I was globe-wandering today, the cheap way—using Google Earth. These fields are just west-southwest of Stonehenge, and I just loved the colors and textures of the fields and borders, along with the barrows (or whatever), that the farmers avoided.
British archaeology literature often carries mention of crop marks, and Google Earth is an excellent tool for exposing them. Crop marks result from the differential moisture, soil quality, etc. above and around archaeological features (e.g., foundations or building wall bases, fire pits, etc.). The soil variation can be stark or subtle.
In this area around Stonehenge, crop marks and above-ground features are all over the place. Even after centuries of plowing and other degradation. Archaeologists now look at Stonehenge not as a bunch of stones, but as one dramatic feature in a landscape of occupation and use. Which is as it should be. After all, people didn’t just hang at Stonehenge.
19 December 2013 at 9:38 am
Mary Jo says:
“…just hang”? You mean Stonehenge was a gallows?
19 December 2013 at 2:39 pm
Sammy says:
No telling what all happened there, plus geeze, these ancient Britons had long cold winters to survive….
19 December 2013 at 8:19 pm
OOTF says:
“…people didn’t just hang at Stonehenge.”
Of course not, but space alien guys did. At least that is what I heard.
20 December 2013 at 8:24 am
Pooh says:
Are the colors true to life, or is it some false color coding?
20 December 2013 at 10:39 am
Sammy says:
True colors, or at least the ones right there on Google Earth/Maps—take a look! (Not sure what the yellow weed is, whether the plant has yellow blooms or a nutritional deficiency.)