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Tag Archives: United Kingdom

Pre-Cursor to Stonehenge Located in Northern Scotland

27 Jan

Archaeologists working on the Orkney Islands, one of the northernmost regions of Scotland, have uncovered a stone-age complex that they believe to be a precursor to Stonehenge.

The ritual center called the “Ness of Brodgar” predates Stonehenge by at least a few centuries (early radiocarbon dating suggests that it was first occupied by 3200 BCE). The site hosted several stone age rituals that appear similar to those hosted in Salisbury more than 500 years later.

To learn more about this discovery, see the article in National Geographic or the Orkney Jar Dig Diary.

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2012 in Anthropology, Archaeology, Neolithic

 

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Ship From Ill-Fated Spanish Armada (1588) Discovered off the Coast of Ireland

05 Aug

Nautical Archaeologists have recently discovered a shipwreck off the coast of Ireland that they believe to have belonged to the ill-fated 1588 expedition to England.

In 1588, the Spanish Armada at 130 strong set sail to England with the intent of deposing Queen Elizabeth I. At the time, the Catholic country of Spain was embroiled is an undeclared ‘war,’ termed the Anglo-Spanish War, with Protestant England.

The ill-fated Armada, considered at the time a legitimate threat to the powerful nation of England, was all but destroyed in a storm off the coast of Ireland. Of the original fleet, fewer than 50 made it back him to Spain with the invasion never having taken place.

The unfriendly waters off the coast of Ireland make discovery and excavation difficult, but this new piece is anticipated to be a source of national pride for the people of England. Read more about the discovery in this article of the Belfast Telegraph.

 
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Posted by on August 5, 2011 in Archaeology, Nautical Archaeology, United Kingdom

 

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The Carmichael Watson Project at the University of Edinburgh

07 Jul

On my recent trip to the United Kingdom, we were given the privilege of enjoying a tour of the Rare Books Collection at the University of Edinburgh Library. We met with Joseph Marshall, Ph.D., the rare book librarian, and were given an amazing tour of the rare books collection, catalogue, and conservation unit as well as an informative history of the library. While there, we also got a quick glance of the Carmichael Watson Project.

Alexander Carmichael was a writer and an amateur  folklorist of Gaelic Scotland. His most prominent work, the Carmina Gadelica, recorded a series of poems, hymns, incantations, and so forth translated by Alexander Carmichael.

The Carmichael Watson Project, hosted by the University of Edinburgh, is an online resource of Alexander Carmichael’s works, including:

  • Full text transcriptions
  • Digital images
  • Fully indexed catalogue
  • Biographical Records
  • Geo-referenced place-names
  • Handwriting guide

If you have any interest in Gaelic and/or Scottish culture or oral traditions, this is a can’t miss exhibit. Check it out!

 
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Posted by on July 7, 2011 in Anthropology, History

 

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