Avebury Fieldtrip

 

Standing inside a Neolithic long barrow thousands of years ago and listening to the intriguing silence that archaeology and history seem to emit was an incredible thing to be able to experience.

To go from being inside the West Kennet long barrow to then standing on top of the bank that encompasses one of the oldest henges in the whole of Europe was a fascinating experience.

We explored the site extensively; walking through the deep ditch inside the bank, standing next to the impossibly big sarsen stones that can reach 6 metres high which make up the stone circles, and climbing up the bank that encircles it all brought comprehension and awe at the time and effort that would have gone into making the monument.

We also visited the famous monuments that are Silbury hill and Windmill hill. Both were impressive, however, Silsbury hill was the site that led to multiple discussions of possible alien involvement due to the enormity of it and the fact that we still don’t know what it was made for.

The day was not without some solemn thought on the process of archaeology due to our visit to the Sanctuary that had been completely excavated and destroyed in that process. Although it was sad to see the destruction that can be caused by excavation it led to an academic discussion on the ethics of archaeology and the moral obligations that come with being an archaeologist to properly preserve and record monuments.

The whole fieldtrip was a wonderful way to be able to go out into the field and experience archaeology first hand. It was also a great opportunity to debate the different subjects we had been studying at university and apply our knowledge of archaeology to an archaeological site.

I would definitely encourage people to go and experience it for themselves not only because it is a very important part of prehistoric Europe but also because it is simply incredible!

Leila