The Orkney Temple Pic: BBC

On New Year’s Day, the BBC showed a program in the History of Britain series with Neil Oliver about the newly-discovered 5,000 year old Temple on Orkney. Built 500 years before the iconic monument of Stonehenge. The temple is opening new windows onto the beliefs of Neolithic people, turning the map of ancient Britain upside down. This is a vast site of undisturbed archaeology, set within one of the most important ancient landscapes in the world.

Already the site is revealing a series of incredible finds including the first ever discovery of Neolithic painted wall decorations, and even the pigments and paint pots used by Stone Age artists.

All the new archaeological evidence, and the wonders of special effects, has now been used to create a 3-D world of the entire temple, allowing Neil to walk inside in a bid to understand just how it might have been used. [BBC]

More amazing clips from this series can be found in the series clips library on the BBC website.

The Ness of Brodgar

The Daily Mail reports that a 5000-year-old temple in Orkney could be more important than Stonehenge, according to archaeologists. The site, known as the Ness of Brodgar, was investigated by BBC2 documentary A History of Ancient Britain, with presenter Neil Oliver describing it as ‘the discovery of a lifetime’.

So far the remains of 14 Stone Age buildings have been excavated, but thermal geophysics technology has revealed that there are 100 altogether, forming a kind of temple precinct. Until now Stonehenge was considered to have been the centre of Neolithic culture, but that title may now go to the Orkney site, which contains Britain’s earliest known wall paintings.

Oliver said:

‘The excavation of a vast network of buildings on Orkney is allowing us to recreate an entire Stone Age world.

‘It’s opening a window onto the mysteries of Neolithic religion.’

Experts believe that the site will give us insights into what Neolithic people believed about the world and the universe.

Nick Card, an archaeologist from the University of the Highlands and Islands, said:

‘It’s an archaeologist’s dream site. The excitement of the site never fades. This site is a one-off.’

Professor Mark Edmonds from the University of York, meanwhile, describes the excavation as ‘a site of international importance’.

Some parts of the temple are 800 years older than Stonehenge, which lies 500 miles to the south in Wiltshire.

The site is very close to the Ring of Brodgar stone circle and the standing stones of Stenness and is surrounded by a wall believed to have been 10-feet high.

Read more and see the incredible pictures at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2081254/Stone-Age-temple-Orkney-significant-Stonehenge.html#ixzz1j9UX5jHY

———————————

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.

Portrait of Alexander Carmichael courtesy of the Carmichael family and copyright of the University of Edinburgh Pic: Uni. of Edinburgh

One of the most famous sources of Scottish lore and mythology is the Carmina Gadelica (“Songs of the Gaels” I think) which can be read online at Sacred Texts. The wonderful version online at Sacred Texts has the Gaelic and English versions side by side. We have already used sections from this massive two-volume tome in our shows and plan to use much more as we focus on the Scottish myths in the future.It is fantastic news to find out that the Carmina is estimated to be only a tenth of the lore and knowledge that Alexander Carmichael collected, and many of Carmichael’s lost note-books have been prepared for online publication by researchers at the University of Edinburgh. In June 2011, the BBC reported that:

The notebooks of the Scottish folklore pioneer Alexander Carmichael have been prepared for publication. It will be the first time Carmichael’s work has been available in its entirety. From 1860, he spent 50 years collecting legends, songs, curses and oral history from Gaelic-speakers.

Researchers and archivists have worked for two years preparing the notes for publication by the University of Edinburgh. Carmichael’s work has led to him being likened to the brothers Grimm in Germany.

His volume Carmina Gadelica, published in 1900, is estimated to have included only a tenth of his original research material. Senior researcher Dr Donald William Stewart said:

Alexander Carmichael tirelessly, even obsessively, recorded the culture, lore and beliefs of his native Scottish highlands.

Folklore Jukebox

By the end of his life in 1912, he was both Celtic guru and folklore jukebox, the internationally-recognised authority on Scottish Gaelic songs, stories, traditions and beliefs.

Carmichael’s voluminous papers, now preserved in Edinburgh University library, form one of the foremost folklore collections in the world.

Carmichael carried out his research while working as a tax collector on Lewis, Argyll, Uist and the west highlands. Researchers said the transcription of his notes was hindered by his “notoriously bad handwriting”. The work has been published online at the Carmichael Watson project website.

The Carmichael Watson Project

The Carmichael Watson collection in Edinburgh University Library, centred on the papers of the pioneering folklorist Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912), is the foremost collection of its kind in the country, a treasure-chest of stories, songs, customs, and beliefs from the Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland. It offers us fundamental insights into the creation of Carmichael’s greatest work Carmina Gadelica, an anthology of Hebridean charms, hymns, and songs, and a key text in the ‘Celtic Twilight’ movement.

The value of the collection goes far beyond literary studies. It offers exciting potential for interdisciplinary cooperation between local and scholarly communities, for collaborative research in history, theology, literary criticism, philology, place-names, archaeology, botany and environmental studies.

Through cataloguing, indexing, transcribing, translating, digitisation, and conservation, this project aims to open up and make accessible this important collection to the academic and broader community.

What wonderful news! There is so much research information available in the Project’s data on their website that you could lose hours just browsing through it and learning of Carmichael’s life and the places and people that he visited. Some of the notebooks have wonderful summaries of subject, place, theme and family (along with a map) as well as an image or transcript of the text. Some images I had trouble loading and some had no transcript (I assume this was because of the difficulty in reading Carmichael’s hand-writing!) and some as yet have not been scanned! Ongoing work then

 An Example Leaf from a Carmichael Notebook

Onan cu cuinich a laimh.In going to S. (Saint) Cyril’s the four  men carrying the bier are each sup (supported) by other four men to steady them. They run rather than walk up – while the rest of the people follow as well as they  can. The cra-leaba is smashed  up against a tree immedly (immediately) the  corpse is taken off. Con. (Consequently)  a new bier is req. (required) for each  funeral of the episcop. (episcopal church). For  wood is plent (plentiful) in the place.Seangan mound close to  Leacan drom abt (about) 3 ft (feet) high x 3 ft (feet) long oval top.  (‘Cha bu toil liom do fo d  chomarsaich’ Bu choma  liom’)

Image of notebook ref. GB237 Coll-97/CW120/103, copyright of University of Edinburgh Pic: Carmichael-Watson Project

———————————

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.

Pic: Bogensfreund

The first ever Code of Practice for Treasure Trove in Scotland is designed to ensure everyone involved with found objects of archaeological, historical or cultural significance understands the procedures which enable them to be claimed on behalf of the public. Since ancient times, the common law of Scotland has been that Treasure Trove and other property which is lost or abandoned, or has no obvious owner, belongs to the Crown.

They do not belong to the owner of the land where they were found, or to the finder, but are allocated to public museums for research or public exhibition.  The Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (QLTR) recognises the contribution of members of the public who make chance finds and will, in most cases, make an ex-gratia payment to the finder. The new Treasure Trove Code of Practice sets out the chain of responsibility for the various bodies involved and clarifies the process of determining the appropriate award for a particular object. Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2009-02-17 10:03:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Pic: Scott MacLeod Liddle

Stone Pages reports that Kilmartin Glen, in Argyll, has one of the most important concentrations of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in Europe. The glen contains at least 350 ancient monuments, many of them prehistoric, including burial cairns, rock carvings and standing stones.  But archaeologists have identified a period of almost 1,000 years in which no monuments were erected and the population there ‘diminished’.  They claim this period is marked by the start of a colder, wetter climate.

Dr Alison Sheridan, an archaeologist and head of early prehistory at the National Museum of Scotland, who has studied Kilmartin Glen for more than 20 years, said:

The earliest activity dates back to hunter-gatherers around 4,500 BCE, who left behind nothing more than a few pits, charcoal and some flint. It was a sacred landscape from at least as early as 3,700 BCE until as late as 1,100 BCE. It was a place for ceremony, for burying people and observing the movements of the sun and the moon. We are not too certain what happened between 1,100 BCE and around 200 BCE. A hoard of swords has been found and a few artefacts buried as gifts to the gods in the late Bronze Age between 1,000 and 750 BCE. But there are very few structures and no settlements. Certainly, in some parts it seems to have become colder and wetter after about 1,200 BCE, and the people may have moved away.

Kilmartin Glen was home to self-sufficient and successful communities with links around the country and even overseas. Historic monuments include standing stones, a henge, a linear cemetery comprising five burial cairns and numerous cists, or stone coffins, which contained remains of adults and children as young as four. Neal Ascherson, visiting Professor at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, said climate change brought an end to

this strange, idyllic period of late Neolithic and Bronze Age in this area. The weather, which was dryer and finer than it is now, seems to have come to an end around 1,000 BCE, when it began to change and the whole ecology began to alter. At the same time, culture changed. The capacity or wish to build these monuments and indeed to honour them or take account of them, died away. And in the Iron Age nobody took much account of these monuments and certainly nobody tried to build anything of the kind again. Instead, you get a quite different culture in which you get tiny fortified settlements and you feel everything is colder and more hostile. The population diminished heavily, but whoever was left seemed to fear everyone else.

Sharon Webb, the curator of the Kilmartin Museum, said:

When the first people moved in to this landscape it would have been a landscape of plenty. It was a really rich place for the hunter-gatherer people to find enough resources to live.

[Source]

Originally posted 2008-11-18 09:09:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Pic: Orkneyjar

With the excavations on the Ness of Brodgar (Orkney, Scotland) drawing to a close this week, site director Nick Card feels its time for a major rethink about the landscape of Orkney’s Neolithic Heartland.
The long-held assumption that the Ring of Brodgar and Standing Stones of Stenness were the centre of activity needs looked at again, said Nick, senior project manager of the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA). He explained: Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2008-09-14 10:29:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Could this be Nessie? Jon Rowe says his image shows a pair of humps which soon disappeared under the waves Pic: Nessie ?

The Daily Mail reported this week : It’s been said before and it’s being said again .. Nessie is alive under the waves of Loch Ness. Once more the notoriously shy Loch Ness monster has been reportedly sighted in Scotland’s deepest loch. This time close to a commercial fish farm.

Jon Rowe, from nearby Lewiston in Drumnadrochit, took the eerie snaps moments before the mysterious shape slipped beneath the water.

And the stunned fish farmer is convinced that the shapes he saw in the
morning light are Nessie.

He said:

‘It was a very strange morning. It was misty with a bit of rain and sunny at the same time.

‘There was a rainbow so I got my camera out to take a photo and noticed this really large dark shape in the loch with two humps that were barely out of the water.

‘My instant reaction was

“That’s Nessie”.’

Mr Rowe has dismissed claims that the shapes he saw in the water were not the legendary beast of the deep said to stalk the atmospheric Highland loch.

He added:

‘I have no doubt, I work on the loch everyday and I’ve never seen anything like it.

‘Almost as soon as I took the shot the shape disappeared under the water and out of sight.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2036998/Thats-fine-Ness-youve-got-Fish-farmer-claims-saw-loch-monster-says-photos-prove-it.html#ixzz1YsqawkW0

———————————

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 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.

Hunter Gatherer Pic: Hans S

Archaeologists in Southampton and Liverpool are investigating three island groups around Britain to help understand why people changed from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to farming the land.Academics from the Universities of Southampton and Liverpool are hoping to shed new light on the longstanding debate about whether this change around 4,000BC was due to colonists moving into Britain or if the indigenous population of Britain gradually adopted the new agricultural lifestyle themselves.

The archaeologists will be excavating three island groups in the western seaways – the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly and the Outer Hebrides – to understand what sailing across this area would have been like in 4,000BC.

The project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), will build on work at Southampton into how environments and the sea changed over the Neolithic period.

Dr Fraser Sturt, from the Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton, says:

“How people changed from hunter-gatherers to agricultural lifestyles is one of the big questions in archaeology.

“We know that the first signs of domestication occurred in the Middle East around 10,000BC and reached France by 5,000BC. However, it appears to be another 1,000 years before Neolithic farming activities reached Britain.

“We are investigating why this happened by looking at changing social practices, possible environmental impacts and the nature of maritime technology and communication.”

Recent archaeological findings, such as French pottery in Scotland, suggest that colonisation from the continent could be one possible explanation for this shift in lifestyle. Studies show that the first colonists are likely to have travelled across the western seaways but there has been very little excavation of the islands to prove this theory.

Dr Duncan Garrow, from the University of Liverpool’s School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, adds:

“Archaeological findings, such as the bones of farm cattle from the fifth millennium BC and European pottery, and advances in radiocarbon techniques have given new life to the theory that European colonists settled in Britain and brought farming practices with them. To understand how possible this could have been, however, we need to turn our attention away from the mainland and towards the seas that form an important travel link between the islands around Britain.

“We are excavating on the Channel Islands, Isles of Scilly and in the Outer Hebrides, which form part of an important maritime zone that surprisingly has been given little scholarly attention in the past. We are constructing a database of all known fifth and fourth millennium occupation sites in and around each island group and starting a programme of radiocarbon dating to understand the chronology of activity within the western seaways.

“Our oceanographic work aims to explore the environmental context within which this transition took place and how seafaring activities impacted on people’s lifestyles. We hope that the environmental data will also be valuable to oceanographers and geographers for studying how the sea has changed over the centuries.”

The team’s findings will also be available to school children and the general public through the development of a series of web resources, including a navigation game on prehistoric seafaring.

You can follow this project on Twitter @Neolithic_Steps or go to www.neolithicsteppingstones.org

Source

———————————

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 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 King’s Knot in Stirling Castle Pic: roger4336

The Telegraph reports that archaeologists searching for King Arthur’s round table have found a “circular feature” beneath the historic King’s Knot in Stirling.  The King’s Knot, a geometrical earthwork in the former royal gardens below Stirling Castle, has been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years.   Though the Knot as it appears today dates from the 1620s, its flat-topped central mound is thought to be much older.

———————————

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 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 letter was written by King Philip of France, in 1300 Pic: BBC  Scotland

A pair of letters directly connected to Scottish revolutionary Sir William Wallace are to be displayed side-by-side for the first time in Edinburgh. A 700-year-old letter from King Philip of France will be seen alongside the famous Lubeck letter, next summer.

Wallace led the Scots to a key victory over English forces at Stirling Bridge in 1297, as part of a struggle for independence.

He was hung, drawn and quartered for high treason in 1305.

The dates and venue for the exhibition are still to be confirmed.

The letters are the only two documents directly associated with Wallace.

A year after his arrival in France to ask for support against King Edward of England, Philip wrote to his agents in Rome in 1300 about Wallace.

The document, often seen as grant of safe passage for Wallace, was actually a request from the King of France for Pope Boniface VIII to give his support to the Scot.

The letter, currently held by the National Archives in London, suggests Wallace intended to visit the papal court, but it is not known whether he reached Rome.

William Wallace was executed in 1305, for high treason

“This exhibition is of tremendous importance – seeing the only two surviving documents directly connected to William Wallace side-by-side will be a unique experience.

“It is likely to give us a new perspective on Wallace’s vital role in Scottish history.

“The letter from the French king has been the subject of much speculation since it was discovered in the Tower of London in the 1830s. I am delighted that it is to be brought to Scotland next year and look forward to seeing it on public display with the Lubeck letter.”

The National Records of Scotland will borrow the letter from 2012-14, while talks on keeping it in Scotland are ongoing.

The Lubeck letter was sent by Wallace in the wake of his victory at Stirling Bridge, to inform European trading partners that Scottish ports were once again open for business.

Both letters are fragile and can only go on display under controlled lighting for a very limited period every few years.

Source

———————————

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 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.

Pipefest Pic: Click to see App

Pipefest 1 is the World’s first bagpipe sheet music app! With sheet music for one hundred pipe tunes in a searchable index all in one place – the app is a great resource for pipers. Features: A collection of one hundred traditional and popular pipe tunes. All tunes embedded within app – no further downloading. Tunes indexed within time signature categories. Search function to help quickly find tunes..

Benefits:

An app relevant to pipers
Convenient way to store and index tunes
Provides useful reference resource for pipers
Easy to use when out and about
Available via iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pipefest-1

App Store: Pipefest 1

For information on piping and drumming apps please contact:
Magnus Orr – magnus@pipefest.com

Momedia – events & media production Scotland

———————————

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 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.