Earliest art in the British Isles discovered on Jersey

Discussion on science, nature and technology across the globe.
Post Reply
User avatar
dtaai-maai
Hero
Hero
Posts: 14268
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:00 pm
Location: UK, Robin Hood country

Earliest art in the British Isles discovered on Jersey

Post by dtaai-maai »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53835146

This is the sort of subject I should stick with... :laugh:

Fascinating
Fragments of stone engraved with abstract designs found on Jersey are the earliest known art in the British Isles, researchers say.

They were made by hunter-gatherers who lived between 23,000 and 14,000 years ago.

The designs were scratched into small ornamental tablets known as plaquettes; similar examples have been found in France, Spain and Portugal.

The 10 plaquettes were unearthed at Les Varines, Jersey, between 2014 and 2018.
This is the way
User avatar
pharvey
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 13913
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 10:21 am
Location: Sir Fynwy - God's Country

Re: Earliest art in the British Isles discovered on Jersey

Post by pharvey »

dtaai-maai wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:53 am https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53835146

This is the sort of subject I should stick with... :laugh:

Fascinating
Fragments of stone engraved with abstract designs found on Jersey are the earliest known art in the British Isles, researchers say.

They were made by hunter-gatherers who lived between 23,000 and 14,000 years ago.

The designs were scratched into small ornamental tablets known as plaquettes; similar examples have been found in France, Spain and Portugal.

The 10 plaquettes were unearthed at Les Varines, Jersey, between 2014 and 2018.
Quite something! :thumb:

But in all fairness, how have they dated them? I can understand them being able to age/date pigments, but how the hell do you age/date "scratches"?

:cheers: :cheers:
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
User avatar
dtaai-maai
Hero
Hero
Posts: 14268
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:00 pm
Location: UK, Robin Hood country

Re: Earliest art in the British Isles discovered on Jersey

Post by dtaai-maai »

Presumably by the context/environment in which they were found, i.e. a "Magdalenian settlement", which, as we all know :laugh: , dates back to that period.

(Come on, man, did you never watch Time Team??)
This is the way
User avatar
pharvey
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 13913
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 10:21 am
Location: Sir Fynwy - God's Country

Re: Earliest art in the British Isles discovered on Jersey

Post by pharvey »

dtaai-maai wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:36 pm Presumably by the context/environment in which they were found, i.e. a "Magdalenian settlement", which, as we all know :laugh: , dates back to that period.
There is that (and of course I knew the dating of the Magdalenian's :roll: :wink:). But just because these were found in the same area of the "settlement" how can we tell they weren't created by later or even earlier settlements....? (the pedantic bit comes from my father... :D )
dtaai-maai wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:36 pm(Come on, man, did you never watch Time Team??)
Obviously!! Just got a tad confused with Baldrick being there....... :oops:
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
Post Reply