Gentle readers, I am sorry to be so curmudgeonly (maybe it goes with age) -- but the more I look at that NATURE article the more incredulous I become, and the more absurd the forcing of "the West Wales connection" seems to be.
I have been looking at Figure 2 again. Take a look at the map for England, and you will see that there is a lemon yellow streak running from the south coast of England towards the Wash. That broadly coincides with the Great Oolite rocks as shown on the standard geology map:
On the Geology of Britain viewer (to which many thanks) the rocks in question are shown in the
creamy pink colour. They run in a broad swathe to the west and north of Salisbury Plain. Now the interesting thing about these rocks is that they have a "strontium isotope signature" of 0.7101 to 0.7110; that falls within the range designated to the "foreigners" who were cremated at Stonehenge. The cremated bones of the "non locals" had values ranging from 0.7091 to 0.7118...........
If you look at Figure 3 of the article under scrutiny, you will see that individual 288 (geographically assigned to Craig Rhosyfelin for reasons that are not too obscure) had a signature of 0.7109. In other words, he or she could have come from pretty well anywhere in western Britain, but closer to home, anywhere near the Great Oolite outcrops of eastern Somerset and western and northwestern Wiltshire. He or she could have come from Frome, Bradford on Avon, Bruton, Wincanton or Sherborne, maybe less than 40 miles from Stonehenge -- or maybe from near Witney, Burford or Cirencester, around 65 miles away. This map, with Stonehenge near the eastern edge, shows the details:
This "close proximity" explanation for the "foreigners" at Stonehenge is completely ignored by the authors of this study -- and little wonder that it is being greeted with hoots of derision.
If I have got this all wrong, no doubt somebody or other will be in touch......
PS.
Deja vu all over again........ We had a good go at this research over a year ago, when some of the preliminary results were announced. I was rather sceptical then, and am now completely convinced that this technique has promise, but that it has been sadly misused (abused?) in this instance.
https://brian-mountainman.blogspot.com/2017/05/strontium-isotope-ratios-in-stonehenge.html
22 comments:
What was it Sir Walter Scott wrote? "Oh what a tangled web they weave......"? Can anyone complete this quote apart from me??
By the way, Frome has a wonderful reputation as being one of the Places with the friendliest, most Community - spirited people living there. It has a brilliant Annual Festival, full of singing, dancing, history and talks, just after the Summer Solstice. If I had been a Neolithic (male or female) who was cremated at Stonehenge, I reckon I would have MUCH preferred to have been born in the Frome area than,say, Preseli or Salisbury Plain. In fact, it amazes me that Stonehenge's blue stones weren't first erected At Frome (....or perhaps they were??!)
Well, there is that strange stone setting at the college. Maybe the local council was just following an ancient tradition?
Do you mean the Frome College in Bath Road on the Trowbridge edge of town? Haven't been inside the perimeter of the College grounds. I am aware only of some interesting dark stones in a display outside the Memorial Theatre on Christchurch Street West.
Tony: I'm sure that the people of Preseli and Pembrokeshire are just as jolly and fun loving as the people of Frome! One shouldn't take the curmudgeonly and awkward Dr John as typical of the breed! :-)
Brian: What with your regular trips to Greenland,Norway, Greenland, Sweden, Nunney and Stonehenge, Your isotope levels must be all over the shop? Have you discussed this with your G.P.?
Brian: so now you know what they've being doing in the year since your last post on this.
"Building the Myth"
Alex -- you have now got me seriously worried -- and that's even before I start thinking about where my teeth came from......
Tony -- the amphitheatre on Frome College campus -- adjacent to Merlin Theatre. Illuminated stone monoliths from all the EU countries:
https://www.fromecollege.somerset.sch.uk/about-us/gallery/250-post-16-frome-futures-centre
What's all this about the fun-loving people of Preseli? We all love a bit of a laugh over here, which is why we keep on chuckling about the antics of the Neolithic quarrymen. Much more entertaining than watching morris dancers, bog snorkelling or wife-carrying, anyway.....
You should write a letter to Nature pointing this out. I'm happy to read it first to make sure its Nature friendly :), this is how you can put your point across.
If you do, my email address is hsauro at uw.edu
Herbert
To be fair, Alex, our Brian has written a book on "Best Pembrokeshire Jokes" (but it is quite a small book*....)
No, I've nothing against either the Preselis, Salisbury Plain, and certainly not sadly - afflicted - by - poison Amesbury and Salisbury. It's just that Frome has got a great community spirit which I highly recommend. Also you can say CHEESE there regularly at its Annual Cheese Show. Oh, and the top St Aldhelm founded the town and built its first Church. Even Poldark likes Frome.
*only joking, it's a fair length
Herbert -- thanks for that advice. Yes, I have been planning to do just that. I have already written to the lead author and await his response.
It's very concerning this. In Nature as well. Is there a chance that someone is relaying the original paper badly or does the original paper make these sort of claims?
Brian - re illuminated Frome monoliths - there is also a modern stone circle at Bos, near Bathampton and Kingsdown (which have probable glacial evidence). I think it is near the Box community area, not far from Rock Superstar Peter Gabriel's Studios. And it was set up by a qualified geologist academic - Bath University? - from memory.
Is this all part of some remarkable Paleolithic/ Neolithic Folk Memory?? Who knows - I don't.
Anon -- I am allowing this one through because I noticed it -- but if you want to contribute in future, please use your name. Anon posts normally go straight into the spam box without me seeing them.
Jon -- you can read the original paper via the link. It's open access -- the media have used the press releases of course, which always over-egg the pudding. But the paper itself is pretty weird -- the worst kind of assumptive research which accepts the rightness of its central hypothesis and tries to twist everything to demonstrate a "West Wales connection". Rather badly, it must be said..... I doubt that anybody reading it will come away convinced.
Anon -- is that the modern stone circle at Ham Hill?
Anon is me, TonyH. Whoops! and thanks.
No, it is as described, within the BOX parish. Near the By Brook and north of Brunel's Box [railway] Tunnel. Suggest you look at Box Parish on Wiki for more info. Or come back to me again.
It is mentioned where I say above, and is called the BOX STONE CIRCUS. Described as an Educational Earth Science facility. Opened by Iain Stewart in 2012.
Thanks Brian
I'll take a look at the article when I get the chance. Will be over your way soon!
Were the stones at Ham Hill, transported from west wales by humans or by glaciers? That's the crucial question!
Is MPP and team planning any lectures in the Wiltshire Somerset area? This has rather whetted my appetite for attending and asking a few pertinent questions.
MPP seems to hide his light under a bushel much more these days......for example, Brian has told us he's due to do TWO talks at the same village venue in the Preselis this autumn. He may pop up in Haverfordwest and St David's too. But All has tended to go quiet on the Wessex front in recent times. Last time I saw him speak, at Devizes Town Hall for WANHS around 18 months ago, that was on his Beaker People work. He's tended to be somewhat introverted when it comes to speaking about the Bluestone Connection down these parts. I wonder why that is? Any ideas? Perhaps folk are less willing to accept what he presents them with on a plate round these parts. Moreover, none of his "Inner Sanctum" of fellow - believers gives talks etc either down here. Strange, that.
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