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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Castlerigg » Castlerigg, a Barra grave, sunrise & |
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Anew 36 posts |
Dec 04, 2012, 23:06
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For reference please see: Wessex Archaeology's page on the Allasdale Dunes excavation, http://www.scribd.com/doc/11779971/Allasdale-Dunes-Barra-Western-Isles ; the Modern Antiquarian's page on Castlerigg, (which includes plans), http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/70/castlerigg.html ; stonepages page on the site, (which includes a panorama), http://www.stonepages.com/england/castlerigg.html ; megalithic.co.uk's page www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=42 ; and if you have it, Circles of Stone, a book by Max Milligan and Aubrey Burl. Castlerigg stone circle, in England's Lake District, is beautiful . It is also enigmatic, and here are some things which i think about in connection to it. I was walking some months ago when i saw the sun setting behind a low hill . Its shape was near-oval, and it occurred to me that this may have been an influence upon the builders of rings ... if they were seeking to reinforce a connection with risings and or settings. Some photos from the website flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/lutherankorean/2126825130/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverstar2501/4266991498/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_t_4_sail/6609003293/ I am particularly interested in the last of these because it shows that the axis of symmetry seems to be a little bit higher than center just as the sun appears ... making the sun look slightly egg-shaped, with the broader end (unexpectedly) up . It seems to me that this could have been noticed by ancient Britons, and thus may have influenced the layout of Castlerigg, (and of Long Meg & Her Daughters)* . I also imagine the atmospheric distortion evident may have influenced the somewhat irregular placement of stones upon their forms. * { I have posted mathematical models for Long Meg at stonepages, (and a number of other sites, often finding references to a 7:11:13 triangle, the ratio ?/3 and (?/3)^2 ) . Professor Alexander Thom has famously proposed geometric bases for sites, including both of these . I do not want to rule some form of mathematic out, and see it as possible . However, as a guiding influence i would give more weight to the shape of the just-off-the-horizon sun . I feel that whatever mathematics they had, they didn't yet have the technology to realize its full power ... for one realizes the power of mathematics when devices designed according to its principles do not only was impossible before, but what was inconceivable before . With math they could predict eclipses if they were good enough . They seem to have had a firm grasp of Latitude, and this may have been math based . But back in that day the sun and moon were high in a way that would be difficult (i think) to fully appreciate now . Thus (i feel) resemblance to them would have, in the cases of oval and 'wide-egg-shaped' rings, (such as these), provided the garment of form, (with its intended magic), upon which mathematics, (to the extent it was known and with its intended magic), could perform tailoring. } An excavation carried out on the Outer Hebridean Isle of Barra revealed a cist grave (103), bound by stone setting (104), which are shown on the first page of the Wessex report and in its figures and plates . The grave's shape is a flattened oval, similar overall to Castlerigg . Orientation is also similar ~ both have their long axes slightly off a north-south line ~ though reflected, with the grave's long axis bearing somewhat east of north, and Castlerigg's somewhat west . Similarity continues in looking at their flatter eastern sides . Off center to the south from Castlerigg's, a well-known 'low rectangular enclosure' projects at a slight angle into the ring space, of which Aubrey Burl writes, "An excavation in 1882 found nothing except a small pit at the western end with only charcoal mixed with the earth" . In the Barra grave, more or less on center or slightly north, a single low stone projects into the space at a similar angle . I had earlier proposed these represented hearths, but if so that of the ring seems under-initiated . What i now think these could have represented is a resting place for some perishable provision(s) which the dead would consume along their journey, or a like gift to be presented to those in the next life. Though Castlerigg is some 1500 years older, and stands at a distance from this Western Isles site, i feel that the remote and rugged Barra would be a logical place to find use of what may have been earlier lake-district symbolism, (though Long Meg at the edge of the neighboring Peak District may also attest to its viability) ; quoting from page 2 of the report: "Branigan (2007, 19) states that referring to the period from around 2000BC to about 500BC as the Bronze Age is, in the case of Barra, optimistic if not positively misleading. The totality of bronzework from this period so far discovered in these southern islands is half a small cloak fastener." . However, it might also be reasonable to expect that at such a distance in space and time, following of such a custom may not be universal ~ even within the same burial ground ~ as the excavation report shows. That a grave should be similar in form to a just-off-the-horizon sun makes intuitive sense within the milieu as i imagine it . And i find it worth noting that the flatter side, (which if it were modeled upon the sun would be higher in the sky), of both grave and ring face eastward, as though they were rising with their dead ; (Long Meg's Daughters has its flatter side to the north, complicating comparison). This leaves a less-than-airtight explanation for the extra low stone in the grave, and for the box in Castlerigg . So to take things the other way ~ if the grave had been modeled after some abode used by the living, the ring would likely have been too and this speculation about the shape of the rising sun would probably be wrong . But, off-round is neither the strongest nor the most economical shape for a hut, (round is), and i have seen no mention of huts off-round in this way, to this degree . Also, if it represented a permanent domicile for the dead, why would the grave not have had some lasting object upon the extra stone? Assuming the rising-sun as model hypothesis is valid, there is also the question : If it was this way, why haven't numerous graves of this type been found in the area ? Indeed, the other graves in the cemetery excavated are not nearly as reminiscent of Castlerigg, and i may be overstating the case based upon a coincidental resemblance . However, that possibility seems diminished by the presence of that angled stone, so as above, i imagine that the possibility of a tradition that was not universally followed should be considered. Once again, i bring up excarnation . If the circle was used for that purpose, or for the funerary rites preceding/following it, it may have been considered the same in the eyes of the locals . Vultures being diurnal creatures of the air, they could have served well within a belief system in which the sun also played a part ; and as described in another post, i believe they felt the vulture's embodiment of the bucranium symbol indicated it was a powerful, honorable though morbid, divine being ~ particularly if theirs was a pastoral society . If so, i imagine these people also paid attention to the direction from which the vultures arrived and to which they departed . I find that touching, and wasn't expecting it : their drawing augury regarding the dead from the paths of the birds... This post is based upon posts i made as 'Anew' to the Alternative Theories forum of the site stonepages.com
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Anew 36 posts |
Dec 15, 2012, 21:49
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I believe the following Himba tribe hut, (Namibia), may have relevance here ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Namibie_Himba_0712a.jpg Having searched flickr for more photos to establish a basis for comparison, i find a variety of styles of which the one in the above-linked photo is comparatively rare ; and a stand-out, (though maybe not singular), example . I find myself curious about two things : First is the off-round shape painted in white, (a color of apparent symbolic importance in much of traditional Africa, though this tribe seems to prefer red), on the hut's wall . It seems to be both the shape of the hut's floor-plan, and a fairly good representation of the overall shape of the Barra grave, Castlerigg, and Long Meg's Daughters . Its presence seems to add an element of mysticism, and this is the only hut i've seen it on . Together these factors indicate to me that this particular style of hut may have a special purpose within their culture . One woman, (with a rather guarded expression), stands in the doorway, and another is visible within in the enlarged version . Their presence indicates that this was not a male-only domain ; and i imagine its use and importance might have involved pregnancy, childbirth or a rite of passage . Secondly, there is a ramp of earth leading to the door-opening, which appears to be at a slight angle to it, recalling but inverting the enclosure within Castlerigg and the extra stone in the Barra grave . I suggest that these British sites may draw upon a similar tradition passed down through the human diaspora, and intended to bring a similar, (but some sense inverted), magic to the dead . Please see also the other photo of Himba dwellings from the Wikipedia page : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Himba_village.jpg
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