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Saturday 22 February 2014

Did our ancient ancestors have chain saws?








There are some more wonderful photos from Ynyslas on the Wales Online web site:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/pictures-bronze-age-forest-revealed-6730477

One interesting feature is the clear evidence of sawing across some of the biggest trunks.  So does this mean that our Neolithic or Bronze Age ancestors were in possession of metal saws or even chain saws?  Nice thought!  But don't get too excited...... 

These submerged forests have been used as a resource for the local community for many centuries, whenever they have been exposed.  Some of the peat bed exposures actually have peat cuttings on them, showing that local people (maybe in the Middle Ages) used the foreshore for collecting their fuel. And they have also used the best tree trunks for timber -- well weathered and incredibly hard.  There is a myth that some of the oak timber used in the wonderful roof of the nave in St David's Cathedral was collected from the submerged forest -- but I have never been able to verify that.

3 comments:

TonyH said...

What!! A myth, you say, Brian, you have never been able to verify? One more for the collection, then.

Mind you, it would be rather ironically fitting if the roof of the nave in St David's Cathedral WAS collected from the submerged forest. The Cathedral was famously built on boggy ground, was it not?

Dave Maynard said...

What was I saying a few days ago at Tywyn?

Looks like I might have to make that trip!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25865118

BRIAN JOHN said...

Like most myths, I heard it somewhere or read it somewhere, but can't remember where or when -- or how reliable my source might have been!!

That's a nice little BBC report, Dave. Thanks!