The ups and downs of Archaeology

[Mike Jupp]

Does anyone recognise where this was?

No?...
What about this?

Yep!...Now you got it!!..Well, if you haven't?..It's this!....

The reason why I've been fiddling with my Googles..is that I've always wondered why Neolithic Tribes wandered up from the Mediterranean area, clawed their way up through the mountains and forests of Europe, then battled even further through fog, rain and Troll droppings until they eventually reached 'Britain' and finally, the Arctic North Atlantic.?
Did some hairy git returning from his rowing holiday in a hollowed out tree-trunk say, "I've found a place called 'Skare Brae'..it would make a great Neolithic settlement" ?
No?...Then how and why did they get to such far flung places!
I'm a cartoonist not a Scientist!...But can anyone tell me why my next theory is wrong?
I reckon our ancestors just followed the coastline in search of food!
It's that coastline that would have been radically different 10-12,000 years ago. I've done a VERY rough image of a possible prehistoric coastline. The interesting thing is that Neolithic settlements in both the Orkneys and Western Ireland are close to this 'Shoreline'!
The Red cross on the map below indicates Skara Brae http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/scara1.html

IF, I'm right??? Shouldn't we be looking along this '
line' for more settlements?
("Stick to cartoons"...I hear you cry!!)

[War Arrow]

I've always wondered why Neolithic Tribes wandered up from the Mediterranean area, clawed their way up through the mountains and forests of Europe, then battled even further through fog, rain and Troll droppings until they eventually reached 'Britain' and finally, the Arctic North Atlantic.?

I've often wondered why we ever left Africa. I can't imagine the scenario in which the long lost plains-dweller returns to the fold, eyes wide with excitement and the words 'I've found this place to live up to the north. It's freezing cold and wet. It's great!' Thus I suspect the diaspora must have been catalysed through the cumulative expulsion of village idiots.

I reckon our ancestors just followed the coastline in search of food!
It's that coastline that would have been radically different 10-12,000 years ago. I've done a VERY rough image of a possible prehistoric coastline. The interesting thing is that Neolithic settlements in both the Orkneys and Western Ireland are close to this 'Shoreline'!

Er... it seems like a pretty sensible suggestion to me, although from your tone I suspect you have encountered arguments against this idea?

[Mike Jupp]

Hi War Arrow!
I think a combination of starvation and a multitude of beastly things with big teeth probably influenced our ancestors to get the *%!"##!! out of Africa!
As for Skara Brae et al!...It WAS considerably warmer when the place was established.
And, a useless bit of information..
Skara Brae had the first flushing toilet system yet discovered!
(That's if you discount Neanderthals sticking their hairy backsides out over waterfalls?) All far earlier than Henry VIII's celebrated khazi at Hampton Court(?)

If you don't believe me check it out!
In fact, there's a remarkable similarity to the Skara Brae dwellings and the Hobbit homes of JRR Tolkein's tales.

Never mind all that!...What about the 'Rio Romans'?

[War Arrow]

I think a combination of starvation and a multitude of beastly things with big teeth probably influenced our ancestors to get the *%!"##!! out of Africa!

Hmmm, okay. A warmer northern climate explains a lot, although I still like my village idiots theory, given that things with big teeth were a global phenomena.
First flushing toilet? Wow. I'm right off to google even as we speak, but if you have any links you could recommend in the likey event of my being scuppered by a thousand pop-ups reading "XXXMovieArchive has all the results you need for ancient flushing outhouse."*

* = Is it just me or does everybody get this? My security settings don't seem to make a lot of difference? Hasn't it ocurred to these people that if I'm looking for Mixtec/Zapotec cultural fusion then XXXMovieArchive is unlikely to help with any questions I may be pondering (unless of course I'm doing a disservice to whatever the modern porn industry can teach us about early cultures)? If I wanted XXXSoddingMovieSoddingArSoddingChive I would have sodding typed it in in the first place! F****** Sh*t*hawks! Excuse my French.

[Mike Jupp]

Yep flushing!
..and it wasn't an Outhouse...It was an IN-house toilet!

OK, so it wasn't automatic with Pine Looflush tablets and chrome bog-roll holders! ... but they were 'flushed' from the interior by chucking water into stone conduits that lead out to the beach from the poo-ing place!
Not bad for something that was built 4.5-5000 years ago!

(Our khazi fell to bits recently, and that was only 3 years old!)



http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/skarabrae/skarab1.htm

[Beagle]

Hello Mike and welcome.

There was a recent TV program here about Skara Brae. Fascinating place. The inhabitants also had cattle to eat, so the climate was obviously warmer at that time.

War Arrow - you've picked up some interesting cookies.

[Minimalist]

XXXMovieArchive is unlikely to help with any questions I may be pondering

[Beagle]

That should be required viewing for members I think. Seems like Archaeology to me.

[Minimalist]

I wonder if they had a resident anthropologist in the credits?

[Beagle]

There's only one way to find out.

[Minimalist]

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. While following the coast makes sense for seal hunters, it doesn't address the problem of why ancient men crossed the Alps and headed for central Germany.

As comic, Richard Jeni, says about Chicago.

"Chicago was founded by New Yorkers who said 'I like the crime and the congestion in New York but it just isn't cold enough.'"

[Mike Jupp]

Thanks for the welcome Beagle!
I know this is primarily a domestic American site, so I apologise for woffling on about Brit-stuff.
But!...
Did the S.B show also mention that the Orkneys ( and Britain in general)
are on the up?
We're all still rising above sea-level as the compression caused by 1000's of years of a mile high of ice sheet is lifted?

The South of England is actually starting to tilt downwards as the North rises upwards (that sounds like a metaphor for something?..but I'm talking about geology!)

The Roman Palace at Fishbourne which, 2000 years ago was established on the coast is now 2-3 miles from the sea!

There's some fascinating stuff coming to light regarding drowned neolithic settlements in the English Channel. I'm desperately trying to get hold of the new 3D-sonar images made by S.Gupta's team from Imperial College.

They've described fantastic images of an inundated settlement next to a waterfall (about 6 miles out from the present coastline)
This from a prehistoric time when the River Arun flowed into a Mega-river, a river that linked the Thames to the Rhine!
It would be fab to do some CGI art reconstructions...but I can't find any reference!
Bugger!!!

[War Arrow]

Great link and photos, Mike. Thanks. The settlement 6 miles offshore sounds mind-boggling.
(in brackets so as to hopefully avoid interrupting the topic: I clean out my cookie jar on an almost weekly basis but I still keep being redirected to the sort of hard-hitting authoritative documentaries of the kind highlighted by Min. Groan. Either I have some cookies hidden in a place I don't know about or the "club" is out to get me.)

[Minimalist]

You could also be infected with Ad-ware and Spy-ware.

[Cognito]

The Roman Palace at Fishbourne which, 2000 years ago was established on the coast is now 2-3 miles from the sea!

There's some fascinating stuff coming to light regarding drowned neolithic settlements in the English Channel. I'm desperately trying to get hold of the new 3D-sonar images made by S.Gupta's team from Imperial College.

Hey Mike, welcome aboard! Please look high and low for those images because the topic is fascinating. Underwater archaeology at that site should yield a tremendous amount of material.