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Tuesday, 29 May 2018

The conversion of Richard Atkinson

Prof Richard Atkinson in the AP film, dated 1990

 Olwen Williams-Thorpe, one of the leading researchers in the OU study

We learn something new every day.  I have been looking at this old Associated Press film (about 5 mins) produced in May 1990, in association with the big OU study undertaken by Richard Thorpe,  Olwen Williams-Thorpe and others;  and in it I discover that towards the end of Prof Richard Atkinson's life he accepted that he had been wrong for 40 years in arguing vociferously for the human transport thesis and against the glacial option.  So there was a miraculous conversion on the road to Stonehenge.  It appears that in my new book I should have been kinder in my assessment of his work and his contribution to the transport debate -- so I owe him a posthumous apology...........

 Atkinson died in 1994, four years after this film was made -- so it must have had his approval.  

 http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/UK-SQUARING-THE-STONE-CIRCLE/117b76a27438c30e3e9e5c45e8238253?

I particularly love the little clip of the late Geoffrey Wainwright, who says (in a roundabout sort of way) "Forget these geologists.  They know nothing.  We archaeologists are the experts -- trust us and believe what we say....."    Sadly, Geoffrey died not so long ago, but that complacent and patronising attitude is very much alive in the archaeological community.
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5 comments:

  1. Dave Maynard30 May 2018 at 08:24

    What a nice little film! It seems a probuct of its time, almost the 80's or late 70's than 1990.

    Dave

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  2. BRIAN JOHN30 May 2018 at 10:10

    Yes -- it is rather charming, polite and civilised......

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  3. TonyH31 May 2018 at 11:55

    I'm unable to LISTEN to Richard Atkinson on this, as I'm reduced to using a Library computer at the moment.

    Wales has been famous for many great conversions e g by J.P.R. Williams, but I had not realised Welshman Richard had made a really spectacular conversion (between the posts?) on his day.

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  4. BRIAN JOHN31 May 2018 at 16:03

    I don't think he says anything, Tony. It's just a silent clip with a voice-over......

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  5. TonyH11 June 2018 at 20:58

    Agree with you, Dave, very nicely presented, low - key film. But I did detect some stubborn resistance to the glacial hypothesis right at the end from the English Heritage unnamed character. And this was before all the E.H and SRP Hype began in the aptly named naughties.....

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