Stonehenge...where the party people go! ...Er, went.

[dianeduane]

Archaeologists have found the remains of an ancient settlement two miles from Stonehenge which seems to have been built specifically to celebrate the Winter Solstice... big time.

The new finds at Durrington Walls, two miles northeast of the stone circle, indicate that the entire region was a large religious complex where the early Britons gathered in midwinter for raucous feasts and solemn ceremonies before sending their deceased on a voyage to the afterlife.

...Durrington Walls "is either the richest site or the filthiest that we have ever found for this period," Pearson said. "It's absolutely stuffed full of trash or rubbish: broken pots, chips, flints, burned stones used for cooking and animal bones. Many were thrown away half eaten, a sign of conspicuous consumption. This is an enormous feasting assemblage. People were here to have a really good time."

Significantly, there was no evidence for the processing of grain or baking it and little evidence of crafts. "This was not a full-time, year-round community, but one for specialized activities."

Like partying!

Comments

[were-gopher.livejournal.com]

I always figure if an archaeologist says "it was a ritual site or item" what they're really saying is " I've got no idea what the heck this is".

[megabitch.livejournal.com]

Absolutely... "it's ritual" is archeological-speak for "I haven't a f'-ing clue!" I think there have been a group of people throughout time who have delighted in creating and hiding weird items just to screw with the minds of future archeologists - I know I'm one of them ;)

[rabidfangurl.livejournal.com]

I've been told this exact thing by a Classics professor.

[sshi.livejournal.com]

There's a rather nice Kim Stanley Robinson story about this one, about an archaeological excavation of Vinland.