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The confirmed existence of these buried stones is incredible and exciting news. What to do about them is obviously controversial, ranging from don't touch them to raise them all. I would like to make a suggestion in the spirit of true British compromise. Why not carefully survey them all with remote sensing devices until the maximum amount of information has been extracted and THEN, raise them one at a time, with one stone being raised every 25 years, the first being raised perhaps in 2010. With (at least) 15 stones known to be buried so far the project to raise them all would take at least 375 years. A mere moment in time for this ancient site.
This proposal offers many benefits.
1/ With intervals of 25 years, generations to come will all have a chance to see 2 or perhaps 3 stones raised in their lifetime.
2/ Future advances in technology and archaelogy can be incorporated with each new raising. This also allows a running record of changes in technology and methodology etc. to be included in a history of the project. New perspectives and increasing information of the history of the site can be blended into the project with each raising being a milestone in our advancing knowledge
3/ The timescale permits planning, organising and implementation of changes to be smoothed into minimising environmental and sociological disruption. The long timeline also reduces the impact of sudden change.
4/ Archaelogists and scholars will always have something to digest and something to look forward to, which will keep the site in the forefront of public interest.
I could list another dozen or so points but the above should impart at least a flavour of the idea.
May I suggest that this idea could be called the Wiltshire Avebury Megalithic Megaproject or WAMM!
Does anyone else agree that this idea has merit?
PS The tourist dollars/euros generated would make the Oberammagau passion play a mere pint in the pub.
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road