Avebury Earthworks...

Subject: Re: Avebury Earthworks... Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:57 am

OR
if we marked out the perimeter with whithies we could get a farm hand to plough around the edge before he ploughs the whole field???
They likes a challenge!
PeteG

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

A mile of the stuff. ?
Was thinking of the puppy product cos the white one would be easily visible.
I can vouch for its strength aswell.
I actually have a roll here with me, its what we always use.
29.76 m per roll thats err......4000.000 rolls roughly, should easily be able to get that amount donated. Razz

Off hand any idea of the circumference of the circle in metres.

edit: I'm guessing a thousand rolls. ?

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

Pete, my concern with the ploughing idea is that unless following my line to the inch a plough may not show my attempt at the accuracy as clearly as the puppy product would, which i would lay out myself personally, mistakes an all. On the other hand one lapse of concentration could destroy the line.

Subject: Re: Avebury Earthworks... Fri Jul 18, 2008 2:22 am

Do you have a rotorvator?
You could mark out the edge first.
The ploughmen I know are very good.
There is a ploughing competion here every year and they pride themselves on their accuracy.

The problem with your puppy product is - Wind
PeteG

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

No i hire them when needed.
The thing is i want a very narrow line, something visible but very definitive showing my measurements faults and all but i'm sure the ploughing could be included after the initial layout, this would probably give the ploughman a much better line to follow too without the risk of damaging the edge.
Would be interesting to see the difference between the two ways of defining the work.
I'm getting really excited about this now. bounce

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

One of the surveying technics I learnt many years ago, was the Chain Survey.

A Land Surveyor's Chain is a 66ft long Chain (Hence, the length of a Cricket Pitch) It is also 4 rods long (Same length as a perch or pole).

A rod is therefor 16 1/2 ft long (Same length as an Ox Goad - A long stick used by ancient plowmen to prod the Oxen)

A rod (Used for Surveying) in times of old, was made of a single bar of metal wraped in canvas to prevent it expanding in the sun light...
Originally, It would of been wood. (I would have thought)

Sighting Rods are a very ancient tools for forming a straight line. The Romans used them to create long lengths of road..

The reference points that form the circle should be kept to a minimum (given the amount of work needed to find them) Me, I would go for about a hundred. After all, you can see the circle at Avebury well enough.

Canes would work as a temporary marker, but mark the ground as well. You don't want you work wasted by some fool running off with your markers.

Chalk and water would make a good paint. Me, I would use the Line Marker and Whiting but... Hay, Ho...

Tony

Age : 44 Joined : 11 Apr 2008 Posts : 36 Location : Surrey

I have just read more of Aubrey Burl's book. (it seems to be taking far longer than I would like!)

There is evidence to show that the ditch was dug after the centre circles and cove had already been built.
So this could explain the irregularity.
There is also evidence that there was a settlement or dwellings of some kind inside the circle. Which may have hindered them from mapping out a true circle, or even an arc. Burl says that the ditch may have been started in different places at the same time, again creating some irregularity.
He does point out that very few ditches were ever perfect circles.
So the builders were obviously not bothered about it being perfect.

From what I can remember of the first edition theories and ideas have changed. I also had never been to Avebury when I read it then.

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

If true that kinda renders the experiment pointless. ?
_________________
Smells of stone

Subject: Re: Avebury Earthworks... Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:01 pm

not necessarily.
It would be worth trying anyway.
PeteG