The Flag Fen Museum Pic: Flag Fen Lives

As we reported in our earlier post, the immensely important Celtic site of Flag Fen is in serious danger of decaying within the next twenty years! Originally scheduled until the 1st May 2012, a unique opportunity will become available for  folks to contribute to the new Flag Fen Archaeological Dig! Watch the video above to learn how important the  Bronze Age site of Flag Fen is and how endangered it has become. But now some fantasic news is breaking!

Starting in July of 2012, as much archaeological work as can be done will be done to rescue, preserve and maintain the remains. The project has been taken over by DigVentures who want to involve us, in a variety of ways to help fund the project.

They have raised 67% of the £25,000 necessary to properly fund the event and desperately need the remainder before the end of May.

The Big News

Digventures have announced several amazing new developments in the project. They report:

The original end date of our funding window is fast approaching; but as you may have noticed, things have changed. Our partners, Vivacity, have got some great plans for involving local people in the project, so they have asked us to keep the funding open until the 30^th of May to enable them to reach as many people as possible.

They also told us that:

Vivacity will be sponsoring four bursaries for students from University Centre Peterborough’s Archaeology and Landscape History BA course to dig with us at Flag Fen. We’re thrilled to work with them, and look forward to welcoming students from other universities as well.

Vivacity is offering the bursaries for students on University Centre Peterborough’s Archaeology and Landscape History BA undergraduate course.

Those who successfully apply for them will receive funding for a week of archaeology training and hands-on digging at the Bronze Age site.Abi Hunt, course leader and lecturer, said: Our students will benefit hugely from this opportunity. Flag Fen is not only one of Peterborough’s most important assets – it is incredibly important world-wide. It is vital for our local students to gain in-depth knowledge of the site. The bursary scheme is part of Vivacity and Dig Ventures’ Flag Fen Lives project which will see the archaeological trenches open to the public from July 23 to August 12.

The Preserved Causeway Pic: Flag Fen Lives

The Project

DigVentures Ltd will be excavating the iconic Bronze Age site of Flag Fen, where extensive drainage and climate change threaten to destroy the world-renowned archaeology forever.

Our work will be an essential part of saving the archaeology and giving the site a future life, and all we need to do is to raise £25,000 to make this incredible project happen. You and your friends can be a part of it – by supporting us through buying benefits, and even joining us on site. The more you contribute, the more involved you can become – from being one of the first to receive the site report, to rolling up your sleeves and actually taking part.

As soon as you support the project at any level, you will receive access to the Site Hut, an online forum providing exclusive daily project updates, interviews, lectures with archaeological superstars, films, photos – or just pop in for a nice cup of tea! We’ll be filming on site every day, and posting all sorts of fabulous information to keep you up to date. If you can’t join us in the field, we’d love a crew of armchair archaeologists out there following our every move.

The field school at Flag Fen (for those who purchase a benefit at £125 and above) will be really exciting this year. We’ve put a lot of thinking into making this the best experience possible, whether you are digging for a day, a week, two weeks, or the whole project. There will be dedicated staff providing orientation, training and instruction, as well as evening lectures, fun outings and plenty of time for questions. And some surprises, of course!

Activities for Children

Starting on Monday the 23rd July and going on (Weekdays) to Friday 3rd August, Time Team star Raksha Dave will be hosting sessions at the Flag Fen site for children in the Flag Fen Summer School. The activities are designed for 8-12 year-olds and will allow kids to be archaeologists for the day. They can dig on the site, and record their finds. They tell us that Pre-booking is essential due to limited spaces.

Go and visit the DigVentures site or go and get involved straightaway at the Sponsume donation portal.

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s als found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The CMP Logo

It has only recently become apparent, thanks to kind listeners who have let us know, that episodes CMP 028 (The Realm of the Ever-Living) and CMP 029 (There and Back Again) have become unavailable on the server and the feed. So after a little investigation we’re pleased to be able to let you know that these shows are available again.

So, if anyone has had a problem downloading episodes CMP 028 & CMP 029, please try again. There has been a problem with the files and I’ve re-uploaded them, so they should once again be available on the website, iTunes and our Apps, or wherever else you listen to the show from. Thank you for your patience and letting us know, and many apologies for any inconvenience. Gary & Ruth x x x

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Wizzard-Media-Celtic-Myth-Podshow/dp/B004W8QR58 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The Wild ManPic: Wild Man on Facebook

The National Forest Wood Fairis taking place at Beacon Hill Country Park in Leicestershire this Bank Holiday Monday 2011 from 10 am till 4 pm. The Wood Fair promotes sustainable forestry and woodland leisure, showcases wood crafts and products and celebrates all aspects of wood, with fun activities and local food.Situated in Charnwood Forest in north-west Leicestershire, Beacon Hill Country Park  has over 135 hectares (335 acres) of mixed woodland, grassland, wildflower meadows and adjoining farmland.  This popular countryside area is owned and managed by Leicestershire County Council for peaceful recreation whilst conserving the site’s considerable historic and wildlife value.Visitors can explore an extensive network of paths, enjoy picnics and barbeques, and discover the many features of interest.

Something for all the family

• Don’t miss the live demonstrations of woodworking skills, craft displays and chainsaw sculpting.
• There’s plenty for children – stories from the Wild Man of the Woods, birds of prey, craft activities, coracle paddling and the brilliant climbing wall.
• Find out more about woodlands – from tree planting to felling. Talk to the experts and watch forestry in action including timber processing and horse logging.
• Take a break in the Food Area where you’ll find a great selection of delicious locally produced food.
• And that’s not all! There will also be an exciting lumberjack show, Bodger’s Corner and charity auction.

The Wild Man of the Woods

He has many other skills and characters which you can explore on Birch Tree – I hope to meet Barry oner day!

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The Stone of Uisneach (‘Catstone’) Pic: Festival of Fires

One of Ireland’s greatest living historians, Ruth Illingworth, is to give a guided walk and tour of the Hill of Uisneach, formerly regarded as the centre of Ireland, at 2pm this Saturday August 27th 2011. This is a rare chance to hear the real stories of Uisneach whilst walking Uisneach. Meet at the lay-by at 2pm.

In Irish mythology, it was considered to be the omphalos or mystical navel of Ireland, upon which rested a great stone (Ail na Míreann, which means “stone of divisions”) which was said to indicate the meeting point of the provincial borders of Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Ulster, and Mide (which was once a separate, fifth province). Tradition tells that the Hill of Uisneach was a site favoured for Beltane fires and Druidical ceremonies, and as a ceremonial site it was regarded as second only to Emain Macha. In the poetic history Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of the Takings of Ireland), the Nemedian Druid Mide lit the first fire there. A fire was also lit on the Hill of Uisneach on the feast of Bealtaine. This fire could be seen from Tara, and when they saw it, they lit their fire. [Wiki]

We covered this story, which is usually known as “The Settling of the Manor of Tara” in Episode 18: The Judgement of Fintan. Fintan is called upon to decide how the land is to be divided and he gives his final decision or judgement by the Stone on the Hill of Uisneach at the Centre of Erin. This is the stone picture above – I would love to hear Ruth Illingworth tell the tale and what the Historians have discovered in the area!

The Festival of Fires and Uisneach

My impression is that the Festival of Fires organisation, recently formed and doing such worthy work in trying to restore the importance of Tara, Bealtaine and Fire in Erin, have arranged for this guided tour. They are certainly publicising it – if I’m wrong, I apologise and will happily credit the organiser(s). If you’re able to attend the tour, they have the following information and guidance:
It has been a very busy summer on the Hill of Uisneach and David and Angela Clarke and their family are to be commended on their courtesy and kindness to all visitors who check in with them before walking the hill. Uisneach is still very much a working farm so please follow the instructions on the signs at the parking lay-by if you intend walking it.

Hundreds of tourists from all over the world have visited the hill this summer and among those was the American musical group The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. In Ireland to play with Prince, they took time off their busy schedule to visit the centre of the country and learn some its history before they continued their world tour with Prince, playing to hundreds of thousands across the globe. The band are back in the country in the Autumn with Damon Albarn and they are always welcome back to Uisneach.

If you have never visited Uisneach with an expert then this Saturday is a must.

Ruth Illingworth was a key member of the team at Festival of the Fires, giving tours and talks throughout the three festivals to date, and in historic circles in Ireland she is among the highest rated and most passionate historians. A widely published author and expert on all things in the midlands, Ruth is also a Mullingar Town Councillor. She has served as mayor of Mullingar on two occasions and were it not for Ruth’s voice being on the Council, much of Westmeath’s history would have been lost forever.

What is the Festival of Fires?

Festival of the Fires is a rekindling of Ireland’s oldest recorded festival, Bealtaine. The dawn of May will see Ireland illuminated as the festival returns to the Hill of Uisneach and selected sites nationwide.A cultural celebration on a national scale, the Festival’s epicentre is the Hill of Uisneach in Co. Westmeath. Started in May 2010, 73 other sites & communities joined in the main Uisneach celebration, with 14 international fires also lit in solidarity. In 2011 the festival is to grow, with a full weekend of celebrations planned…

The Fire Festiaval Pic: Festival of Fires

The dawn of May will see Ireland illuminated as Festival of the Fires returns with very special musical guests The Saw Doctors. From its Hill of Uisneach Epicentre, the festival will spread to communities across the country with over 100 hills all across Ireland uniting to welcome in the summer.

Celebration in 2010

The main festival takes place on the Hill of Uisneach, with a unique festival village featuring three musical stages, food & beverage villages, art installations, heritage trails, guest lectures, comedy, spoken word, debate, hundreds of horsemen and women, arts and crafts, and of course a spectacular night-time Fire Parade led by the multi-award-winning Luxe group from Donegal.

Musical guests will include the aforementioned Saw Doctors, playing their ONLY Midlands show of the year, and they will be joined by a diverse and exciting line-up which will be revealed over the coming weeks.

Tickets are on sale now from all Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.ie priced €35. Camping tickets are also on sale price €40. Tickets are also on sale at selected venues throughout the midlands and major cities (see festivalofthefires.com)

Arts, Culture and Heritage – Reignite your passion with Festival of the Fires!

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The Eco-Fairies Poster Pic: Eco-Fairies

The Eco-Faeries believe that: Through education we move towards positive change within individuals and the greater global community. Events are invaded by Eco Faeries to bring education and positive energy wherever possible. From the Eco Faerie  marquee activity tent to roving shenanigans- the eco faeries have become reputable party shakers. Community events, festivals and functions are a regular hang out for the wild faeries.

4th annual Eco Faerie festival

This Sunday 27th March is the 4th annual Eco Faerie festival held at Cityfarm East Perth from 10-3pm.

A solid line up of artists, workshop presenters, art installations, medieval folk, market stalls, faerie entertainers and sustainability gurus. Find the timetable attached.

Entry is $5 with funds going towards Cityfarm community.
All workshops and activities are free!

Make sure you bring three items of unwanted clothing to exchange at the community clothing exchange.

This is our biggest line up or presenters yet. Have a day out with friends and family. Enjoy an organic snack from the Cityfarm cafe or bring your own lunch to eat inside the gardens of Cityfarm.

From next week… Eco Faeries are facilitating community gatherings on Thursday evening at the Henderson Environmental Centre situated at the end of Groat Street, North Beach, within Star Swamp Reserve. 7.30-9.30pm
Pay by donation.

Upcoming topics-

March 31^st Acrobalance with Mark Bently

14^th April storytelling workshop for adults with Kitsisi

April 28^th adults only evening with sexologist Claire Litton- looking inwards, awareness of your sexual side

May 12^th upcycling with Lafee Verte- Bring your old t-shirt or leggings and turn them into something spectacular

May 19^th bellydance with Faerie Cara

May 26^th Creative Goddess workshop with Shannon Bush

June 9^th Raw Food Living with Casey Loraine

June 16^th World of wellness with a Chinese Medicine practitioner, Ayurvedia practitioner and naturopath

For more information head to www.ecofaeries.com

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Still from the Show Pic: BBC iPlayer

The first of five programmes in this series is aboiut the Trees and how they have contributed to the formation of the Scottish landscape. Professor Iain Stewart presents a landmark five-part series in which he reveals how Scotland’s unique and beautiful landscape has been shaped over the centuries. These 5 programmes will be available for viewing until the 26th December 2010.

1. Scotland’s Trees

In this first programme, he uncovers how, over thousands of years, the actions of mankind and the climate nearly led to the downfall of Scotland’s trees and forests. It was only in the 18th century that man realised the extent of the damage to timber stocks, and measures were taken to re-populate the landscape. The impact was profound, but not everyone agreed with the results.

2. The Land

For centuries, the beauty and drama of Scotland’s landscape has been regarded by most visitors as natural. But in 1950, an eminent ecologist concluded the Highlands had been devastated. Once it was rich and diverse he said, but humans had destroyed it and in the process created what he described as a wet desert. Professor Iain Stewart discovers how man made the proverbially beautiful Highlands.

3. The Sea

Professor Stewart reveals how hearts and not heads have ruled the least understood landscape of them all – the sea. The public’s emotions have played a key role in the fate of Scotland’s maritime creatures and the upshot has been a form of lottery. While some species like seals and sea birds have been protected, others – like cod – have been fished nearly out of existence.

Still from the Show Pic: BBC iPlayer

4. Scotland’s Water

As ‘natural’ icons, Scotland’s rivers and lochs represent how the nation imagines itself. However as Professor Iain Stewart discovers, the only thing that happens naturally is rain. As soon as it hits the ground, it is ours and we do with it what we will. Today there are scarcely any rivers or natural large bodies of water left untouched by human activity.

This is the story of how Scotland’s waters became some of the most managed on earth.

5. The Climate

During the Industrial Revolution, Scottish scientists and engineers helped unwittingly set off a chain of events that today we know as climate change – a process that is transforming our atmosphere and warming our planet. Professor Iain Stewart looks at how Scotland is on the verge of another revolution: the transformation of a carbon economy to a green one.

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BRAND NEW!!! The App is now available for Android users.

The coloured stonework has been uncovered at the Ness of Brodgar Pic: BBC News

A 5,000 year old ceremonial building in Orkney (Scotland) has revealed a unique treasure. Two stone slabs bearing red, yellow and orange pigment are the first evidence of painted walls ever found in the UK. “To find coloured Neolithic paint – 5,000-year-old Dulux – is something we never expected to see”, said Nick Card, from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology.

The discovery was made by 22-year old Dutch archaeologist Anniek Manshanden, who was clearly thrilled. She said: “To have found evidence of the first Neolithic painted building is awesome.”
The paint will be subjected to laboratory analysis to determine its composition. It is probably based upon hematite or limonite, two iron ores found in the region. These would have been finely ground and mixed with animal fat, milk or eggs to create pigments.
Since this is the first finding of its kind, it is not known if walls were commonly painted or if this was reserved for ceremonial structures such as the ‘cathedral’ at Ness of Brodgar where the discovery was made. There is speculation that decorative markings carved into the sandstone of the interior walls may also have been enhanced with color.

Source

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.

If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The Gristhorpe Man Pic: Dr  Alan Ogden

Reporter Dan Bean of  The York Press tells us : Academics in Yorkshire  England, have given a voice and a face to a man who died more about 4,000 years ago. Using state-of-the-art computer programme and forensic techniques, scientists have reconstructed the face of the Gristhorpe Man. The skeleton of the Bronze Age man, thought to be a warrior chief, was discovered in Gristhorpe, near Filey, in 1834, and boiled in horse glue to preserve it.

It was displayed in the Scarborough Museum, now the Rotunda Museum, until 2006, when it was moved to the Division of Archaeological Sciences at Bradford University, where a series of tests and investigations were carried out on the remains.

Dr Alan Ogden used the results of the tests and his skills as a dentist and osteologist to build a facial reconstruction of the man, and modern software to animate the model and give him a voice.

“I hope that the visitor to the museum can visualise him as a living man, a senior figure in his society, used to being obeyed and probably even revered,” he said.

Source

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.

If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Down Tor Dartmoor Pic: Markles55

Nine megalithic sites in a remote part of Dartmoor (England), share features in common with Stonehenge, and may shed light on the meaning behind these prehistoric stone monuments, according to a report in the latest issue of British Archaeology. The Dartmoor megaliths, which were recently carbon-dated to around 3500 BCE, could predate Stonehenge, but both sites feature large standing stones that are aligned to mark the rising of the midsummer sun and the setting of the midwinter sun. Yet another Dartmoor stone monument, called Drizzlecombe, shares the same orientation. The ancient Brits were not necessarily sun worshippers, however.

Archaeologist Mike Pitts, editor of the journal, said that

“huge quantities of barbecued juvenile pig bones”

were found near Stonehenge, indicating that the animals were born in the spring and killed not far from the site ‘for pork feasting’ in midwinter.

“The general feeling is that the sun was symbolizing or marking the occasion, rather than being the ritual focus itself, so it probably was not sun worship,”

added Pitts.

He believes the

“solstice alignment phenomenon perhaps has something to do with death.”

As he explains the setting sun and shorter days of winter would have represented the passage into the darkness of the underworld, and the reverse as the days start to lengthen again.

“At Stonehenge,” he continued, “the dark navy-colored bluestones may themselves represent ancestors or spirits from the underworld, while the big orangey-pink (before weathering) sarsens could reflect summer and light.”

The Dartmoor megaliths, described in a separate study in the current issue of the journal Antiquity, are now lying flat, since the stones in a row fell, or were individually pushed, over. The toppling was fortuitous for historians, however, since peat above and the below the stones permitted the carbon dating, which is extremely rare for such monuments. Tom Greeves, who discovered the Dartmoor stones at a site called Cut Hill and is co-author of the Antiquity paper, said it is

“remarkable that a previously unrecorded stone row with very large stones has been noted for the first time on one of Dartmoor’s highest and remotest hills.” He added that to reach their location “requires a walk of about two hours from whatever direction.”

A ditched barrow (a mound of earth or stones) exists very close to the Cut Hill stones, providing further evidence that burials and possible death-related rituals might have taken place there. At least 81 stone monuments have now been discovered nearby, with Cut Hill’s being among the largest at over 705 feet in length. Both Greeves and Pitts said it’s possible some of the monuments served different functions, such as marking land use zones. The barrows, shared alignment, and other finds, however, indicate several standing stone monuments held ritualistic meaning.
Pitts hopes that in the near future, archaeologists will carefully place the Cut Hill stones back into their upright positions, to further reveal what the monument looked like when it was first erected.

Source

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.

If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

We contacted our host about the Malware problem, at the same moment that they sent us an email saying that a security hole had been noticed. How re-assuring to see that they’re on the ball They performed a full security scan for us and were able to pin-point, isolate and disable some code that was being used to introduce the Malware. The code turned out to be inside a WordPress Stats plugin!

They said:

We have checked and confirmed that your hosting account had php files which contained a javascript malware injection. We have since removed the contaminated code as a courtesy. Please note, that this is not a permanent solution because it does not remove the vulnerability that allowed the malicious code to be inserted.

If you have any plugins that cache data for your software, be sure to update the cache as soon as possible.

To address the specific vulnerability, please ensure that you fully upgrade all installations of any third-party software in which you may be running to the most recent version.

So, once the plugin was disabled, the cache cleaned and everything updated, we’re all secure again – phew!

More than that, some friends on Facebook have suggested ways to make the site even more secure and many thanks to Tracy and to Debra for their ideas. These ideas are brilliant and much appreciated, and we’ll be putting them into action as soon as possible!

Thanks everyone for your patience, understanding and help in sorting all this out – as always, you’re the best!