There was a good audience for my book launch and talk last night in Newport. My talk was entitled "Neolithic bluestone quarries: the facts and the fantasies." There were several archaeologists in the hall, and interestingly enough, not one of them spoke up in defence of the archaeologists who have been working with Prof MPP, or in defence of the good professor's narrative. After that, we enjoyed a good discussion on a range of topics, including some quite detailed glaciology and on the usual question of erratic distributions.
One of the most intriguing questions -- for which nobody had a satisfactory answer -- was this: "How do they get away with it?" In other words, where is the scrutiny from the archaeology establishment? Why does funding continue to flow into the Pembrokeshire digs even though over seven years they have told us NOTHING new about either the Neolithic or the Bronze Age in this part of the world? They have told us nothing new about Stonehenge either.
Anyway, a pleasant evening, and the tea and rock cakes went down well. (Red wine accompanied by nibbles is so old hat........)
Readers of this blog will be intrigued to know that following the Fox News coverage of the publication of the new book, the story has made the pages of many of the regional newspapers in Australia. There has also been good coverage in Romania, Croatia, the Arab world, Spain, Italy and many other countries. The "new and revolutionary" glacial transport angle is the one they have picked up on -- and as one might expect some of the write ups have consisted of garbled nonsense.
I'm rather intrigued by the thought of a press report in the WaggaWagga Courier (if there is such a thing) in the Australian outback, describing how a Welsh scientist claims that a glacier built Stonehenge, immediately following a report of a dingo chasing half as dozen sheep near the local water hole.
"They" get away with it because they live in their own Closed Community, where the Ruling Hypothesis of Human Transportation rules, and any deviation from this towards even the slightest acknowledgement of any validity possessed by the Glacial Movement Hypothesis gains instant expulsion. They have no genuine communication with Geographers and Geomorphologists, even within their very own Universities.
ReplyDeleteIn future decades they will become the subject of puzzled discussion, including within all forms of the media.
Hi Brian I'm beginning to realise more and more, quite how brave! Geoffrey Kellaway really was. I doubt he gave a stuff for the snobbish, patrician disdain, shown by spoilt, privileged, Atkinson types. But in reality he was risking both academic and professional suicide! It would be good to see him vindicated some day!
ReplyDeleteYou yourself must occasionally hear the sounds of "burn the heretic" carried to Pembroke on the breeze?
Cheers
Alex
Yes, Kellaway was a brave man and -- at least from my brief meetings with him -- a very good geologist. But he was a non-establishment figure, and suffered because if it. He was unfortunately not a very good geomorphologist, and because he had some very strange ideas about glaciation, the "geomorphology establishment" did not take him very seriously. That was a pity -- but yes, it would be good to see him vindicated. Working on it........
ReplyDeleteYes, there are those who would probably like to see me burn in hell. And they do their best to ignore me because I am outside academia. But because of that I have nothing to lose from telling truth to power -- so I will continue to point out that the Emperor has no clothes.
I am pleased to see you have given Geoffrey Kellaway the courtesy of publishing not one, but two photographs in your excellent new "Stonehenge Bluestones" book. Good on yer!
ReplyDeleteSomone Important within Vatican City may have obtained a copy (or was it St David's City?......... One or the other).
ReplyDelete