Tag: wooden

Timeline and reconstruction of summer solstice celebrations as they might have appeared at Bulford 5000 years ago © Wessex Archaeology

UK: Strange Stories from England – Proto-Stone Henge Dsicovered! (19.6.2026)

“The discovery at Bulford is fundamental because it’s the earliest example of people building things here that aim directly at the solstice. When we talk about the solstice, we’re talking about religion. About how prehistoric peoples understood the cosmos, the world, and their place in it. What we see at Bulford, and later at Stonehenge, is a way of celebrating and marking the passage of time, but it’s also about making sure the world keeps working as it should. It’s likely their way of saying to their deities, please keep us in mind, keep us warm and safe. It’s a religious event. That’s why it’s so important.”

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17th Century Safe - Old Wooden Safe - Built In2o Bedroom Wall!

Market Overton: 17th Century Wooden Safe – Built into Bedroom Wall! (26.10.2025)

Anyway, I digress. This morning, and for the first-time in decades, I heard a local Parish Church ring the church-bells – summoning the faithful to worship on this crisp Sunday-morning! I am literally sat in the epicentre of history! Probably far more so than usual. As you can see above – in the bedroom I am frequenting – there is a wooden safe built into the wall. The wood does not seem that secure to me – and I know I could easily place my fist through the door – it seems that thin (not that I would do such a thing). Years ago (in Hong Kong) when I had to punch objects whilst holding an egg in the palm (which had to remain “unbroken”) – the objects I had to hit were far more “stout” than this structure. I cannot not discern any writing on the casing of the safe – but such a craftsman’s signature might be immediately adjacent to the inner wall structure.

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6,000 Year Old Coffins in China!

China: Earliest-Known Wooden Coffins Unearthed in Henan! (12.9.2025)

Since 2023, the Henan institute has been conducting archaeological excavations at the site. Its latest research has confirmed that it was a moat-encircled settlement that covered an area of 65,000 square meters, with distinct functional zones located within its boundaries.

“In the central burial area, we have identified a total of over 200 tombs, among which 10 show evidence of wooden coffins,” said Li Jindou, excavation field director at the Jiahu site. Some of the coffins measured about 2 metres in length, 0.6 metres in width and 0.06 meters in thickness, Li noted.

“Soil analysis from their burial context revealed a significantly high concentration of lignin compared to the surrounding areas,” Li said.

According to the institute, the vast majority of tombs in the site’s central burial area contain funerary objects, including bone flutes, turquoise artifacts and pottery, some of which exhibit exceptionally fine craftsmanship.

In addition to the wooden coffins, archaeologists have recently uncovered over 20 bone flutes, with one tomb being the first-known instance of five flutes buried in a single grave.

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Adrian - Scarecrow Graduation!

Northants: Adrian & Gee Graduate as Scarecrows! (28.7.2025)

Being fans of the books and various dramatizations of “Wurzel Gummidge” – we were thrilled to lean of a local (Northants) “Scarecrow Course” sponsored by the Labour government as a job creation scheme. As this is a wealthy area – the local landowners are always on the look-out for suitable candidates for this partly government funded training course. Initially, we had to watch all the Jeepers Creepers films and learn to run smoothly through the corn fields.

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Russia: The Enigma of the Asiatic Giant Shigir Idol (Большой Шигирский идол) – Where Ancient Russians Really Seventeen-Feet Tall? (12.3.2023) 

I have heard a number of Slavic academics stating that they believe that some of the patterning on the exterior of the Great Shigir Idol constitutes a written ‘language’. If correct, this finding would constitute the world’s ‘oldest’ written language! I am not adverse to this idea and I believe such a suggestion requires further investigation! Based upon the mythology of the Ugrians, Natalia Chairkina sees in these images a reflection of a vertical model of the universe logically divided into the Upper, Middle and Lower worlds (similar to the ‘trigram’ and ‘hexagram’ of the Chinese book ‘Classic of Change’) – which accommodate seven spheres of empty space. Archaeologist Peter Van Petersen of the National Museum of Denmark has suggested that the idol may have served as a warning at the border of a forbidden territory to scare off invaders or undesirables – or to test the courage of an individual or group. A number of Archaeological experts also note the similarity of design with the monumental stone ruins in Göbekli Tepe in Turkey (which is of a similar age). As many of the marking are both difficult to see and ambiguous in design – it is currently very difficult to produce a definitive interpretation. The best policy is for everyone to ‘look’ at this remarkable structure themselves – and up their own mind. Conventional science has already proven its improbable age! Let’s follow Lenin’s example and sit in our kitchens and ‘think’ great thoughts!

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Toby – Resident Sheepdog – ABBEY MILLS: MERTON PRIORY CHAPTER HOUSE – 900 YEAR OLD WOODEN ARCH! PART 4 (7.8.2022)

Anyone who interacted, stroked, played with or threw a stick for ‘Toby’ – the resident sheepdog – was presented with a beautiful postcard of this well-behaved and genteel Sheepdog! He appears to be the pet of resident archaeologist – Mr John Hawks – the Curator of Chapter House, as he was the person who presented the postcard and seemed to know ‘Toby’ the best! Mr John Hawks has been featured in a number of articles about this very important ‘dig’ which has received a boost recently with the Priory ‘arched’ wooden gate being added to the already amply exhibition! There is much to see – such as the UK’s oldest Parliament and Lord Nelson’s Chest!

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