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POPSHiking Into History: England’s Ancient Ridgeway Trail More: The full 87 miles of the official Ridgeway National Trail can easily be divided into shorter segments, depending on time available. It can be cut more or less in half, by deciding to walk only the older, original western section, which passes all the great prehistoric sites. Day hikes, and half-days centered on the Uffington White Horse, or Wayland’s Smithy, or the Avebury Stone Circles, can easily be devised by studying the map. The trail’s excellent Web site (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway) is full of advice, and possibilities for accommodations and meals.
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POPSAncient royal tomb found in Scotland
more (at source): But up until now nobody suspected that Forteviot's royal roots might be thousands of years older. The newly discovered prehistoric tomb is of particular importance because it lies at the very heart of Scotland's largest pre-historic ritual/religious ceremonial complex. The excavations are now revealing that back in around 2600 BC, local Neolithic people constructed a giant 250m diameter circle of 200 timber obelisks with a ceremonial processional way leading to its entrance and an inner timber circle at its centre. Each oak obelisk was up to a metre in diameter. Then, by 2400BC, a massive earthwork enclosure with a 10m wide, 3m deep moat was built inside that inner timber circle. At roughly the same time two other similar earthwork enclosures – "henges" – were built, north of the large timber circle. And finally in around 2000BC the tomb was built underground in what was probably the most prestigious location – immediately opposite the entrance to the henge at the
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POPSNew life for ancient Syrian sculptures more: Fragments were initially reassembled with temporary glue and later more permanently attached with reversible epoxy resin. No metal framework or pins were used. Break marks remain very visible, and no attempt has been made to disguise them. Where large pieces are missing (some since antiquity), roughly shaped inserts have been added, using a mixture of ground basalt, sand and resin, in a slightly lighter shade of grey than the original stone. Some fragments of molten glass and bitumen from the Charlottenburg museum roof have been left on surfaces which will not be visible on display, since they are now part of the history of the sculptures. Conservation work is due to be concluded in October.
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POPSAncient Granary Predates Agriculture In a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers announced the discovery of a granary for storing wild barley and oats, which was built well before the advent of agriculture.
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POPSPapua , New Guinea - Trekking Through the World's Wildest Corners. In many ways the people of the Baliem Valley live an existence little changed since Neolithic times. Many stone tools are still used, and some traditions have only recently been abandoned; the Dani no longer officially practice cannibalism – the last reported case was in 1988 – but it is entirely possible that in isolated areas it still occurs.
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POPSThe power structure of Bronze Age societies was based on social networks I actually find this demonstration highly important and pertinent to our modern day situation on the web. It appears that evolution of civilization favors a society organized around the tribal concept (our modern day equivalent being the loosely knitted, groups or indeed tribes on the social networks). It seems that the future heralds a return to tribalism on a global scale via the web.
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POPSGreen Sahara "Photographer Mike Hettwer has been kind enough to share with us some of his photographs depicting what remains of the Green Sahara. About 9,000 years ago, a very wet climate prevailed in parts of the Sahara Desert called the Neolithic Subpluvial period. Lasting several thousand years, this Green Sahara was home to many grassland and woodland animals as well as humans."
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