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| Stone Formation Archive 1995 |
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 Stone Formations news, views, gallery and archive brought to you by Weird Wiltshire Introduction Latest News News Archive Stonehenge Stonehenge Project Stonehenge 360 Avebury Saviours Stones Village Solstice Wayland Smithy Long Barrow Woodhenge Gallery Summer Solstice Gallery 2002 Summer Solstice Gallery 2004 Postcards Wallpaper Links  |
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published on September 7 1995 AERIAL archaeologists working for the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments in England have discovered another Iron Age long barrow to the east of Avebury. Roger Featherstone and his team of photographers have been flying 2,000ft above Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs searching for ancient monuments in an attempt to map new and previously discovered sites. Due to the dry weather in August, soil which has filled in the ancient burial ground between Avebury and Marlborough over the years has subsided, creating a lighter patch of ground visible from the air. "There are two separate ditches, shaped like paddles, about 90ft long," said Mr Featherstone. "They are broad at one end and thin at the other and showed up clearly." The discovery will help the Royal Commission develop its understanding of how and where people lived in the area around Avebury, famous for its large number of ancient monuments. Mr Featherstone said: "What this barrow shows is that inhabitation of the land was much wider than previously thought. There may have been a major centre in Avebury, but people were living all around the area." The barrow, which is on private land, is unlikely to be excavated or open to the public but the Royal Commission hopes to place a protection order on the site. Back to 1995 index |
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