Super-Stonehenge found in England

Researchers using ground-penetrating radar in England, have discovered another massive stone monument only 2 miles from Stonehenge.  Vince Gaffney, an archaeologist from Bradford University, described it as ‘archaeology on steroids’.  Previously, Stonehenge was thought to be an isolated monument standing in the middle of prairies, but now researchers realize that it is actually at the heart of a huge landscape of ancient chapels, massive pits and ritual shrines. 

Among the many discoveries, researchers from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute at the University of Birmingham found two massive pits to the north of Stonehenge, in a 3 km-long monument called the Cursus.  Like Stonehenge, they appear to have astronomical alignments.  On midsummer’s day, the eastern pit is aligned with the sunrise, and the western pit is aligned with sunset.  The pits predate Stonehenge by about 400 years.

However, the feature that knocks Stonehenge from its Neolithic throne is the mile-wide arena found in Durrington Walls built about 4500 years ago.  Its C-shape is made up of 90 standing stones, 30 intact at 4.5 meters tall while the other 60 are fragmented.  With these new discoveries, it will take archaeologists decades to sort through all the data. 

Researchers wondered if Stonehenge was originally circular or was it C-shaped as the monument in Durrington Walls.  When a sprinkler system used to water the grass around Stonehenge performed less than expected, patches of brown grass began to appear where missing stones may have once stood.  Therefore, Stonehenge was a full circle, but now the mystery is what happened to the missing stones.  When I visited Stonehenge three years ago, the audio tour said that the site has been vandalized and cannibalized for centuries, noblemen using the stones for their houses, or people wanting a piece of one of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  No mystery there. 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeology-on-steroids-huge-ritual-arena-discovered-near-stonehenge/ar-AAe0XKH?ocid=ansmsnnews11

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

It’s impossible to not like Amelia Peabody, the main character in Elizabeth Peters’ series. She is the quintessential prim, proper, Victorian-era Englishwoman, always taking charge, making sure the world behaves. That isn’t easy when the world is infested by men, who are boorish, rude and say the most inappropriate things at the most inopportune times.

Despite the omnipresent oppression of the English gentlewoman by the male population, Miss Peabody is well-established at thirty-two, thanks to a large inheritance from her late father, but she has no husband, no suitors and doesn’t want either.

Resigning herself to spinsterhood, Amelia decides to spend the winter in Egypt instead of England’s dreary climate. With barely a foot on the African continent, she rescues a young woman with a sad story. Amelia takes the girl under her wing and up the Nile. This is how Crocodile on the Sandbank, the first in the series begins.

Before leaving Cairo, Amelia and Evelyn meet a pair of archaeological brothers. The youngest, Walter Emerson, is well-mannered, well-spoken and instantly besotted by Evelyn. His older brother, Radcliffe, has an entirely opposite demeanor. He is abrasive, arrogant and condescending to everyone.

Amelia is all too pleased to leave their presence and Cairo with her new ward, but several days into their journey, they encounter the brothers again. Despite the irascible Radcliffe, Amelia is fascinated by the discoveries he’s made at his excavation. But it also seems they have angered the spirit of the long-dead king whose tomb has been uncovered. A mummy begins haunting their camp at night, terrorizing the workers and nearby villagers who fear the old king’s wrath. Amelia and Radcliffe are quite certain there is nothing supernatural going on so what is the purpose of trying to scare them? Who is masquerading as the mummy that is quite athletic and able to elude all attempts to capture him?

As far as cozy mysteries go, this one is as cozy as they get. No gory killings or other extreme acts of violence. The ending, somewhat expected, kept this from being a glorified Scooby-Doo mystery. The jokes are a lot better in Peters’ writing.

Elizabeth Peters pens a great narrative telling her story in first person from Amelia’s point of view. Her writing is witty, charming and a pleasure to read. Crocodile on the Sandbank whets the readers’ appetite for the start of a wonderful journey.