Issue No.

9: Spring 2013

Rock Articles

Issue No 9: Spring

Dear All, Spring seems to have finally arrived in most parts of the British Isles: the ice in the cup-marks has thawed, and theres at least a chance of some oblique light from the sun to bring those elusive motifs back to life. From Scotland we have discoveries from Easter Ross by Doug Scott, and some curious finds from Orkney. Moving just south of the border we hear from the Eden Valley where Long Meg and Her Daughters have been under investigation, despite freezing winds and drifting snow. The BRAG conference was earlier than usual this year. Hope it went well in Belfast - well have a full report in the Autumn issue. Kate Spring 2013 kesharpe@live.co.uk Contents: New British Discoveries: Swordale Hill .................................................................................................... 1 British Rock Art News ............................................................................................................................. 2 World Rock Art on the Web: international news and links ......................................................................... 3 Moving Images: rock art on film ................................................................................................................ 4 Ice Age Art at the British Museum: a review by Amanda Wintcher ........................................................... 5 Helicopters and Hailstones: Long Meg Survey report by Rachel Gibson ..................................................... 7 A Gallery of Neolithic Figurines ............................................................................................................. 10 All Dressed Up: a pick dressing mystery from Cornwall ............................................................................. 12 Inspired by Rock Art: creative responses to cup and ring marks............................................................... 14 Dates for your Diary: forthcoming conferences, day schools, and other events ......................................... 15 Rock Art Reads: new and forthcoming publications................................................................................... 15

NEW BRITISH DISCOVERIES: Swordale Hill, Evanton, Easter Ross.

Swordale Hill in Easter Ross (Fig. 1) is the site of one of the largest concentrations of rock art in Northern Scotland, following recent discoveries by Douglas Scott and the late Bob Gourlay (then the Highland Regional Archaeologist). Doug has put together a detailed report which is available from him at douglas.scottt@btinternet.com, and we highlight some of the finds. Six cup-marked stones, Fig. 3 (1, 2, 8, 17, and 28) were originally known, located close to couple a of Orkney-Cromarty cairns (Henshall & Ritchie, 2001). In 1986 Doug and Bob found and photographed a further 14 cup-marked stones on the hill which were later scheduled. The farmer, Mr Campbell, found a large cup-marked slab while ploughing in about 1985, and he said that he had seen another in the rough ground on the fields northern fence. This area was searched but nothing was found. In 2011, Doug found a further 9 other cup-marked stones on the hill, bringing the total to 28. A comprehensive photographic survey of these cup-marks has been lodged with the Royal Commission of Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh, and at HER Highland, Inverness, or is available from Doug at the address above.

Figure 1: Location of Swordale

Figure 2: Stone 16. This 2.5m sandstone slab has 32 faint ringed cupmarks, some having radial grooves connecting to a long fissure. The remains of an Orkney-Cromarty passage cairn lie just 67m away.

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To the west of the area a ca. 40 m wide ditched henge with a southeast entrance was also found (Fig. 3). Near the centre of the henge, and next to a small standing stone, is a cup-marked boulder (Fig. 4). In the field below the henge there is a ca. 2.5 m long stone which has two grooves and a deep stone axe-shaped depression. It is possible that this is a fallen standing stone. From the cup-marked stones there are wide views out over the Cromarty Firth, and the Black Isle.

Figure 3: Site map showing location of cup-marks, one of the passage graves, and the henge.

Figure 4: Cup-marked stone in the centre of the henge.

(Information and figures provided by Doug Scott).

If you have identified any new rock art and would like to feature your find here, please get in touch. Please note that grid references will not be included in Rock Articles. Finds should be reported to and verified by the relevant local authority HER officer.

BRITISH ROCK ART NEWS

Long Meg and Her Daughters under the spotlight Helicopters and hailstones were all in days work for the Altogether Archaeology volunteers in March when they descended on the Eden Valley in Cumbria for four days of intense survey of the stone circle and surroundings. Led by Paul Frodsham and assisted by specialists from Oxford Archaeology North and Durham University, the teams worked hard for four days in bitter conditions, undertaking geophysical and topographical surveys and recording both the site and the individual stones using photogrammetry. Read more on page 7.

CARE in the community: new project to assess rock art.

A new project at the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University has begun recently to continue work on the CARE (Condition Assessment and Risk Evaluation) of rock art and other ancient stone monuments. Funded by an AHRC Science and Heritage Research Development Award, the project builds on the 2009 AHRC/EPSRC funded Decay of Ancient Stone Monuments research cluster prompted investigations into the environmental and mineralogical bases of rock art in Northumberland. This work documented in a recent publication (Giesen et al 2011). The new project will be community based, adopting a participatory/co-production approach with heritage managers, land-owners, and volunteers.
Giesen, MJ, Mazel, AD, Graham, DW, and Warke, PA. Care and Management of Ancient Stone Monuments during Environmental Change. International Journal of Heritage and Sustainable Development, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2011, pp. 60-71.

Fun with Rock Art: workshop at Bradford University

Participants in the recent Time Detectives Fun Day, organised to celebrate the Watershed Landscape project, enjoyed having a go at a range of activities based around the CSI: Rombalds Moor project. Tasks included spotting rock art in a Natural or Not quiz, drawing and photographing rock art, and exploring virtual 3D models using a laptop. They were invited to try out their new skills on a Rock Art GPS Trail created by volunteers from the project.

WORLD ROCK ART on the WEB

Issue No 9: Spring

News from India, Australia, Brazil, and Morocco.

Oldest rock art in India Continuing our oldest theme from Issue 8, we bring news of Indias earliest directly dated rock art, identified by a team led by Professor Paul Taon. The geometric pattern engraved on the limestone wall of a giant cave near Kurnool in South India has been dated to about 5000 years. Professor Taon, Chair in Rock Art Research, says It is possible the diamond pattern was intended to represent honeycombs or a site for honey gathering, although well never know what exactly this design meant to the people in that age. The multinational team, who dated specks of calcium carbonate from the incisions that make up the Billasurgam Cave engraving, published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Sciences in January:
Taon, P.S.C., N. Boivin, M. Petraglia, J. Blinkhorn, A. Chivas, R.G. Roberts, D. Fink, T. Higham, P. Ditchfield, R. Korisettar, and J. Zhao, 2013. Mid-Holocene age obtained for nested diamond pattern petroglyph in the Billasurgam Cave complex, Kurnool District, southern India. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(4), 1787 1796.

You can also read more in this news story by Deborah Marshall, published Jan 25 2013: http://app.griffith.edu.au/news/2013/01/25/indias-oldest-rock-art-discovery/

Identification of extinct Australian lion confirmed Back in Issue 2 (Oct 2009) RA reported on the discovery of a rock painting of an extinct marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) in The Kimberley, Western Australia. The lion was known only from fossil records, but the painting suggested that it may have co-existed with early Australians. A new report by Stan Woodhouse was published in the Antiquity Project Gallery in June 2012. Additional photographs have been obtained and scrutinized and seem to confirm the identification of the species. Read the full report (with images) at http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/woodhouse332/ Old rock art in the New World A small stick figure is believed to be the earliest example of rock art in the Americas. The carving, found in a cave in Lapa do Santo in central-eastern Brazil, is believed to date to between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. It has been dubbed "the horny little man" for obvious reasons! A team from the University of Sao Paulo made the discovery during excavations in 2009 but unveiled their findings in the PLoS ONE scientific journal:
Neves WA, Araujo AGM, Bernardo DV, Kipnis R, Feathers JK (2012) Rock Art at the Pleistocene/Holocene Boundary in Eastern South America. PLoS ONE 7(2): e32228. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032228

'The little horny man'. Image: Neves Wa/Araujo Agm/Bernardo Dv The figure, which appears to be squatting with his arms outstretched, is about 12 inches tall from head to feet and about 8 inches wide. The phallus is about 2 inches long, about the same length as the man's left arm. Walter Alves Neves, the archaeologist and biological anthropologist leading the team, believes it is probably linked to some kind of fertility ritual. Carbon dating and other tests of the sediment covering the petroglyph suggest the engraving dates to between 10,000 and 12,000 years old making it the oldest reliably dated example of such rock art found yet in the Americas. Read about other remains found in the cave, and the oldest human skeleton found to date in South America, in the full report at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/9100690/Rock-art-discovery-could-shed-light-on-when-New-World-was-settled.html#

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Salafists blamed for destroying pagan rock carving in Morocco Reuters reported in October 2012 that an 8,000-year-old panel of rock art depicting the Sun as a divinity, The Plaque of the Sun, has been destroyed in the Toubkal National Park, in southern in southern Marrakech, some 12 miles from Mount Toubkal, Morocco's highest peak. Since then, the Moroccan government has taken measures to prove that the pagan petroglyph is still intact. In a new report, it is revealed that Communications Minister Mustafa elKhalfi has taken journalists to the location of the stone carving to disprove earlier reports. Local residents blamed Salafists seeking to impose their fundamentalist view of Islam. Ahmed Assid, a prominent activist for the indigenous Amazigh people explained: "Their view is that aspects of Amazigh culture, including pre-Islamic heritage, still present today defeat the purpose of the Islamic conquests." Amazigh, or Imazighen, lived in north Africa long before Muslims set foot in the land in the 7th century. Assid blamed Moroccan authorities for failing to protect ancient artefacts and other Amazigh archaeological sites, claiming that "Some 37,000 Amazigh petroglyphs like the one that was destroyed this week have been smuggled out of Morocco in the past 20 years." Read Souhail Karams report at http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFBRE89G1G120121017 and http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/20/us-salafists-morocco-amazighidUSBRE89J08U20121020
Morocco's Communications Minister Mustapha Khalfi stands next to the untouched plaque on October 18, 2012. Image from Reuters.

The Plaque of the Sun the centre of the row. Image: Martin Roses blog.

For an alternative view of the story see Martin Roses blog. (Martin is the Director of the British Council in Morocco) http://marforioromano.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/hairy-sun-goddess/

MOVING IMAGES: Rock Art on Film

Tour rock art in Africa, view Scandinavian rock on YouTube, and see how Palaeolithic artists may have invented cinema! Zimbabwe's ancient rock art audio slideshow Tour operators are starting to sell safaris to Zimbabwe again, and in addition to the fantastic wildlife, the country is home to southern Africa's highest concentration of rock art. This 4 min audio slideshow, produced by Guardian Travels Explorer Kevin Rushby shows some of the fantastic rock art on offer to visitors to the Matobo Hills, and includes Kevins own discovery of a brand new painting! http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/audioslideshow/2012/nov/07/zimbabwe-rock-art-matobo-hillsaudio-slideshow Image of zebra from slideshow Cinematic animation of Palaeolithic art. Marc Azma and Florent Rivre have been exploring the representation of animal movement in cave art. They believe that Palaeolithic artists invented systems of breaking down movement and graphic narrative. They discovered that animal movement was also represented in more dynamic ways. This fascinating video, published on the Antiquity Gallery in June 2012, is based on art in the Chauvet Cave (Ardche) and La Baume Latrone (Gard). Take a look at: http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/azema332/

Lions in motion, La Vache Cave, Ariege.

Scandinavian rock art in 3D These excellent 3D animations of Scandinavian rock art by Mette Rabitz are definitely worth viewing on YouTube: Masleberg - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lakTQZ6YQ_o Solberg - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91nTOHosd3I Finntorp - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMdauuKu2BE Brastad1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uenvxS7fZA
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ICE AGE ART: Arrival of the Modern Mind at the British Museum

Issue No 9: Spring

Thought-provoking and stunning says The Telegraph; Astonishing says Metro. Rock art researcher Amanda Wintcher took the train down to the big smoke to find out what all the fuss was about. Although I have seen photographs of many of the objects on display, by seeing them in person I was able to appreciate their true scale (sometimes very small indeed) as well as the fine details and their "dimensionality", for lack of a better term. Photographs, obviously, flatten three-dimensional objects and can only show some of the details. I was surprised, for example, to see hoof prints carved into the well-known leaping horse from Montrastruc, a detail which I have never noticed in photographs of this item. Many of the famous items on display, such as the Swimming Reindeer and the female figures, are smaller than I had imagined, and the range of carved objects was surprisingly diverse. It reminded me of the experience of seeing Herzog's 3D film "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". Anyone with an interest in rock art is sure to have seen plenty of photographs of the paintings in Chauvet Cave. But seeing them in 3D gave me an entirely different view of how they are related to each other and to the cave itself. I came away from the Ice Age Art exhibit with a much better understanding of what the objects really looked like, the skill that went into making them, and how they might have been used. For me, the highlights were items that I was unfamiliar with, including: The "Worshipper" (from Geissenklsterie Cave), a figure with raised arms carved on a tiny ivory tabled (3.8 cm high) Very large (28.2 cm long) leaf shaped flint point from Volgu Carved fish figurine from Lespuge, and the image of a fish hooked on a line from Courbet Cave Various pieces of mammoth tusk carved with intricate abstract patterns, some of which were interpreted as possible maps A human figure carved on a mammoth tusk, interpreted as a woman, composed of a series of patterned abstract lines from Pedmost As the main aim of the exhibit was to show just how modern the sensibilities that went into the creation of these items were, examples of modern art that either resemble or have explicitly taken inspiration from the Palaeolithic works were interspersed throughout the exhibit. This made for an interesting juxtaposition, particularly when similar objects were displayed together. The visual similarities between the works chosen and the prehistoric items were very clear, although whether they had a similar motivation is debatable. However, the argument for modernity could have been better explained in the accompanying text. Visitors who did not have the benefit of attending an academic lecture beforehand (as I did) may not have understood why a Henry Moore sculpture was displayed next to a series of prehistoric figurines. The video presentation was also a bit baffling. While I enjoyed it as a bit of art in its own right, and found the appearance of abstract motifs in sync with the sound of dripping water amusing, I was not clear on what, if anything, I was meant to take away from it. I found some aspects of the exhibit design disappointing and vaguely annoying. The biggest problem, from a visitor perspective, is the crowded layout of both the galleries, and of some of the cases with many small objects displayed together. It seemed that they could have been spaced out more, to allow people to gather and move around the objects without the need to squeeze past each other. There did not seem to be a clear sequence for moving around the gallery, which made the experience feel chaotic. The devices for the audio tour were a bit of a distraction. While they are no doubt very cool and interactive, in the dimly lit gallery it was jarring to have people walking around with bright lights around their necks, standing in front of cases oblivious to other people waiting their turn to have a look. The accompanying text on the walls and cases lacked detail. Site names and local area maps were presented, but I felt that an overview map and timeline at the beginning of the exhibit would have been helpful. The purpose of including the modern art items did not seem well-explained, nor did the prehistoric context of the Ice Age objects themselves. The images of women and the emphasis on the links between obesity and childbirth also came across as somehow judgemental, as if the only possible reason for depicting women in this unattractive way was that they had borne many children. Occasionally I found the identification of objects as female figures questionable.
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And finally, the gift shop at the end. Although it is true that I bought some postcards, the proliferation of gift shops does cheapen the experience of the British Museum somewhat. Was it really necessary to herd everyone through a crowded shop selling vaguely related souvenir items at the end of the exhibit? Why not use that space to make the exhibit easier to navigate, and instead direct visitors to one of the many other shopping opportunities in the museum, including the large central gift shop? Despite the annoyances in the presentation, the exhibit included an interesting selection of items both ancient and modern. Overall, being able to get up close and personal with these really rather astounding objects, albeit through glass, was in itself worth the trip to London.

Issue No 9: Spring

Images (c) Trustees of The British Museum website: 1.The oldest known portrait of a woman sculpted from mammoth ivory found at Doln Vestonice, Moravia, Czech Republic. approximately 26,000 years old 2. The Lion Man sculpture. Picture: Photo Karl-Heinz Augustin, Ulmer Museum 3. Fragment of decorated reindeer metatarsal (bone) engraved on the obverse surface with two reindeer, one of which is now incomplete; decorated bone; Palaeolithic; Madeleine, France. 4. Portraits of three reindeer and an Ibex, engraved on rib bone; Fragment of decorated rib bone; Found in Courbet Cave This unique exhibition is showing until 26 May, but advanced booking is essential. See http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/ice_age_art.aspx Other reviews can be found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/9857755/Ice-Age-Art-at-British-Museum-review.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2013/feb/10/ice-age-art-british-museum-review http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/exhibitions/ice-age-art-arrival-of-the-modern-mind-british-museum-8494480.html

Snowy cup-marks at Swordale Hill photographed by Dougie Scott.

HELICOPTERS & HAILSTONES: High tech investigations at Long Meg in Cumbria

Issue No 9: Spring

In March this year, the Long Meg stone circle in the Eden Valley was the focus of four days of intense scrutiny by 50 volunteers from the Altogether Archaeology project. Altogether Archaeology is the North Pennines AONB Partnerships community archaeology project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, whose 500 volunteers undertake a wide-ranging programme of archaeological fieldwork each year. The Long Meg survey is part of a wider initiative looking at activity across the North Pennines during the Neolithic. Led by Paul Frodsham, and assisted by specialists Jamie Quartermaine and Peter Schofield (Oxford Archaeology North), Chris Scarre, Kate Sharpe, and Pedro Alvim-Carvalho (Durham University), and Duncan Hale (Archaeological Services, Durham University), the teams worked hard for four days in bitter conditions, undertaking geophysical and topographical surveys and recording both the site and the individual stones using photogrammetry. A small remote-controlled helicopter was used to capture images of the site. One of the AA volunteers was local artist Rachel Gibson; this is her personal take on the project.

Long Meg and Her Daughters survey, March 2013 We first walked to the site of Long Meg and her daughters in a well-timed gap between snow flurries. March and the vernal equinox acts as a boundary between winter and summer although summer seemed far away. It is a peaceful place, near the river Eden in the beautiful Eden Valley, quite isolated with few people passing through, mainly walkers and farm traffic. There is only one signpost which reads LONG MEG DRUIDS CIRCLE to show that there is anything there at all. The myths and legends that surround this enigmatic site only serve to add to the intrigue. Antiquarian reports from as far back as the 16th century describe a circle of mighty stones with the speciall one by it selfe before them at the very entrance. Like many other stone circles, stories of petrifaction, uncountable stones and severe weather abound. Wordsworths family forlorn are, in legend, a coven of witches turned to stone by a Scottish wizard, punishment for dancing on the Sabbath and all manner of disasters can occur if you interfere with the stones or count the same number twice.

All this taken into account, the first visit to Long Meg was interesting. Many of the volunteers had not been to the site before and in the bright sunshine with the surrounding hills topped with snow, the circle looked beautiful. There were discussions about the processes of the survey, the geomagnetic and geophysical methods and equipment, the photographic 3D modelling, the inspection, description and recording of each individual stone and a number of practical issues were raised, not least the counting and numbering of the stones. According to legend anything could happen. We could all end up being turned to stone or the stones themselves being turned back to dancing witches (that would have been entertaining but could have attracted a lot of media attention). However, in spite of Health and Safety, the stones needed a definitive count and, in the face of numerous previous counting methods, the Frodsham-Quatermaine system was devised, starting at Long Meg and progressing clockwise around the circle. This survey, remarkably, is the first in-depth cataloguing and recording of a place that has been written about, researched, drawn, painted, photographed, and described in poetry since the 16th century. The site is a complex one with circle, rock art, an earthwork enclosure and a possible cursus. Aerial photographs of parch marks in the 1980s revealed, amongst other things, the remains of a huge enclosure abutting the circle to the north. Antiquarian reports suggest many more stones, another circle nearby and huge cairns in the centre of the circle. Clearly there was a lot of stuff going on.
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As a complete novice at this sort of thing, terms such as geophysical, resistivity, geomagnetic, photogrammetric and digital terrain model made me think of The Time Team and I was desperate to have a go at walking up and down with the spiky metal thing to poke into the ground. Both the how and the why are clearer now. These techniques were being used to test the research and theories which had been made previously on the site with more definitive resolution, using systems and equipment that included state of the art recording, photographic and computer techniques. Since digging was not part of this survey, these were the methods employed to see beneath the surface. People were working over the whole circle and surrounding fields, some with white sheets and cameras, some with tape measures, poles, pencils and paper, some with harnesses strapped to their totally non-magnetic bodies (no metal on any part of clothing allowed here - not an easy thing to accomplish!). It was a little like Lilliputians crawling over the giant body of Gulliver, trying to measure him for a suit. Each individual stone was photographed from every imaginable angle, the results fed into the computer to be masked out, processed and stitched together digitally to make a 3D image of the stone. The stones were also classified, described, photographed and measured, marking their position within the circle and in relation to each other. Continuing the Gulliver theme, a little dragonfly-like helicopter carrying a camera recorded the huge stone circle from above, providing imagery which would, with appropriate software, create a 3D model of the site, something that could be applied to a whole range of new future research about placement in the landscape, positioning of stones and the circles relationship to solar and lunar events. It seemed that four days would hardly be long enough to collect all the proposed data. As an artist it is probably the rock art on Long Meg that I find most interesting. First recorded in 1835, the southern face of the monolith has anticlockwise spirals, concentric circles and a cup and ring mark. Because of the abstract nature and the antiquity of the imagery, the real meaning of such work is essentially unknowable but considering the time and effort placed upon these markings and the many other examples of rock art found in our country, it must have had impact and importance in the daily life of our early ancestors. There are clues in Ireland that suggest that anticlockwise spirals are to be found in places that relate to the winter solstice. The winter sun sets behind Long Meg when viewed from the centre of the circle on the shortest day. The carvings may have been on the rock before it was raised as Long Meg. Rock art such as this will always be open to speculation and that, to me, is the most intriguing thing of all. When all these results are properly collated, there will be something new to add to the eventful story of Long Meg and her daughters. Each stone has been assessed, sometimes in ways that have never been done before. The association of the slightly flattened circle with the huge earthwork enclosure and the possible positions of ditches and the cursus have all been exposed to rigorous survey techniques. All this surface detail and topographical information will be compiled and the research can carry on many miles away using computer software. Perhaps there will be further on site investigation in the future. As a volunteer I found the work interesting and it allowed me to see a place with which I was very familiar in an entirely different way.

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Long Meg remains, quietly watching over her ring of daughters turned to stone. Apparently if you count the stones correctly twice and then put your ear to the massive red sandstone monolith you will hear her whisper. After four days of intensive work by academics, archaeological experts, and volunteers there was news of a great storm rushing in from the east. Everything was cleared up and packed away with controlled haste. People headed home, some to other parts of Cumbria, some back over the Pennines. The next day a snow storm hit Cumbria which rivalled the snows of 1963. Colonel Lacey, a local squire in the late 1700s attempted to clear the stones with explosives. His project was abandoned after a fearful storm blew up. They do say that stone circles often have stories to tell of petrifaction, uncountable stones and severe weather Rachel Gibson

The data gathered is currently being processed but you can follow progress on the Altogether Archaeology website at http://www.northpennines.org.uk/Pages/Altogetherarchaeology.aspx Although the surveys and interpretation are still in progress, the project has provided a fantastic opportunity for people in the North Pennines to engage in archaeological fieldwork and research at one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the region. Duncan Hale Archaeology Services, Durham University Image credits and captions (top to bottom for each page)

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Lilliputions measure Meg for a new outfit. Rachel Gibson The road to the Druids Circle. Kate Sharpe Megs daughters bathed in Spring sunshine. Dave Tuck

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Volunteers hard at work with geophysics and topographic surveys. Kate Sharpe Getting to grips with a new technique for masking the background. Kate Sharpe Another daughter is scrutinised from all angles. Kate Sharpe Photographing Megs top requires a full extension. Kate Sharpe

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The helicopter hovers over the stones. Kate Sharpe Long Meg in all her glory. Dave Tuck. Magnetometry between the stones. Rachel Gibson

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A Gallery of British Neolithic Figurines

Not strictly rock art, but definitely art made from rock (and clay and whalebone!), these small but personal survivors from Neolithic Britain are a reminder that real people are at the centre of all archaeology. Some of the figures (especially Nos. 2 and 6) are less complete and are more open to interpretation; others have clear features and distinctive proportions. Note: they are not shown to scale.

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2b.

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Figurine 1: Links of Noltland 1: Orkney Venus/Westray Wifie Sandstone; 41mm tall, 31mm wide and 12mm thick. Found in summer 2009 in midden filling the remains of a former Neolithic farmhouse. http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/2009/08/21/westray-stone-age-carving-is-a-first-for-scotland/ Figurine 2a and 2b: Links of Noltland 2 (head missing) Found in 2010; Clay; 34mm tall. http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/2010/07/19/second-figurine-found-in-westray/ Figurine 3: Ness of Brodgar: Brodgar Boy Found in 2011 in Structure 14, Ness of Brodgar Complex; clay; 30 mm tall. http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/2011/08/02/about-a-brodgar-boy/ Figurine 4: Links of Noltland 3 Found in 2012; http://www.culture24.org.uk/history%20%26%20heritage/archaeology/art398551 http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/2012/08/29/third-figurine-from-links-of-noltland-dig/ Figurine 5: Harray: Grimeston Girlie (1976)?? Was this figure, which was found in a field by a Harray resident, the first of the Orkney figures? Read more at http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/2010/09/02/was-orkneys-first-venus-found-in-harray/ Figurine 6: Windmill Hill This engraved chalk artefact was found at Windmill Hill, and is believed to date to c. 3500-3400 BCE. Is it a headless figure? Image from Plate XXa from Smith, Isobel Foster. 1965. Windmill Hill and Avebury: excavations by Alexander Keiller, 19251939. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Figurine 7: Somerset levels: God Dolly (a wooden equivalent?) The preservation of the Somerset Levels led to the survival of a wooden god-dolly found sandwiched between two trackways. Dates for the two tracks place the figure in the mid-3rd millennium BC making it so far the earliest wooden figure from Britain or Ireland. The figure is made of ash wood, and is 155 mm tall. Read more at http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/042/Ant0420275.htm Thanks to Antonia Thomas at the University of the Highlands and Islands for advice, and to the Orkneyjar website from which some of the information and images were sourced. You can see the some of the figurines and other exhibits at the Westray Heritage Centre, Pierowall, Westray, KW17 2BZ. Contact 01857 677414 or email enquiries@westrayheritage.co.uk for more information.

Issue No 9: Spring

The British figures have a simple design with roughly similar proportions (some have lost their heads!). Compare them to these clay figurines which were part of a group of more than 3000 found recently at the site of Koutroulou Magoula near the Greek village of Neo Monastiri. The site, roughly four times the area of a football pitch, was occupied during the Middle Neolithic period (in Greece, c. 5800 5300 BC). The figurines were found all over, including in the wall foundations. Read more about the discovery at www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology/news/2013/01/11_archaeologists_unearth_prehistoric_clay_figurines_in_greece.page?

Unique Style

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Issue No 9: Spring 2013

ALL DRESSED UP?

Can any RA readers shed light on the textured effect found on this stone at Kennack Sands Cornwall? The surface was identified by Martin Ellis, and has provoked some debate amongst local archaeologists. Is this patterning caused by geology, natural weathering, or is it the result of chisel or pick marks? The dressing appears confined to the buried part of the boulder, and does not seem to follow the natural geology present. Stone-working and shaping is not unknown on the stones of some megalithic monuments, but no other examples of surface dressing are recorded on in situ bedrock. Or do you know different?

Figure 3: Fig 1: Chisel marks on bedrock at Kennack Sands. Image: Martin Ellis. Figure 2: Detail of chisel marks. Photo: Martin Ellis.

The majority of megalithic stones in Britain and Ireland are deployed in their natural raw state; very few are shaped and dressed, and only a small number are embellished with rock art. Notable exceptions are found in the Boyne Valley, Ireland, on Orkney, and, of course, at Stonehenge.

Orkney-style Researchers in Orkney have recently re-examined the interior surfaces of Maes Howe (see PAST 72), reviewing several areas of chisel scars (av. 8mm wide) documented by Phillips and Bradley (2000). Of course these may not be contemporary with the building of the tomb, but similar marks have also been recorded on stones from the Ness of Brodgar complex. Experiments showed that a comparable effect could be produced using a flint tool, and such a blade has been found at the site.

Figure 4: Chisel marks working at the top of the large stone at the base of the north buttress, Maes Howe. Image: Roy Loveday

Stonehenge: dressed to impress The Stonehenge sarsen stones were clearly shaped and their surfaces dressed in several stages of increasing refinement (Atkinson 1960, 125). Heavy stone mauls were used to pound the rock, with coarse work followed by finer tooling such as that seen on Stone 16. It has been suggested that this might have been intended to mimic the tree bark (North 1997, plate 29) a reference to a possible timber circle precursor that is also reflected in the use of a ball and socket joint perhaps a more flexible stone version of the carpenters mortise and tenon. The whole surface was then pounded uniformly to produce a surface which Atkinson likens to orange peel. Due to weathering, this type of surface only survives below the ground. The final stage was to grind and polish the surface, however only a few small patches of such finishing have survived.

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Issue No 9: Spring 2013

Newgrange Many of the megaliths used to build the Passage Graves in the Boyne Valley had their surfaces prepared by pecking or pickdressing (Shee-Twohig 1981, 116) but this decorative effect was much finer than the chisel marks found at Maes Howe or Stonehenge. At Newgrange nearly all the orthostats were pick-dressed in this way, in some cases obliterating other decoration, e.g. on L19, R3 and K2 (OKelly 1971 pl 22 and 23b). Pick-dressing is also found at Dowth and at Knowth 1. Stones of the chambered tomb at Barlodiad y Gawres on Anglesey also show this effect.

Pecked areas and micro-cups There are a few, rare examples documented within the cup-and-ring mark tradition sometimes described as areas of pecking, and occasionally we see very small micro-cups. These may be incomplete motifs, or may be rare survivors of a decoration that would be quickly erased by exposure to the British weather. Two of the examples below come from cairns excavated in Northumberland at Hunterheugh and Weetwood Moor respectively. The third shows a section from the Copt Howe panel in Cumbria with a rectangular area of dense pecking, and a second, triangular area of more diffuse micro-cups

15 cm

30 cm

Hunterheugh portable, Image: Beckensall Archive

Weetwood cairn j portable. Image: Beckensall Archive

Unusual areas of pecking on the Copt Howe panel in Cumbria.

Further reading:
Cochrane, A. 2008. Additive subtraction: addressing pick-dressing in Irish passage tombs. In J. Thomas and V. Oliveira Jorge (eds), Archaeology and the politics of vision in a post-modern context. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing 163-185. Loveday, R., H. Anderson-Whymark, N. Card and A. Thomas. 2012. Chiselling marks at Maes Howe. PAST 72, 5-7. Phillips, T., and R. Bradley 2000. Pick-Dressing on the Neolithic Monuments of Orkney. Scottish Archaeological Journal 110. Shee Twohig, E. 1981.The Megalithic Art of Western Europe 22(2) 103-

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Issue No 9: Spring 2013

INSPIRED by ROCK ART

This issues inspiration is Long Meg and Her Daughters, as featured on pages 7-9. Created by artist and Altogether Archaeology volunteer Rachel Gibson it is entitled Long Meg Vernal Equinox. You can see more of Rachels work on her website at http://www.rachelgibson.co.uk/ kesharpe@live.co.uk.

If you have created something rock art related and would like to share it with Rock Articles readers, drop me a line at

CUP & RING CHALLENGE

Can you find the rock art themed words in the cup-mark?

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Issue No 9: Spring 2013

DATES for your DIARY: Forthcoming Conferences and Events

If you have an event you would like to publicise here please send me the details.

20th April 2013 British Rock Art Group, Queens University, Belfast. BRAG goes to Belfast this year. Email for information is brag2013@gmail.com

Until 26th May 2013 Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind, The British Museum Advanced booking is essential. See http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/ice_age_art.aspx

26th 31st May 2013 2013 International Rock Art Congress (IFRAO), Marriott Pyramid North, Albuquerque, New Mexico The American Rock Art Research Association invites all interested people to the XVII International Congress of IFRAO in conjunction with the ARARA 2013 Conference. The nearby Petroglyph National Monument will allow attendees continual access to the local rock art. The Congress theme "Ancient Hands Around the World" is designed to bring together the diverse interests of the many people who study and work to conserve the pictographs and petroglyphs in all countries. http://www.arara.org/2013_ifrao_conference.html

ROCK ART READS: New and Forthcoming Publications

Beyond the Ice: Creswell Crags and its Place in a Wider European Context Matthew Beresford From Oxbow: Since the discovery of Britains first Ice Age cave art in 2003, the site of Creswell Crags has gained international recognition as one of Britains leading Palaeolithic sites. This accessible volume explores the history of research on the site and draws together and interprets the findings, paying particular attention to the cave art. Documenting the early fieldwork at the site it uncovers antiquarian discoveries such as the famous horse engraving, excavations in the 1920s that saw our understanding of our early ancestors take shape, discusses the demise of the Neanderthals and the emergence of Modern Man, and looks at how Creswell Crags grew as a heritage attraction of potential World Heritage Status. The book also challenges the term Creswellian, an isolated British culture that occupied the fringe lands of western Europe, and instead offers hard evidence for viewing Creswell Crags and its inhabitants as being part of a vast Ice Age world. ISBN: 9781905739509; 113 p b/w illus ( Archaeopress) paperback. Price GB 14.95 http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/beyond-the-ice.htm Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind Jill Cook From the British Museum website: This is a thought-provoking exploration of the masterpieces of sculpture, drawing and decoration of the last Ice Age. Produced between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, this is some of the oldest known figurative art in the world. Looking at these art works provides a fascinating insight into the earliest modern minds and their capacity to express ideas symbolically through art. Over 100 objects are featured, including small but exquisite sculptures made from mammoth ivory, engraved drawings, ceramic models, decorated objects and jewellery from the age of the great painted caves. Some are celebrated masterpieces such as the Swimming Reindeer (13,000 years old), the so-called Willendorf Venus (25,000 years old), the Vogelherd Horse (32,000 years old) and the Lion Man (32,000 years old); others are lesser- known treasures from the collections of European museums. The author examines them in a new light, as works of aesthetic not solely archaeological interest, and as such forming part of an unbroken continuum of human creativity. ISBN: 978 0 7141 2333 2; 240 pp, 200 colour illus., hardback. Price GB 25. http://www.britishmuseumshoponline.org/exhibition-books/ice-age-art-arrival-of-the-modernmind/invt/cmcf23332

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