Chris Johnson and the little Crosswell standing stone / scratching post at SN122363, back in 2016. It's made of foliated rhyolite similar to that exposed at Rhosyfelin
On 10- Sept MPP and his team will be back in Pembs, digging on four ditched circles, traces of which were seen in 2016-17. It will be interesting to see what turns up.......
Professor Mike Parker Pearson was awarded £2000 towards costs of excavations in 2023 at Ffynnongroes, Crosswell, Pembrokeshire on four ditched circles, which may be Middle Neolithic ‘formative henges’ rather than ploughed out Bronze Age tumuli.
The team members mooched about in that area south of the main road some years ago. I suspect they are now going to dig on some features picked up near Pensarn with earlier instrumental surveys….. They have referred in the past to a "bluestone ring" in the Pensarn area, but did not prove its existence. No doubt they will still be searching for a stone ring (or several) made of Rhosyfelin rhyolite, which can be interpreted as the initial parking place for at least some of the Stonehenge bluestones.
Some years ago I reported:
In the western Pensarn pit there are apparently traces of a Neolithic embanked enclosure of some sort -- a very subtle feature, since the sediments are very thin here and no sign of it could be seen on the ground surface. It was picked up in 2016 by geophysical work including LIDAR. Apparently there are some "very unusual features" showing up, which are not commonly seen in the British Neolithic. It may be a henge of some sort. Organic materials have been recovered, and these will go off for C14 dating.
https://brian-mountainman.blogspot.com/2017/09/news-from-2017-preseli-digging-season.html
https://brian-mountainman.blogspot.com/2017/09/news-from-2017-preseli-digging-season.html
Here is the advert for volunteers:
===========================
ARCHAEOLOGY EXCAVATION OPPORTUNITY
You may be aware that Mike Parker Pearson and his team will be excavating at Crosswell, Pembrokeshire between September 10 and 29 and would like to provide an opportunity for volunteers to come and get involved in the excavation. If you would like to take part, please provide the details below:
- Name
- Contact e-mail
- Contact telephone number
- Emergency contact name and number
- Any medical issues that the team should be aware of
- Dates available between 10 and 29 September.
As insistent and " precious" (other dictionary definition) as Tolkein's Gollum going on about 'my ring, precious'...
ReplyDeleteIs that anonymous leaning on the scratching post?
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is, Dave. And we had a very interesting day out, as I recall.......
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a lovely day out and fine that the professionals will be taking a closer look. The area has been close to various communities for a few thousand years thanks to the river systems probably - Afon Nyfer and Afon Brynberian embrace the farmlands . Pentre Ifan and Beddyrafanc are close by, and there is that famous quarry of Rhosyfelin just down the hill. When we were looking around it seemed that the adjacent farms and hedgerows had a generous portion of "megaliths" in their fabric.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they have a bit more of a plan than on previous expeditions of late. The location is promising. Good luck!
"...and there is that famous quarry of Rhosyfelin". So, you are an MPP/ Rob Ixer Believer, are you Chris Johnson? I am surprised to put it mildly. Rhosyfelin is NOT a recognised prehistoric quarry. Brian HAS succeeded in getting its glacial geomorphology officially registered, however.
ReplyDeleteLet's assume Chris was just doing a bit of stirring........... of course he can't be serious, and knows as well as the rest of us how strong the evidence isn't......
ReplyDeleteI'm with Tony Hinchcliffe on this. All the way! I could say more, but right now, I've been on the pop.
ReplyDeleteAnswers please, Chris.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding Tony. But when I found my rubbing stone I was following a route a circle builder might have taken and the views are enough to excite Hugh.
ReplyDeleteChris, 😆
ReplyDeleteMPP is going to reveal all at a free talk at Bluestone Brewery on 27 September at 7:30pm. A least the lovely beer will be compensation for having to sit and listen to his most recent ponderings.
ReplyDeleteDavey
Heard it all before -- over and again. I wonder if he will have the good grace to admit to all the things he has got thunderingly wrong over the past decade? I suspect not......
ReplyDeleteBrian, you have been uncharacteristically coy in telling us all on your Blog what Maestro Parker Pearson's revelations were at Bluestone (hic) Brewery on 27 September. Please reveal on MPP's behalf.....
ReplyDeleteThe talk was actually in Brynberian village hall -- moved because of the weather. I gather there was a good crowd there -- which is nice for the Air Ambulance -- but I have heard nothing at all about the talk contents. I can only assume that there was nothing new to report.....
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park's archaeologists have recorded anything of its contents?
ReplyDeleteI doubt that -- this was a "charity event" to raise funds for the Air Ambulance. The National Park's "archaeology day" is due quite soon -- not sure if MPP has been invited to talk this year. All will be revealed in due course.....
ReplyDelete