Filmwasters
Which Board? => Photo Essays => Topic started by: LT on February 27, 2012, 10:24:53 PM
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As with much of north-west Europe, the British Isles are littered with evidence of Human society dating back many thousands of years. From the readily available evidence of everyday practicalities, in the form of wasted and discarded flint tools, to the structures requiring great municipal organisation and effort, the true functions of which we can not even begin to understand.
There is some suggestion that the stone temples/ tombs/ meeting places/ civil centres (or whatever interpretation is used), were based upon existing natural features with importance to the people of the late mesolithic or early neolithic. With natural shapes like the Cheesering occurring, it is easy to find this proposition convincing:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6936035427_7cfba5a339_z.jpg)
The Cheesering, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall.
The barrows, cairns, howes and quoits are some of the oldest remaining structures in Britain. They arrive with the new ideas of farming and possibly a more settled way of life - having stores of food and easily accessible sources of meat allowed time to think on metaphysical matters more than ever before. The structures are generally thought to be places of the dead although not in the sense of modern burial sites. The evidence hints at a continual encroachment of these spaces by the living. Excarnation (de-fleshing) of bodies, either by natural decomposition, stripping by birds and animals, or direct human intervention, is thought to precede a systematic deconstruction of body parts, which were then ordered in specific areas within these tombs. Although not to rest, but to be removed, possibly for purposes of ritual or ceremony, and re-ordered over time. It is possible that this action represented a de-personalisation of the remains, consigning them to an amalgamated ancestral whole. The tombs were used over many years and typically were eventually sealed up by large blocking stones, or filled with rubble and earth.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6789921356_ae3668b7ca_z.jpg)
Coldrum Long Barrow in Kent. Possibly one of the earliest Neolithic tombs.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6790180458_9d2ba459ed.jpg)
Kits Coty House, Kent.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6936035667_f58b54c5b7_z.jpg)
Lanyon Quoit, Cornwall.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6789919940_0f43768249_z.jpg)
Lanyon Quoit, Cornwall.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6936036867_8f5baaea17.jpg)
Chun Quoit, Cornwall
Mostly left without their resplendent earth and turf covering, and colourful painted stones, what we see now is often just a pile or stack of stones. The sites retain some hints at their once majestic splendour though. It is suggested that they occupy sites of importance that pre-date the tombs themselves by thousands of years, and the surrounding landscapes seem to reflect this somehow. They have to be seen in their context in order to be fully appreciated.
Following the time of tombs, prehistoric britain saw the emergence of structures with much less obvious function. The circles of stone will never be fully understood, although new indications are being discovered all the time. It is generally thought that many exist in much larger 'ritual landscapes' and interact with other structures in the area. There is nothing to suggest that the large circles in the South have anything to do with the smaller circles in the West, or the recumbent circles of the north, but their similar age and purported solar alignments hint at some kind of uniform origins and purpose.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6936038561_625cab6b36.jpg)
Standing stone, West Kennet Avenue, Avebury, Wiltshire
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789922730_a97e2a8911.jpg)
The Hurlers, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6789922460_017988f9ed.jpg)
The Hurlers, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6936038839_d36d5cbfb5.jpg)
Duddo 5 Stones, Northumberland
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6936034991_5b114bf1e8_z.jpg)
Boscawen Un, Cornwall
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6789921128_91a612ed1b.jpg)
Men An Tol, Cornwall
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6789921884_dddb7c4163.jpg)
Merry Maidens, Cornwall
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6789919504_3b382ea086_z.jpg)
Merry Maidens, Cornwall
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6936039061_5263341b73.jpg)
Bryn Cader Faner, Wales.
The photographs in this brief essay represent how humans in Britain learned to manipulate their surroundings for more than mere practical reasons. The sites themselves hold new meanings for each generation, with sometimes wild explanations for their purpose and functions from new age mysticism and modern pagan ritual to the academic musings of populist tv experts. The truth is, save the invention of a time machine, we will never know the whys, hows and wherefores that explain the enigma. The people who built these tombs were the same as modern humans in a biological sense - they may not have the benefit (or hinderance) of our modern specialities and depth of knowledge, but they had the same instincts that we all respond to. I think it is enough to know these sites were made by us, for ourselves, and in order to make sense of our surroundings in much the same way as we continue to do five thousand years on.
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Great stuff Leon - a good basis for a book I reckon.
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dunno what else to say other than I really like these. they're fascinating and you've taken some good shots of them.
I specially like the standing stone because of the dramatic sky and the dark but peacefull looking ground with the flowers. bryn cader faner is great too. it's like something could emerge from in any second~
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Quality.
The fact that we'll never know for certain is what makes archaeology fun- as do the previous crazy interpretations.
Also:
Stonehenge -Ylvis [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] [FULL HD] [3D] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klJhWr_FTaE#ws)
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YES _ my new favourite song. Brllliant.
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Wow. Spectacular work. I was left wanting more - more words, more photographs! Your stuff Leon really benefits from large scale prints, so I hope to see at least a book one day too... Skj.
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Like Time Team on filmwasters!
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Like Time Team on filmwasters!
yes, and I am the one with the feather in his slightly mouldy hat and talks like a pirate.
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Quite amazing !!
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class !
we have a lot of stone circles, burial tombs and standing stones
scattered across Ireland. I did a project in the 90's on
some of the well known monuments but the results were nothing like these.
great results Leon, well done.
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Great selection of stone photos, Leon.
They remind me of the sort of photos that I remember seeing in those "Shell Guides" to the various counties of England (in a good way). Timeless, intriguing and, ultimately, something that actually makes the viewer want to go there and experience them for themselves.
They're all fantastic shots but my particular favourite is Men An Tol, Cornwall.
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Great set of photos, Leon. There is a small set of stones quite similar to Chun Quoit, Cornwall close to my house. I must take a snap of it and send it to you - not in the best place to photograph, but, I'm sure that you'd find a way!
Oh, can the book be after the Fungi book? ;D
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I absolutely agree with the suggestions that these should make a book one day.. But I can well understand that there is a long way to that point yet - and am looking forward to see more of and about these stones.. We don't have many of them here in central Europe and such as we have are usually thronged with weird people so it is difficult to get decent view of them.. (the stones, not the people). :)
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thanks everyone. Yes ... a book. It's all about the time. Then there's the mushroom book, the dogs book, the etc etc etc