The Modern Antiquarian. Ancient Sites, Stone Circles, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic Mysteries

Sites added by GLADMAN

Latest Posts

Show:  

Showing 1-50 of 159 | Next 50
Site Site type
Afon Y Dolau Gwynion Chambered Round CairnChambered Cairn
AlltwenHillfort
Aran FawddwyCairn(s)
Arenig FachCairn(s)
Asheldham CampPlateau Fort
Banc Llechwedd-mawrRound Barrow(s)
Banc Lluest NewyddCairn(s)
Banc-y-BrynCairn(s)
Beacon HillRound Barrow(s)
Black DarrenCairn(s)
Black HillCairn(s)
Black MixenRound Barrow(s)
Caeau Enclosure, Cockit HillHillfort
Caer Blaen-y-CwmEnclosure
Caerau Hillfort, RhiwsaesonHillfort
Cairn to SW of Hardknott CastleRound Cairn
Carn BlorengeCairn(s)
Carn FawrCairn(s)
Carn GwilymRound Barrow(s)
Carn PicaCairn(s)
Carn-y-Geifr, Drum DduRound Cairn
Carn-yr-Hyrddod, Mynydd LlangeinwyrCairn(s)
Carnau'r Garreg LasRound Barrow(s)
Carnedd GerrigCairn(s)
Carnedd Lwyd, Moel Gallt (Cadair Idris)Cairn(s)
Carnedd Lwyd, Tyrrau Mawr (Cadair Idris)Cairn(s)
Carnedd Moel SiabodCairn(s)
Carnedd Pen y Borth GochCairn(s)
Carnedd-y-FiliastCairn(s)
CarsegownieCist
Castell DinasHillfort
Castle Howe, Little LangdaleHillfort
Cefn CadlanCairn(s)
Cefn Esgair CarnauCairn(s)
Cefn yr YstradCairn(s)
CistfaenCairn(s)
Cockburn LawHillfort
Cockmoor Hall Round BarrowsRound Barrow(s)
Coed-y-Caerau, LlanfrynachHillfort
Craig Cwm-SilynCairn(s)
Craig CwmbychanCairn(s)
Craig yr Aderyn cairnCairn(s)
CribynCairn(s)
Crugiau CemmaesRound Barrow(s)
Crugiau Cemmaes Defended EnclosureHillfort
Crugyn GwyddelCairn(s)
Cwm Bach EnclosureCliff Fort
Cwm BwchelCairn(s)
Cwm Caseg, CarneddauAncient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
Cwm CowlydAncient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
Showing 1-50 of 159 | Next 50
Citizen Cairn'd....... every monument blows me away... but in particular those highland piles of stone. Visiting them, I think, helps ensure those ancient Bronze Age pilgrimages remain relevant, even in this so called 'modern age'. And hell, it makes me feel good, truly alive, on top of the world in the most literal sense... at one with Nature. If this sounds trite, perhaps it is. But nonetheless there are occasions I concur with Elizabeth I's last words... 'All my possessions for a moment of time'.

Suffice to say mine is therefore not an exercise in dryly cataloguing sites for the benefit of future generations - as much as I might try I haven't yet been able to embrace altruism to that extent - but rather an attempt to try and reconcile why I am so incredibly moved by these constructions of stone and/or earth representing a time when everything was, by all accounts, literally a matter of life and death. Yeah, just as an empty house appears to retain echoes of past humanity... the raw emotion that apparently sets us apart as a species... so does the stone circle, the chambered cairn, the long barrow and the mountain top funerary cairn. We may be able to only guess what forms the human interaction may have took - but clearly it mattered. A lot.

I make no special claim for my contributions, particularly since the majority of my earlier images are (variable quality) scans of archive prints.... and my opinions are, well... those of an enthusiastic amateur with a bog-standard education. Consequently I'd recommend visitors to TMA refrain from taking my - or anyone else's - word for anything... go see for yourself and post what you think / experienced. Yeah, make up your own mind. Be inspired, be inspiring, be magnificent (as Ian Dury once said) ... but most of all, my friends, be you! There can be only one.

In a society of computer generated fantasy, however, a word (or two) of caution. Please be aware that reaching some of the more remote upland sites in the British Isles can be potentially dangerous - even life threatening - for the unprepared. Yeah, this is not a drill. Treat the landscape and weather with the respect they deserve and you won't go far wrong. If in doubt, pop a question in the Forum. That's why Mr Cope puts up the readies to run TMA.... Thank you Julian.

So cheers... to Mr Cope for being his inspirational, confrontational self, showing that field archaeology can be FUN! - hey, who'd have thought it? ...to my sister (Mam Cymru) for using her female 'macro' vision to help me see the detail throughout an ongoing re-exploration of the South Walian uplands, albeit upon dodgy ankles etc... to my own mam for insisting 'young men should have adventures'.... and my Dad for unwittingly inspiring a profound love of high places. Oh, and to Aubrey Burl for simply being 'The Man' by blazing that trail.

Some of Gladman's other inspirations include (in no particular order.. except for Darwin):

Charles Darwin (for his peerless humanity... amongst other things...); George Orwell (the strength to change one's mind in light of new evidence); Michael Collins; Winston Churchill (for all his faults); Martin L. Gore; Richard Dawkins (much maligned, yet - by and large - helping to carry the torch of reason during an age of apathetic resignation); Shane MacGowan; Sophie Scholl; W A Mozart; Manic Street Preachers; Pat Jennings; Stuart Adamson; Will Shakespeare; Harry Hill (there's only one way to find out!); Mr Beethoven; Claudia Brucken (so Germans don't have passion?); the (Allied) generation of WW2 for making all this possible; Marc Almond (what does it take to be a man?); Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; Christopher Hitchens; Harvey Milk; John Le Mesurier (do you think that's wise, sir?); Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider.... not to mention anyone who has ever asked 'Why?' - the true legacy of punk. Last but not least, Gaelic beauty Karen Matheson... 'the call is unspoken, never unheard'.

George Orwell - '...during times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act'....

Martin L. Gore - 'Like a pawn on the eternal board; Who's never quite sure what he's moved toward; I walk blindly on....'

My TMA Content: