Tag Archives for mini-megaliths

Oxford’s Secret Treasures–Megalith Models at the Pitt Rivers Museum

photos from the website Rethinking Pitt-Rivers

We don’t need to do a full post on this, but it was passed along to us by the ever alert Mr. Peter Glastonbury, and now that we know about it, we feel Clonehenge would be incomplete without it.  What we’re talking about here is this:

“Hidden away in a box in the Pitt Rivers store rooms are a set of 13 models depicting various megalithic monuments from England and the Isle of Man.” (See here.)

Brilliant, right? No Stonehenge, but we do find an old friend among them: Wayland Smith’s grave, now known as Wayland’s Smithy, a wooden model of which we posted here.

We’ve posted models of places other than Stonehenge before, of course, but to find a set of models of megalithic sites that even megaraks might concede to be obscure is extraordinary. Men-Al-Tol, Chun Quoit, the Calderstones: who builds models of these? Great stuff. Well spotted, Mr. Glastonbury. You will go down in the annals of Clonehenge history!

You, too, can make Clonehenge history, Gentle Reader, and, no–you don’t have to go down in any annals if that’s what’s worrying you! Find or build a model or models of any megalithic site, preferably in the British Isles or Europe, and send a picture, description, and if possible your motivation to us so we can do a post about it. Worldwide fame awaits you! Or at least some very wary looks from people who find out!

Until next time, friends, happy henging!

The henge watch

stonehenge-lyt_11

Christmas, I mean Yule, shopping? Here’s something for the megarak* on your list. “A great leap backwards in time telling!” Or as Yahoo News said, “Is that a megalithic monument in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

Yes, you get a tiny henge monument and a compass to help you use it to figure the time. “Every astronomical function that was intended by the original builders of Stonehenge can be accomplished with the watch.” Or so the makers claim. In case you’re not good at telling time with shadows, the outside of the watch has an analog watch face marked with Roman numerals.

There’s no denying this is a nifty thing. But how many druids does it score? Feeling generous after a big meal and an afternoon with family, we will award it 8 mini-druids. And it will fit in a stocking hung on your mantlepiece!

*megarak: portmanteau word formed from megalith and anorak, meaning one who is very interested in (possibly even obsessed by) megaliths, standing stones, stone circles, etc.