Here we go again -- deja vu for the umpteenth time. Yet another article extolling the virtues of Waun Mawn as the place where Proto-Stonehenge was located. The usual simplistic version of the narrative, designed here for tourists and interested lay people........ and to hell with the truth.
This is, of course, more for entertainment than education, but nonetheless it teaches us what happens when researchers irresponsibly publish research which is half-baked or simply downright defective, promoting a narrative designed to be appealing and exciting, involving huge assumptions and speculations that have little or no relation with the real world. Of course many of the points made in this careless Travel Newsletter were dismissed by people like myself from day one, before being dismissed belatedly by MPP's team members themselves. They have been forced to accept (from their own work) that the famous pentagonal stone socket had nothing to do with any Stonehenge monolith, that the stones at Waun Mawn had nothing to do with any stone quarries, and that there is nothing in the evidence suite that connects Stonehenge and Waun Mawn. There never was a complete -- or even partial -- stone circle here. And there are no demonstrable astronomical alignments that make any sense.
The author of this piece was clearly aware that Tim Darvill had questioned the reliability of the Waun Mawn narrative last year -- but nonetheless the temptation to spread a thrilling narrative was too much for the writer and the editor. So they went ahead and published it, with a nonsense headline designed for maximum impact.
Yet again, the members of the public are misled by a false narrative flagged up as "scientific research". It's all rather sad......
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Interested In Stonehenge? See Where It Once Stood In Wales Before It Was Taken To England.
Aaron Spray
Aaron Spray
The Travel -- Newsletter
29 August 2023
So writer with the unlikely name, Aaron SPRAY, is knowingly spraying disinformation here, there, and everywhere
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about him, but I suppose he's just a journalist, writing an article which he thinks will be of interest, and not too bothered about what the strength of the evidence may be. He is probably content in the knowledge that he is "covered" in the sense that the story was published in respectable journals and accompanied by rather spectacular press releases....... so if it's all nonsense it is not necessarily his fault......
ReplyDeleteTourist publicity - written to order? "Wales is a country with a lot to see. Not only does it have ancient Neolithic sites and some of the most impressive castles in Europe, but it also has some of the most impressive Roman ruins in Britain". Of course there is almost nothing to see at W.M, so we can give a little credit to the writer for warning us beforehand that one of the biggest stone circles in UK is currently reduced to 4 stones arranged non-circularly. He or she is more honest that many academics earning their crust with the subject matter. I hope he or she finds a proper job soon.
ReplyDeleteWill "Unknown" please re-submit your comment using your name? Thanks. I hate anonymity......... but I know some have had problems with getting their names added to a comment.....
ReplyDeleteIt was probably me again - I dd not keep a copy of the comment. I will be more careful to ensure that blogger uses my ID.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris. Is there an issue when using a mobile phone? These "multi-platform" things are very confusing......
ReplyDeleteI was using my iMac under Safari I believe.
ReplyDeleteThanks for publishing!