Ancient road at Durrington

[Brochfael]

Just noticed the article on the main site about this summer's excavation at Durrington walls. This was the where Midori and I were both doing a bronze age display on the dig's open weekend.

They were also digging inside the enclosure and I saw some interesting finds coming out including a huge piece of red deer antler

I belive they also found evidence of structures inside (ie post holes) but will wait to see an interim report before commenting further.

[Blackbird]

Great! Will you both be seen on the Time Team programme?

So - for me to get a better picture of the site - I'm assuming there is/was a ditch and bank with a wide walkway - so these structures were within the henge? I wonder if the antler was a pick?

Fascinating

[Brochfael]

No, they had finished filming by the time we got going.

We did get to look around the woodhenge reconstruction which was awesome. I did feel that something major was missing though. Someone on the Britarch list suggested an excarnation platform, but I was thinking more along the lines of some sort of roof and carvings on the posts. The shadows of the posts at sunset were interesting and brought to mind the much derided (by academics at least) ideas of phallic shadow proposed by Dr Terry Meaden.

The dig was being organised by the University of Sheffield (Dig Director Mike Parker Pearson). I look forward to reading the interim report when it's posted.

[Brochfael]

BTW I missed the time team show. Don't suppose anyone taped it?

[Blackbird]

No, I didn't even know it was on
Since my other half got hold of Resident Evil 4, I don't get to watch much telly

So what type of layout were the posts in? A rectangular or circular pattern? If rectangular, it may well have been some kind of roofed shrine. Excarnation platforms... hard to prove, I suppose, but an interesting idea...

[Brochfael]

No it was an enormous set of concentric rings about 80-100 metres across.