#585: Access to the stones

A cross posting with my World of Music blog.

There are a few locations where the labours of people from prehistory can still be seen.

The idea of following the story of human impact on natural history is part of the draft specification and one would assume it might follow through into the next iteration of the specification as one of the particular aspects of the new qualification.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is apparently considering charging to access some of the more well known locations they manage, including the stones of Callanish / Callanais on the Isle of Harris/Lewis. I visited many years ago.

One programme which is behind the increased interest in the area is a time-travel fantasy called 'Outlander'. This has proved very popular.

Cruise ships can arrive at some of these fragile locations in large numbers, which adds additional pressures onto fragile environments.

This album was recorded by the New Zealand musician Jon Mark in 1988 and is named after the ring at Callanish.

And here's a slightly different stone-circle related song...

#550: Threatened rock art

The Vingen Quarry in Norway has a range of threatened rock art.

This Guardian article from 2024 explores the reason why such sites should be protected.

Rock art falls into the category of "representations of the natural world".

#531: Palaeontology

Or without the 'a' in American sources... such as the one referenced here...

This University of Berkeley classification is useful in showing the different sub-disciplines.

Paleontology is traditionally divided into various sub-disciplines:

Micropaleontology: Study of generally microscopic fossils, regardless of the group to which they belong.

Paleobotany: Study of fossil plants; traditionally includes the study of fossil algae and fungi in addition to land plants.

Palynology: Study of pollen and spores, both living and fossil, produced by land plants and protists - this is very important in climate change research for reconstructing past climates from lake bed sediments etc.

Invertebrate Paleontology: Study of invertebrate animal fossils, such as mollusks, echinoderms, and others.

Vertebrate Paleontology: Study of vertebrate fossils, from primitive fishes to mammals.

Human Paleontology (Paleoanthropology): The study of prehistoric human and proto-human fossils.

Taphonomy: Study of the processes of decay, preservation, and the formation of fossils in general.

Ichnology: Study of fossil tracks, trails, and footprints.

Paleoecology: Study of the ecology and climate of the past, as revealed both by fossils and by other methods.

In short, palaeontology is the study of what fossils tell us about the ecologies of the past, about evolution, and about our place, as humans, in the world. Palaeontology incorporates knowledge from biology, geology, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, and even computer science to understand the processes that have led to the origination and eventual destruction of the different types of organisms since life arose.

A useful summary, and elements of these sub-disciplines would I imagine be included in any draft specification once it emerges.

Image: Fossil from Staithes cliffs, North Yorkshire - Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license.

#402: Norfolk's Deep History Coast

The Norfolk coast is also known as the Deep History Coast, partially as a result of the discovery of the skeleton of a mammoth at West Runton.

This book by John Davies and David Waterhouse looks useful.

Deep History is a term increasingly used in place of the term pre-history; and has been coined to reflect the idea that in general the deeper you delve the older things are!

North Norfolk's Deep History Coast is the 22-mile stretch of coastline between Weybourne and Cart Gap which has revealed the most spectacular finds. Happisburgh is the oldest archaeological site in northern Europe and West Runton yielded the oldest and largest fossilised mammoth skeleton ever found in the UK. 

Visit the website for the Deep History Coast for a range of additional resources which would be useful.

Why not visit Sheringham and the Mo museum.

#243: Cave Paintings #3 - Cresswell Crags

As mentioned in previous blog posts, the possible specification that will emerge is likely to include some reference to early artworks which represent nature. The earliest of these that survive are rock carvings and cave paintings.

One proposed theme in the first iteration of the new specification is 'Life in the Early World'

This would include students exploring early representations of the natural world.

Cave paintings are the first examples of this.

The hand silhouettes in Cueva de las Manos (Cave of Hands) in Santa Cruz, Argentina, form part of an exceptional assemblage of cave art executed between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. The site was granted @UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999 https://t.co/NEipFKHIRm ✋🖐🏾✋🏽🖐🏻✋🏿🤚🏼🤚✋🏽 pic.twitter.com/JpcEJlJvkA

— Prof Jamie Woodward (@Jamie_Woodward_) January 1, 2022

There are quite a few theories as to why people decided to decorate the walls of caves.

It's worth having a look at Jamie's book in the Very Short Introduction series: 'The Ice Age'.

Another related book here is 'Transcendence' by Gaia Vince, which explores the significance of this period in the development of language, which in turn led to storytelling. This will be appearing in the library / reading list posts as well.

In some associated posts, I have started to explore some of the possible places that students could be introduced to, which are perhaps a little closer to home. For those in the East Midlands there is a suggestion here:

In the UK, there is Cresswell Crags.

The website has plenty of information on the site.

#213: Cave Paintings #2 - Cosquer Cave

Another reminder that you can join the dedicated Facebook group for GCSE Natural History here. We have over 750 members of the group now.

One element of the proposed specification is a look back at the early representations of wildlife found in caves and painted many thousands of years ago.

This delightful little red mammoth can be found in the Grottes d'Arcy-sur-Cure near Burgundy. It was created by an ice age artist just before the last glacial maximum #IceAgeFrance 🎨 pic.twitter.com/WFZFoLS4s3

— Prof Jamie Woodward (@Jamie_Woodward_) May 1, 2022

I've been reading Max Leonard's 'A Cold Spell', and he mentions the cave at Cosquer near Marseille.

There was a long human occupation of the Cosquer Cave, from 33,000 BP to 19,000 BP, consisting of two major, almost uninterrupted, phases of human occupation. These dates have been obtained from around sixty Carbon-14 dating tests performed on forty-one samples collected between 1992 and 2012.

The Upper Palaeolithic Period was a period in prehistory that began in Europe when the first Homo sapiens emerged, around 45,000 years ago. The period was characterised by an intensely cold climate, and the fauna and flora adapted to the cold temperatures. The Homo sapiens hunter-gatherers developed various tools, hunting techniques, and dwellings to adapt to this environment. Around 10,000 years ago, the climate became warmer, which marked the end of the Palaeolithic Period.

The Gravettian culture was one of the major cultures of the Upper Palaeolithic Period in Europe. The culture developed from around 34,000-33,000 years ago to 23,000-22,000 BP. It was characterised by its very specific lithic industry, vestiges of which include, in particular, the projectile tips found in the cave at La Gravette, and very specific forms of artistic expression 'Venus’ figurines and negative handprints. The Gravettian geographical distribution was very wide, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to the Dnieper River Basin.

The Cosquer Cave, which was decorated with art at a time when the sea was several kilometres away, is now partially submerged due to climate change. The cave became inaccessible on foot around 9,000 years ago. The site, which has been protected from human intrusion for thousands of years, and which is now recognised as an archaeological heritage site, is therefore destined to disappear.

As with Lascaux, a replica cave system has been built to help protect the original from the impacts of visitors.

Image: Hay Tor - Alan Parkinson, shared under CC license