it took a bit of hunting to track down the full series: BBC iPlayer - Britains Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney it's variously listed under history and nature. but mostly history/archaeology. turned my mental map of neolithic britain on its head
Me and my brother had a holiday together much further west on the northern mainland couple of years back but did a mad drive just to do a daytrip to neolithic Orkney in case we never got up that way again. Astounding archaeology.
Good series, I know what you mean. We've spent so long thinking our ancient centres of power are Europe facing it's odd to think the opposite was actually true. I loved the bit about the scary passage of water with the currents and whirlpools they had to cross, I'm sure that had something to do with it all. It must have seemed like a terrifying portal into some other world, perhaps the one their Gods and even their ancestors now inhabited.
I didn't see it this time, but I watched it when it first aired. It was mostly very good. There was a little bit of polemical hyperbole in the presentation, but that's to be expected. And it was right to invert the map for us, so to speak.
yup, accepted timelines still to be overturned all over the shop. i suppose because the area i know best in neolithic terms (wessex-ish) has been so thoroughly investigated/disturbed over time it's less likely that surprise new evidence/dates are likely to emerge there.
It was a fascinating programme, and it is astounding that even when covering something from 4000+ years ago, it still has managed to become out of date almost immediately as more and more discoveries are made up there.
There could well be lots more to find in Wessex. I think so. For most of the time I've followed the subject almost no digging was allowed unless it was rarely sanctioned rescue archaeology. Interpretation of most of the major sites relied on excavation reports from Victorian antiquarians cutting massive holes in barrows and henges looking for burials and treasure. The argument that you can only dig a site once and to do so when more advanced methodology and scientific analysis might be just around the corner held sway for decades, probably for the best. It's only in more recent years English Heritage have carried out research digs that have opened up sites like Stone Henge again. Non-intrusive methods such as underground radar and surveying techniques have also advanced hugely. Chance finds are going to happen too, there must be major sites we haven't even identified yet.
Have you seen this? Lots of stuff showing up all over the place Archaeologists say recent dry weather has given them the best chance since 1976 to detect new sites from the air. Marks in crop fields across central and southern Scotland have revealed new Iron Age structures in the Borders, and a temporary Roman camp near Peebles. Warm weather reveals new archaeology sites
