Planning a Neolithic Trip for the Anniversary
Submitted by Andy_B on Saturday, 18 July 2020 Page Views: 544
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Skara Brae, Orkney Islands, Scotland
On Scotland’s Orkney Islands, the ancient stone village of Skara Brae was settled on a windswept coast about 5,000 years ago. It is considered one of the best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe with its nearly intact stone homes, except for the roofing. It includes stone beds and dressers and Scotland’s earliest-known toilet. The nearby visitor centre holds many of the artefacts found at Skara Brae and offers an insight into the site’s history, though it is not yet known why the site was abandoned in 2500 BC.Tingzi Dun village, Lushan National Park, China
Archaeological sites within the World Heritage site of Lushan National Park in east China’s Jiangxi Province include the large Neolithic village of Tingzi Dun from 4000 BC.Aside from Tingzi Dun, Lushan National Park contains engravings and buildings from across the centuries, as well as the beautiful scenery of mountains and waterfalls. If you are following the list of wedding anniversaries to find a traditional gift, this site suits your 20th (china) anniversary as well as your 25th (silver) as you are likely to see one of the state-protected silver pheasants. The park offers a stunning cultural landscape with powerful associations with Chinese spiritual and cultural life. Mount Lu (Lushan) has attracted spiritual leaders, scholars, artists and writers over two millennia.
Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England
The Stonehenge World Heritage Site of standing and lying stones needs no introduction of course as the Britain's best known prehistoric monument. Some of the stones are 5 metres tall and some known as the Bluestones were were transported (or at least came originally) from the Preseli Mountains in West Wales. Despite extensive archaeological investigations, the exact purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery, though it seems likely it was a sacred area and way for Neolithic communities to mark their cosmological belief systems. There is a visitor centre with an amazing museum offering insights into the site.
Mehrgarh, Baluchistan, Pakistan
This UNESCO World Heritage site is the oldest Neolithic settlement in the Indian Subcontinent, located in Baluchistan, a province of Pakistan. Continuously occupied from about 7000 and 2600 BC, Mehrgarh has early evidence of wheat and barley farming, the herding of sheep, goats and cattle as well as metalwoking. The site was almost certainly a trading point on the main route between neighbours including modern-day Afghanistan and the Near East through to the Indus Valley.
Al Beidha / Little Petra, Jordan
Beidha was one of the first inhabited villages in the world and one of the oldest sites in the Middle East. This Neolithic village was occupied between 7200 BC and 6500 BC when it was destroyed by firet. Al Beidha is a fascinating site due it the similarities with Petra, 20 minutes away, constructed behind a narrow canyon which acts as a passageway. The Cold Siq of Al Beidha is slightly smaller than The Siq at Petra and visitors need to hike through it to reach the ruins of Little Petra.I hope this whirlwind world tour was interesting, please check out our pages for many more sites to visit. With thanks to Megalithic Matt, Feanor, Motist and Wedding Anniversary Gifts for their kind help and support of this article, including their lovely images.
