Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jan 23, 2012, 7:21 pm
On Tyneside, between Hadrian’s Wall and the Ditch to the north, archaeologists have found three lines of double postholes, which, it is argued, represent an early Timber Wall, which, along with the Ditch, formed part of a temporary frontier while Hadrian’s Wall was being built. Further, it...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jan 23, 2012, 7:21 pm
On Tyneside, between Hadrian’s Wall and the Ditch to the north, archaeologists have found three lines of double postholes, which it is argued, represent an early Timber Wall, which, along with the Ditch, formed part of a temporary frontier while Hadrian’s Wall was being built. Further, it is arg...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jan 23, 2012, 7:21 pm
On Tyneside, between Hadrian’s Wall and the Ditch to the north, archaeologists have found three lines of double postholes, which it is argued, represent an early Timber Wall, which, along with the Ditch, formed part of a temporary frontier while the Roman Wall was being built. F...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Dec 21, 2011, 5:13 am
It is now over two years since I published the analyses of the three lines of double postholes found on the berm north of Hadrian’s Wall.[1] I knew then that this was the foundation of a temporary timber rampart, and that these least visible of its features were the key to explaining Europe’s l...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Nov 13, 2011, 11:21 pm
When I need to think about what to write next, I go and see my friend Daisy, and we go for a walk in the woods. She is a very good listener, but gets impatient with my interest in the trees, as hers mainly involves games with a stick. Thinking about trees is the basis of much of my research about a...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Nov 8, 2011, 5:52 pm
It is not that writing a book is boring, or that I am looking for displacement activities, it's just that I have pencils and paper that I have to use up before they reach their sell by date. Stonehenge Festival Out and About At work with the Professionals Note: More archaeology cartoons here, h...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Oct 31, 2011, 8:00 pm
Starting the book today - but just time for some seasonally unpleasant Humour:  There is nothing more horrific than realising you are the only sane one left; here are some special offers from my imaginary friends over at UTPress. Seasonal Monster Book Sale - Prizes Slashed and Burned Universi...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Oct 29, 2011, 7:08 pm
I am uncommonly pleased to announce that a contract for the preparation of a publication has been cordially agreed between Amberley Publishing of Stroud and myself.  The book currently titled, The Archaeology of Postholes: Reconstructing Prehistoric Buildings, will have 60,000 words, with 130 ill...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Oct 26, 2011, 9:53 pm
Another bout of compulsive cartooning has been brought on by more bad news on the work front, as another light at the end of the tunnel blinked out; leaving me alone in the dark, with a pencil.... Out and About Higher Education Supplement Hints and Tips Pubic Notices Previous archaeology hum...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Oct 13, 2011, 6:07 pm
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, better known as Vitruvius, is one of those rare individuals from the ancient world whose thoughts and ideas have survived him.  He was a contemporary of Julius Caesar, and wrote the only significant surviving book about Roman architecture.  His book, De architectura, known...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Sep 30, 2011, 6:53 pm
As a professional archaeologist, I owe my existence not just to a planning system and government legislation that protects our heritage, but also, and more fundamentally, to a wider public interest in the past.  This popularity is evidenced by highly rated series like Time Team in mainstream televi...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Aug 8, 2011, 7:28 pm
As a break from postholes, here are some more cartoons to celebrate the holiday season, which always a bit of joke in England, not least because of the weather, especially if you are digging. Ethno-archaeology Forensic Archaeology Urban Archaeology Public Archaeology Community Archaeology...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jul 20, 2011, 10:52 am
I recently suggested that post-processual archaeology was a faith-based approach that mystifies the evidence, but on reflection, thinking of it as a religion, is probably to exaggerate its objectivity. This time, I’m looking at the messages we getting about, and apparently from, the past, and as...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jun 20, 2011, 7:44 pm
Postholes; cult or craft? Most of the prehistoric archaeological sites of Britain, even Stonehenge, are covered with postholes, and it is my central contention that these posts were primarily the foundations of timber buildings. Further, since building is a rational process, postholes can be under...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jun 1, 2011, 5:53 pm
Anyone who excavated a complex prehistoric archaeology site, will have realised that they are quite difficult to understand. Some archaeologists, faced with a deciphering this complex phenomena, decided the easiest thing to do, was abandon objectivity, go beyond the empirical limits of the evidence,...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - May 28, 2011, 6:34 pm
As the winner of Edith van den Burg's WOGE 129, identifying it as Halibiye, or Zenobia, in Syria, this is my challenge; be the first to identify the location and date of site in the picture below, and you can host you own When on Google Earth! It is high time someone got this so here is a clue: th...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - May 8, 2011, 5:43 pm
Unable to resist temptation any longer, I spotted Heather’s WOGE 127 identifying it as Corinth, Greece, and so now it’s my turn to set a puzzle; be the first to identify the location and date of site in the picture below, and you can host you own When on Google Earth! NOW WITH EXTRA CLUE! CLUE...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Apr 13, 2011, 7:59 am
Slavery, by common consent, is no longer viewed ‘a good thing’, however, in the ancient world it was seen as a perfectly natural and normal state of affairs. For an archaeologist like myself, slavery is not primarily a race issue, it is to do with class, or status; take a close look at the anci...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Apr 1, 2011, 10:48 am
This is my favourite cartoon; it is by the late Bernard Kliban, a New York cartoonist, and one of the founding fathers of the modern cartoon, and in my opinion, a genius of his art. Sometimes the world becomes so strange and distorted, that it takes cartoon to get it into perspective. Kliban wa...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Mar 25, 2011, 3:33 pm
Hadrian’s Wall is the largest and most complex archaeological structure in Britain, although it attracts over a million visitors annually, it is actually very fragmentary, poorly preserved, and not that well understood. While people come to see the stones, to understand how the Wall came to be th...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Mar 3, 2011, 3:59 pm
The Myth In archaeology there is the evidence, and there is the opinions put forward to explain and connect it. In the highly subjective world of archaeological opinion, it has become widely accepted that the concentric rings of prehistoric postholes, once thought possibly to be buildings, were the...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Feb 4, 2011, 1:00 pm
Tim, the winner of WOGE 117, has declined to take up the prize, so I have set an easy puzzle so we can get the competition moving again. So be the first to identify the location and date of site in the picture below, and you can host you own When on Google Earth! The Rules Q: What is When on Google...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jan 12, 2011, 4:03 pm
Having solved WOGE 116 over at The 'H' Word, eventually spotting the Byzantine fort at Haïdra, Tunisia, it falls to me to set the next competition. The word over at The 'H' Word, was Sisyphean, which reminds me I have real work to do, with that in mind, I hope this puzzle proves to be easier; be t...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jan 3, 2011, 9:48 pm
Having spotted the Church of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios on the The Great Pyramid of Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, on WOGE 113 set by Eloy Cano Castro, this is my Challenge; be the first to correctly identify the site in the picture, and its major period of occupation, in the comments belo...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Dec 30, 2010, 4:59 am
Since I was the first to identify Felix's WOGE 107 as Darabgerd, a Sassanid era centre in Iran, it falls to me set this puzzle. So this is the challenge, be the first to correctly identify the site below and its major period of occupation in the comments below and you can host your own! Felix has ra...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Dec 14, 2010, 7:08 am
Against my own better judgement, I succumbed to temptation, and solved Felix's WOGE 104, which turned out to be the Hohentwiel Fortress built in 914 AD, in the Hegau region of Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany. So this is my challenge, be the first to correctly identify the site below and its major period ...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Nov 29, 2010, 1:00 pm
As a result of my work on Hadrian's timber Wall, I was asked recently to take part in a documentary about the period. So, putting prehistory aside, I took another look at this important period in my local archaeology, and in particular at a conspicuous, yet enigmatic, example of Roman military eng...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Aug 4, 2010, 5:49 pm
After a frenetic period of When on Google Earth activity, taking us from Lee's WOGE 93 to the landmark WOGE 100 at the Moore Group in 8 days, welcome to an exciting new century of WOGE at TSA. Having spotted the Gereza fort, Kilwa Ruins, Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania, this is my challenge; be the first t...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jul 29, 2010, 2:13 pm
Having solved When on Google earth 95 over at the Moore Group, correctly identifying the Portuguese colonial fort at of Aguada, Goa, India, built in 1612, TSA is proud to present WOGE 96. Good luck and have fun. Be the first to correctly identify the site below, and its major period of occupation, i...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Apr 24, 2010, 4:37 am
The anonymous winner of WOGE92 has declined to take up their prize, and has suggested re-posting this competition with a new puzzle. NOW WITH EVEN MORE CLUES ! So when on Google Earth is this site? EXTRA CLUE. . . . a site plan . . . Here are the rules Q: What is When on Google Earth? A: It’s...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Apr 21, 2010, 12:00 pm
Since I was the first to track down Matt's WOGE 91, and identify it as Mount Ipf, a hillfort near Bopfingen, Germany, I won the right to set you the challenge below. Where and when on Google earth is this site? Here are the rules Q: What is When on Google Earth? A: It’s a game for archaeologists...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Apr 18, 2010, 4:51 am
Since I was the first to spot that Heather's WOGE 89 was the Fortress of Al-Ukhaidir, an Abbasid period palace in Iraq, may I welcome you to When on Google Earth 90 at TSA. Good luck . . . Here are the rules: Q: What is When on Google Earth? A: It’s a game for archaeologists, or anybody else wil...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Mar 17, 2010, 8:52 pm
Since I found Toyls Myrup's Roman Temple[s] in Lebanon over at WOGE 87, may I welcome you to an entirely legitimate WOGE 88 on TSA. Good luck.Now with even more extra clues! Since nobody has come up with an answer, I have added another visual clue. This artefact below comes from the site abov...
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Mar 8, 2010, 6:33 pm
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Mar 6, 2010, 6:22 pm
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Feb 25, 2010, 6:03 pm
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Feb 22, 2010, 10:47 am
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Jan 1, 2010, 3:10 pm
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Nov 26, 2009, 10:49 am
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Geoff C. posted an article on Theoretical Structural Archaeology - Nov 15, 2009, 12:38 pm
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