Sunday, December 23, 2018

"U" or "V"-Shaped Stone Fills

From Norman Muller:

Attached is a photo my son took last October of a broad, U-shaped stone fill at the Ashfield lace wall site in MA.  This fill is partially visible on top of a large outcrop from below, and I instructed my son Pete to climb to the top of the outcrop to take the photo.  The short, lace-wall connector between the two points of the outcrop reminds me of V- and U-shaped fills I have seen and photographed at Newfane, VT, and at the Oley Hills site in PA.  The same thought process seems to be behind all three creations: to connect gaps.  Images of the two are attached, the first being the Newfane site.


5 comments :

pwax said...

One proposal for function of these U and V filled gaps is: to fill the gap and eliminate a notch in the shadow. This would be parallel to the proposal that walls may be used to "tune" light and shadow at a site.

Tommy Hudson said...

I noticed bedrock is in all three of the pics. Maybe the walls are intended to enclose or even deny access to a certain important area. Also, like many stone piles, the walls help to create a U shaped area that could be intended as a portal to the spirit world. The walls could also be intended as a brief view of a serpent as it travels and undulates on it’s way through the bedrock of the Underworld. Could be the reason why so many of these walls appear to be unfinished. Could the walls be intended to be viewed from above? In terms of what I call the Tri-level Cosmos, these kind of short walls could be intended to be viewed from the Upperworld, looking down on the middleworld, and seeing a serpent exposed as it’s traveling through the Underworld. I wonder where the nearest water is located? Tommy Hudson

Tim MacSweeney said...

Tommy: That first photo just might be as you suggest,"a brief view of a serpent as it travels and undulates on it's way through the bedrock." I think it is intended to be stacked to resemble the eye of the Uktena, as it passes between worlds, taking a look at you as you take a look at it...

Tim MacSweeney said...

One in Heath MA: https://wakinguponturtleisland.blogspot.com/2018/05/burnt-hill-once-again-heath-ma.html

Tommy Hudson said...

Tim, I like that idea too. Lots to think about. One of the walls had the “lace” type of construction. You can see through the wall, so I think these lace walls are demonstrating the transparency of the serpent as it passes from one realm to another. Tommy