Something a bit different today. The two rock face carvings - photos above and below - are from Rocky Valley, Cornwall quite near to the well known village of Tintagel.
The carvings were discovered in 1948 and there is an official sign that states:
ROCKY VALLEY ROCK CARVINGS
Labyrinth Pattern Carvings
probably of the Early Bronze Age
(1800-1400BC)
This monument is protected under
the Ancient Monuments Act 1913
Similar patterned carvings have been found in various parts of the world such as in Crete and Galacia, Spain.
Below is a photo from Wikipedia showing a similar design in Galacia.
All in all sounds convincing but there are those who would spoil the story by reaching a different conclusion. Some question the carvings and say they may only be 300 years old maximum.
The main reason to doubt the age of the carvings is the fact that there aren't any similar examples in south-west England.
Personally I'd like to believe that the carvings are thousands of years old. Many others seem to also agree as they have left coins, ribbons with messages, candles and so on nearby. Very New Age - if that term still applies nowadays.
Changing the post theme completely. As the photos above are a bit grey, okay a lot grey, I thought I'd finish the post with a bit of colour from my garden.
All in all sounds convincing but there are those who would spoil the story by reaching a different conclusion. Some question the carvings and say they may only be 300 years old maximum.
The main reason to doubt the age of the carvings is the fact that there aren't any similar examples in south-west England.
Personally I'd like to believe that the carvings are thousands of years old. Many others seem to also agree as they have left coins, ribbons with messages, candles and so on nearby. Very New Age - if that term still applies nowadays.
Above: a similar carving in Galacia, Spain
Changing the post theme completely. As the photos above are a bit grey, okay a lot grey, I thought I'd finish the post with a bit of colour from my garden.
That's all for this week, many thanks for visiting my blog. All good wishes ~ Mike.
Fascinating if these were thousands of year old but the wording on the official sign makes me wonder. "Probably" Bronze Age suggests they can't be definite. Interesting though.
ReplyDeleteYour garden's looking lovely Mike, super photo's, enjoy the weekend. Much cooler here today. 😊
I guess it's difficult to establish the true dates of such carvings, but I'd like to think of them as being of the Bronze Age. So many strange stories in Cornwall some true but many a little dodgy. It's even said that King Arthur didn't live in King Arthur's Castle in Tintagel.
DeleteVery blowy and cooler here at the moment. Enjoy your weekend.
A lovely post full of contrasts and most interesting, Mike. I love the 'a bit grey' photos, the carvings are beautiful and your garden is clearly flourishing.
ReplyDeleteAll good wishes to you and yours. Prue
Hello Prue, many thanks. As I write this the wind is very strong here, so hope the plants don't get damaged. All good wishes ~ Mike.
DeleteHello Mike, the labyrinth carvings are very beautiful and mysterious, no matter which precise period they are from. Perhaps you could do one in your garden to confuse people hundreds of years from now ;)
ReplyDeleteYour garden is bursting with colour and life. The sedum/ succulent by the tree stump with the sweet williams is a very exciting combo. Plus the Campunula poscharskyana tumbling over your stone wall looks gorgeous. Are you growing chilli peppers? Hope you have a good week. Lulu :) x
Thanks Lulu. Funny you should say that as I have just come across a large Cornish stone in the garden - so a few hieroglyphics .. and who knows what it could become ...
ReplyDeleteI'm not growing any chilli peppers or any veg at the moment.
All good wishes, have an interesting week - hopefully it should be sunny.