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£1million funding for Star Carr dig
Drop Folder News/ ATEX News. Pic Kevin Allen. Flixton Archaeological dig... Dr Nicky Milner, from the University of York, at work with the remains of an 11000 year old tree, that has been uncovered on the site. 103226b
A PROJECT to excavate what is believed to be Britain’s oldest house on the outskirts of Scarborough has been given more than £1 million in funding.
Archaeologists have secured the funding to excavate Star Carr, which was found in 2008 and dates back to 8,500BC.
Experts from the Universities of York and Manchester say the site, five miles south of Scarborough in Flixton, is deteriorating due to environmental changes.
As a result the European Research Council has given them £1.23 million to finish the work before information from the site is lost.
Nicky Milner, an archaeologist from the University York, who grew up in Hunmanby Gap, said the site was deteriorating rapidly.
She said: “The water table has fallen and the peat is shrinking and it is severely damaging the archaeology.
“The water keeps the oxygen and bacteria out and because they are now going into these deposits that is causing a lot of problems.
“We haven’t got much time left to excavate and we want to do some specialist analysis before all this important information vanishes forever.”
The site was first discovered in the 1940s and has since been the subject of extensive research.
The latest excavation led to the discovery of what would have been a 3.5 metre diameter house occupied by hunter gatherers about 11,000 years ago.
The discovery suggested that people from this era were more attached to settlements than had been previously thought.
Items such as the paddle of a boat, arrow tips, masks made from red deer skulls, and antler head-dresses which could have been used in rituals, have all been uncovered.
Star Carr would have been settled at the end of the last Ice Age and the team of archaeologists working on site believes it may also offer insights into how people reacted to climate change.
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Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Temperature: 9 C to 16 C
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Comments
There are 26 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
TSnf
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 05:03 PM#25, whilst I am staunchly anti-EU, I am NOT "anti-European"!!!!! I just do NOT wish to be ruled by unelected, faceless morons on the Continent. And why did you have to mention the colour of your skin? I never said that I was in the least bit interested in your colour!!! You really are making many comments on this thread which are nothing to do with my original post, as I said earlier.
Mindy Mortal
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 05:19 PMOK Mr Bnp, so yeah stick around I'll have to put up with you just as you have to put up with me. Cos it is a Free Country. Your comment was clearly Anti European - and as well as being AngloIrish and British I am also a European. As for the colour of my skin that is none of your business
TSnf
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 05:02 PM"Reasoned debate" #23? My original post was absolutely nothing whatever to do with Scotland or the SNP, and I asked why #13 had put it. You are of course right regarding the matter of people's looks and how it affects their ability to do a job, my comments about Alex Salmond's looks are as irrelevant as #13's comments about my moving to Scotland. And of course, I do not believe that a person's looks affect their abilities, but I still do not like Salmond or his politics and the fact that he is trying to break up the UK. (But all this has sweet FA to do with Star Carr!!)
HesterMudd
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:39 PMre; 21 "As a matter of fact, I can't stand Alex Salmond and I think that he looks like Jabba the Hut!!! " Is that what you consider to be reasoned debate? What has how (you think) someone looks got to do with anything important?
HesterMudd
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:36 PMRe: 20 - 'rigged statistics'? That's quite an accusation. By whom? Which part of the science don't you understand?
TSnf
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 04:58 PM#13 Why? What have my comments got to do with living in or moving to Scotland?? As a matter of fact, I can't stand Alex Salmond and I think that he looks like Jabba the Hut!!! Also, I have no wish to move to Scotland, thank you very much!!!
Burniston
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 11:01 PMre:16. "...Climate change always has reasons. " Yes rigged statistics.
HesterMudd
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:44 PMThere wouldn't be a lot of point in waiting for 'times of plenty' to do this - the site won't last that long. And since the money is coming from the European Research Council, it will be ringfenced for projects like this. Star Carr is a world famous site.
Richard Ineson
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:20 PMThere is nobody more in favour of conservation, archeology, preserving the environment etc. etc. than me but............................... here we are, entering a recession and people losing jobs, people without homes, the various Councils unable to maintain basic levels of service, WhitbyTown, in particular, is falling down, and here we are spending £1.25 million on some water logged tree stumps and animal skulls. All very laudable in times of plenty, but now? My Granddad used to say, "There's only one thing wrong with commonsense Richard, it's not very common". Seems to fit the bill here.
park and hide
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 07:42 PMI suspect this is another Scarborough council cover up, the remains of the alleged 11000 year old tree look very much like the famous Irton tree chopped down by them in 2011, which then vanished from the scene! Would make some nice charcoal for a barbeque this summer.
HesterMudd
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 07:23 PMOur present climate change is caused by coal powered power stations, 100 watt lightbulbs and aeroplanes. Other climate change, throughout the life of the Earth, has had other causes. Climate change always has reasons.
guesticulate
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 07:13 PMThere are some really negative comments here. On a more positive note I would like to add that the lady in the picture is really cute.
I read the news today, oh boy
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 06:58 PM"Archaeologists have secured the funding to excavate Star Carr, which was found in 2008". Strange, when I was at school, about 40 years earlier than 2008, the importance of this site was brought home to me by no less a historian than Dr Jack Binns.
Mindy Mortal
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 06:52 PMTSbnp - why dont you go live in Scotland and join the SNP youd feel right at home there.
Mindy Mortal
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 06:22 PMWhitby could twin with the Falklands Islands, specially if the EU dont cough up £ 30 mil for your sea defences - perhaps you could start building a big trench - oh yeah thats what the Pot Ash people are doing xx
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