It's a pity to see the shallow dig at Boles Barrow coming to an end after just four or five days -- it looks as if the dig was quite literally just scraping the surface, without examining the interior of the long barrow. So we are not going to be any the wiser about the famous Boles Barrow bluestone boulder (or half boulder)..........
It looks as if the dig has turned up lots of chalk debris and bits of flint, and a few small flint artefacts. But from the material published on Twitter, this looks to be the most interesting find -- a very well rounded pebble that is currently being interpreted as either a rounded flint nodule (vanishingly unlikely, I should have thought), or else a deliberately rounded worked nodule (also very unlikely). Richard Osgood speculates that it might be a hammerstone, and that might of course be confirmed if percussion scare are found on it after it has had a good wash.
But to me, if it looks like a rounded pebble, it probably is a rounded pebble -- and that means it comes from a sedimentary deposit, probably in the neighbourhood. But before we get too excited, let's hear more about its context -- and I hope that photos showing the pebble in situ will shortly become available........
It was press day today at the dig site, with the Defence Minister being shown around -- and also a visit from our old friend Mike Pitts......
PS 29.3.23
Flint nodules -- anything but smooth and egg-shaped
If this is an echinoid fossil, then there will be fossil characteristics that are unmistakeable. The other suggested origin is that it is a river pebble "brought in" by our worthy ancestors as a hammer stone. I don't see how a 5 cm pebble could be used as a hammer stone, except maybe by a Neolithic jeweller making delicate ornaments for his darling wife......... But as usual with our old friends, they studiously devalue natural processes and choose to ignore the possibility that this pebble is a rounded clast derived from a local degraded sedimentary layer -- for example a local till deposit.
But don't let's get too excited -- let's see first of all what it is made of.
12 comments:
That is very interesting, isn't it, as regards the pebble. As Mike Pitts has visited, that should be good news because at least he will disseminate more information and, hopefully, ask Richard Osgood [MBE]. Pitts edits British Archaeology magazine amongst other things. Brian knows about his Twitter feeds.
My friend, retired County Archaeologist Roy Canham said upon learning about this Boles Barrow dig from me said "intriguing"! Since he knows Richard Osgood because of their mutual enthusiasm for all things to do with prehistoric Salisbury Plain I'm sure he'll try to learn as much as possible about forthcoming developments.
Announcement of this preliminary Boles Barrow dig here:-
https//ocm.wiltshire.gov.uk/salisbury/events/out-of-the
I think Mike Pitts has retired as editor of the journal?
There are some photos on Twitter via @RichardOsgood. It seems to have been a mates trip out under the cover of the Nightingale narrative, and they seem to have treated themselves to digging several deep holes into the barrow itself. In Victorian days the vicars would have been looking for buried treasure, now they were looking for "strata" or some such.
There seems to have been no clear plan other than having a poke around. And they didn't seem to find much but they can surprise us. In the piles of debris on the photos I could not detect anything glacial, just lumps of chalk ....
Not to my knowledge - are you thinking of the dreaded Antiquaries Journal?
I subscribe to British Archaeology. Mike edited the last received copy.
Maybe that was his last?
Yes, the debris looks on the photos to be rather boring -- lumps of chalk and maybe flint -- but that pebble is intriguing.....
This is an excellent route into Boles Barrow, the Story so far..........
https://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1980/boles_barro...
This is a very comprehensive account of the modern history of Boles Barrow and the hobby. - antiquarians and others who've insisted on interfering with it:-
https//landscapeandmonumentality.wordpress.com/2018/03/18
Brian - yes, Mike Pitts' editorship of " British Archaeology " seems to be ending. I have noted mentions of a new editor at some point.....
Brian et al, the new lady editor of British Archaeology is Dr Cat Jarman, who may be contacted via: editor@archaeologyuk.org Phone 01904 671417
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