testing for lithophonic properties of the outcrop, though a more thorough future investigation might reveal some parts of the outcrop to have ringing elements in it. There can be no line of sight from the dolmen to Carn Menyn, as the bulk of the outcrop blocks the view, but from the top of the garn itself, Mynydd Preseli is probably visible on the skyline, judging from map cross-section, though this was not actually tested on site due to the deteriorating conditions.

Carn Gilfach

At SM909.389, this dolmen is on the southerly side of Garn Gilfach and enjoys wide views from SE to SW. The monument itself is essentially a massive serpentine capstone over what appears as an earthen hollow (though is actually a rock-cut pit), with very small supporting stones. Like Carn Wnda, it is positioned high up against the rock wall summit of the natural outcrop of the garn. The monument has a unique feature – strange carved triangular depressions on the upper surface of its capstone. No one has come up with any explanation for these, other than lurid Victorian suggestions that they were for collecting the blood of sacrificial victims! Acoustically, the site is interesting. The capstone is not fully lithophonic, though parts of it are sub-lithophonic in that they have more than mere hollow resonance, but the really arresting sonic feature at the site is the powerful echo that rebounds from a rocky hill immediately to the east of the dolmen’s location. There is a particularly interesting sightline from the dolmen: the rocky pinnacle of Great Treffgarn Rocks (SM957.251) is visible approximately 9 miles distant on the SSE horizon. (The Great Treffgarn Rocks also figure in horizon sightlines involving Garn Turne and Ffynnion Druidion described elsewhere.) It is unlikely that the dolmen would have a view further to the SE, the direction of Mynydd Preseli, as that is blocked by topography. However, Mynydd Preseli was indistinctly discernible from the higher vantage point of the summit of the outcrop, the the garn itself. This held an acoustic surprise too, in that some rocks at the very summit are truly lithophonic. It is a musical peak. Unfortunately, this was not audio recorded on this occasion due to technical difficulties.

Carn Menyn Focus Areas

Carn Menyn: The Promontory Acoustic Corner Carn Goedog Beddarthur, Carn Bica and Carn Sian Foeldrygarn Pont Saeson

Related Locations

Gors Fawr Garn Turne Carn Besi Carreg Samson Pentre Ifan Ffynnon Druidion Strumble Head Ffyst Samson]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/strumble_head.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/strumble_head.html Strumble Head Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:42:24 +0000 Ffynnon Druidion

Carn Menyn Focus Areas

Carn Menyn: The Promontory Acoustic Corner Carn Goedog Beddarthur, Carn Bica and Carn Sian Foeldrygarn Pont Saeson

Related Locations

Gors Fawr Garn Turne Carn Besi Carreg Samson Pentre Ifan Ffynnon Druidion Strumble Head Ffyst Samson]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/ffynnon_druidion.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/ffynnon_druidion.html Ffynnon Druidion Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:33:53 +0000 Pont Saeson

Carn Menyn Focus Areas

Carn Menyn: The Promontory Acoustic Corner Carn Goedog Beddarthur, Carn Bica and Carn Sian Foeldrygarn Pont Saeson

Related Locations

Gors Fawr Garn Turne Carn Besi Carreg Samson Pentre Ifan Ffynnon Druidion Strumble Head Ffyst Samson]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/pont_saeson.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/pont_saeson.html Pont Saeson Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:19:32 +0000 Carn Goedog

Carn Menyn Focus Areas

Carn Menyn: The Promontory Acoustic Corner Carn Goedog Beddarthur, Carn Bica and Carn Sian Foeldrygarn Pont Saeson

Related Locations

Gors Fawr Garn Turne Carn Besi Carreg Samson Pentre Ifan Ffynnon Druidion Strumble Head Ffyst Samson]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/carn_goedog.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/carn_goedog.html Carn Goedog Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:06:53 +0000 Acoustic Corner

Carn Menyn Focus Areas

Carn Menyn: The Promontory Acoustic Corner Carn Goedog Beddarthur, Carn Bica and Carn Sian Foeldrygarn Pont Saeson

Related Locations

Gors Fawr Garn Turne Carn Besi Carreg Samson Pentre Ifan Ffynnon Druidion Strumble Head Ffyst Samson]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/acoustic_corner.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/acoustic_corner.html Acoustic Corner Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:38:09 +0000 Carn Manyn: The Promentory

Carn Menyn Focus Areas

Carn Menyn: The Promontory Acoustic Corner Carn Goedog Beddarthur, Carn Bica and Carn Sian Foeldrygarn Pont Saeson

Related Locations

Gors Fawr Garn Turne Carn Besi Carreg Samson Pentre Ifan Ffynnon Druidion Strumble Head Ffyst Samson]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/carn_manyn_the_promentory.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/carn_manyn_the_promentory.html Carn Menyn: The Promontory Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:47:06 +0000 Acknowledgements Preseli Professor Timothy Darvill, our main archaeological advisor. RCA graduates (l to r): Ana Viegas, Rebecca Davies, Leah Fusco. Percussionist Z’EV. Charla Devereux. Sol Devereux. Professor Charles Laughlin. We must also mention that one of our other archaeological advisers, Dr. George Nash, while not being in the field with us, gave us important information ahead of our investigation of Strumble Head.

Avebury

Neil Mortimer. Pete Glastonbury. Steve Marshall. Dr. Lionel Sims.

And…

We must mention Professor Sandra Kemp who when she was the head of the RCA’s Research Department championed this project from the start, and we also thank all other members of RCA Research Dept. for their unstinting help and support: Jeremy Aynsley, Jamie Gilham, Andrew Loveland and Jessica Rana. Thanks also to Dan Fern in his role as Head of the School of Communications prior to his retirement in 2010-11.]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/acknowledgements.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2012/02/acknowledgements.html Acknowledgements Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:43:40 +0000 Garn Turne Visual Mapping The most striking thing about the Garn Turne location is its positioning regarding sightlines to two prominent natural outcrops, apart from the one where it is situated. Garn Turne is intervisible with a prominent tor (Great Treffgarn Rocks) to the SSW (at SM 957251) and with Mynydd Preseli on the extreme northern skyline. This same precise placement is repeated at another dolmen some distance away (see below) suggesting intentionality.

Dolmen at SM 983266

There are two other dolmens marked on the 1:25,000 O.S. map in the close vicinity of Garn Turne. One is a kilometer southeast of Garn Turne. It is in a collapsed state halfway up a sloping field and alongside a fence. On first approach it appeared that there could be no interesting visual mapping possible from this site, but closer study proved that impression wrong. Among trees to the southwest the landmark of Great Treffgarne Rocks could be discerned on the extreme skyline, and in the opposite direction Mynydd Preseli was also visible on the horizon. This monument had to have been placed with great precision on sloping ground to make these two skyline features both visible. With the sightline evidence from Garn Turne, it appears the megalith builders viewed Great Treffgarne Rocks as well as Mynydd Preseli with significance.

Acoustic Mapping at Garn Turne

Tests on the Garn Turne dolmen elicited no resonant responses at all. The same result was found with surrounding standing stones, with one exception – some mild resonance was found in a fallen standing stone just to the east of the dolmen. However, the natural outcrop held a surprise for us. A few tests seemingly showed the natural outcrops to have no ringing qualities, and this was to be expected given the nature of the geology (vesicular soda-rhyolite, to be technical). But the behaviour of a bird on one of the smaller outcrops caught our attention. The creature perched there and wouldn’t move even on our close approach. It turned out that the top tier of this outcrop did have distinct ringing qualities. This may be purely fortuitous peculiar to this site, but nevertheless it raises the hitherto unsuspected implication that we should in future acoustically test any outcrops near monumental sites as well as the monuments themselves. On a subsequent visit to the site, we invited professional percussionist Z’EV along. He “played” the “resonant outcrop” and tested many of the others at the complex, and some proved resonant to greater or lesser degrees, though there were no clear “ringers”.

Carn Menyn Focus Areas

Carn Menyn: The Promontory Acoustic Corner Carn Goedog Beddarthur, Carn Bica and Carn Sian Foeldrygarn Pont Saeson

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Gors Fawr Garn Turne Carn Besi Carreg Samson Pentre Ifan Ffynnon Druidion Strumble Head Ffyst Samson]]> http://www.landscape-perception.com/2009/01/garne_turne.html http://www.landscape-perception.com/2009/01/garne_turne.html Garn Turne Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:44:15 +0000