Polly Midgely from NEARA sent this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgD60MFFt_U
The rock piles are around 4 minutes into the video.
The walk was at Michael Kurdish Natural History Preserve/ Stamford, NY in the western Catskills. See the person's web page here.
I object to the idea of NEARA members leaving someone with the impression that all NEARA members believe "cairns" were built by European visitors. I sure don't.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Short Stretch of Stone Wall - Leominster, MA
Leaving an area criss-crossed by regular stone walls, going a little higher up the hill, it is hard to believe this did not have a different function:
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Lost my links
While changing templates I seem to have lost my links. I'll get them back up a little at a time.
Roadside Attractions: Rt2 x Rt 27 x Rt 111
If you drive east on Rt 2 just after the Rt 27 overpass on the left, you can see a couple of rock piles in the woods at the foot of the ridge. Hard to get to, so I have not been over there to photograph things.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Sites with a central "mound" - part 3
With respect to part 1 here and part 2 here. Another site in Leominster:
...I was pushing my way through light undergrowth and came to a curve of three rock-on-rocks:
and looking back:
and then a pile:
and I thought to myself: oh goody! something irregular.
There you have it:
A classic quadrant 3 hollow - by which I mean an outline seen from overhead like this:
Let me be clear, the three rock-on-rocks led to the pile with the hollow.
Downhill from it a smaller pile, then some ski-jumps:
And within about 1/2 acre there were several outlying piles:
At the bottom of the site, a stone wall with this entrance. 
To me this suggests the site was in use, or contemporary with the time, when the wall was built. And now looking upwards towards the ski-jumps:
I hope you agree there is some basis of comparison between these sites with "central mound" arrangements. Also some similarity with the rock piles with tails we have looked at. Also, compare with Hopkinton State Forest. Some common themes.
Update: Also consider the site north of Oak Knoll Dr. in Upton. (Warren Brook)
See also here
...I was pushing my way through light undergrowth and came to a curve of three rock-on-rocks:
and looking back:
and then a pile:
and I thought to myself: oh goody! something irregular.There you have it:
A classic quadrant 3 hollow - by which I mean an outline seen from overhead like this:
Let me be clear, the three rock-on-rocks led to the pile with the hollow.Downhill from it a smaller pile, then some ski-jumps:
And within about 1/2 acre there were several outlying piles:
At the bottom of the site, a stone wall with this entrance. 
To me this suggests the site was in use, or contemporary with the time, when the wall was built. And now looking upwards towards the ski-jumps:
I hope you agree there is some basis of comparison between these sites with "central mound" arrangements. Also some similarity with the rock piles with tails we have looked at. Also, compare with Hopkinton State Forest. Some common themes.Update: Also consider the site north of Oak Knoll Dr. in Upton. (Warren Brook)
See also here
Delaware chamber (NY) - part 2
by theseventhgeneration
At the site of the chamber, this is one of the nicest rock piles. It is behind the chamber, and the outcrop is visible in the background.
This boulder has no rocks on top, but does have a very nice profile...
...and rocks underneath that "chin".
Immediately upon seeing this, I thought of this picture from this post.
The runoff from the spring nearby.
The source of the spring.
Two more unusual structures. The first one is next to where some large machinery went through. I think that the rock in the gap was placed there, but I can't be sure because of all the trail making activity. Maybe it's the lichen on the rock that gives it an older look. I did see an upright stone at the site that looked like a standing stone, but the lack of any lichen and proximity to the trail told a different story. I took a photo, but I'm not posting it because it's, well, dull.
This second one has a turtle look to it.
Under that propped boulder is a heart rock.
I should mention, also, that on the ride over to see the chamber, the road takes you uphill on the south side of a mountain before it cuts through a saddle and goes downhill to where the chamber is located. At approximately 2000 feet in elevation on that south facing slope there are spectacular rock piles everywhere. A number of seasonal homes prohibited me from getting out and taking photos, but maybe this will be a good trip for another day.
At the site of the chamber, this is one of the nicest rock piles. It is behind the chamber, and the outcrop is visible in the background.
This boulder has no rocks on top, but does have a very nice profile...
...and rocks underneath that "chin".
Immediately upon seeing this, I thought of this picture from this post.The runoff from the spring nearby.
The source of the spring.
Two more unusual structures. The first one is next to where some large machinery went through. I think that the rock in the gap was placed there, but I can't be sure because of all the trail making activity. Maybe it's the lichen on the rock that gives it an older look. I did see an upright stone at the site that looked like a standing stone, but the lack of any lichen and proximity to the trail told a different story. I took a photo, but I'm not posting it because it's, well, dull.
This second one has a turtle look to it.
Under that propped boulder is a heart rock.
I should mention, also, that on the ride over to see the chamber, the road takes you uphill on the south side of a mountain before it cuts through a saddle and goes downhill to where the chamber is located. At approximately 2000 feet in elevation on that south facing slope there are spectacular rock piles everywhere. A number of seasonal homes prohibited me from getting out and taking photos, but maybe this will be a good trip for another day.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Delaware chamber (NY) - part 1
by theseventhgeneration
I'm calling this a chamber, however there is a mix of evidence at this site that could lead to a conclusion either way: chamber versus root cellar. I'll get right to posting pictures and then attempt to list site features which lend to the confusion.
The front entrance faces east.
This is room 1, just inside the front entrance.
To the left (south) of room 1 is a second room. This room is difficult to access because one of the roof slabs has collapsed.
Further to the south and just off the second room is this small area that might be considered a third room, although it could also be an extension of the walkway between the two rooms. I like to think of it as half a room. I do not know if the opening in this photo is a window (intentional) or if the wall collapsed. Also, a small bit of the roof slab that collapsed is in the bottom left of this photo.
This is what the opening looks like from the outside.
This is the northeast side. There is a small enclosure built into the wall, where the half meter stick is placed.
I didn't count all the roof slabs, but if memory serves me correctly, there are 6 slabs from the entryway to the back of the first room. They are immense.
So is it a chamber or a root cellar? Some things are present that give the structure an ancient feeling. Certainly, the enclosure on the northeast side and the roof slabs. There are rock piles, boulders (that appear to have been noticed - more on that later), a spring, a large outcrop above (to the west), and nice views to the east and south of the structure.
The structure is not corbelled.
Some things are present that give it a more recent feeling, or at a minimum just confuse things. There is a lot of surface destruction at the site, including some wooden debris (just in front of the entrance) and junk metal. Mortar is plastered in between some of the stones inside and to the right as you walk in (could have been added later), and there is a small quarry to the southeast, in an outcrop area below (although not directly in front of) the structure.
I'll post pictures from around the site in part 2.
I'm calling this a chamber, however there is a mix of evidence at this site that could lead to a conclusion either way: chamber versus root cellar. I'll get right to posting pictures and then attempt to list site features which lend to the confusion.
The front entrance faces east.
This is room 1, just inside the front entrance.
To the left (south) of room 1 is a second room. This room is difficult to access because one of the roof slabs has collapsed.
Further to the south and just off the second room is this small area that might be considered a third room, although it could also be an extension of the walkway between the two rooms. I like to think of it as half a room. I do not know if the opening in this photo is a window (intentional) or if the wall collapsed. Also, a small bit of the roof slab that collapsed is in the bottom left of this photo.
This is what the opening looks like from the outside.
This is the northeast side. There is a small enclosure built into the wall, where the half meter stick is placed.
I didn't count all the roof slabs, but if memory serves me correctly, there are 6 slabs from the entryway to the back of the first room. They are immense.
So is it a chamber or a root cellar? Some things are present that give the structure an ancient feeling. Certainly, the enclosure on the northeast side and the roof slabs. There are rock piles, boulders (that appear to have been noticed - more on that later), a spring, a large outcrop above (to the west), and nice views to the east and south of the structure.The structure is not corbelled.
Some things are present that give it a more recent feeling, or at a minimum just confuse things. There is a lot of surface destruction at the site, including some wooden debris (just in front of the entrance) and junk metal. Mortar is plastered in between some of the stones inside and to the right as you walk in (could have been added later), and there is a small quarry to the southeast, in an outcrop area below (although not directly in front of) the structure.
I'll post pictures from around the site in part 2.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A classic example of "marker" piles - evenly spaced in a line
There is also a fine view of Mt Wachusett from this slope.
Site with a central "mound" - part 2
This is a minor site from a general locale in Leominster that has lots of interesting and big rock piles -some with multiple hollows. I thought it would be worth exploring around the fringes of the site I knew. At one point on the hillside, there was smeared "mound" near a larger rock. Uphill was rock-on-rock and across an adjacent stone wall were a couple of other minor piles that might have been part of the original site - assuming the wall was built later. I am adding this site to my little "report" because of the nature of this smeared pile:
Here we are looking at the pile from the direction of the larger boulder:
Let's look more carefully at the smear:
I think this is not without some information; there is some similarity with the central "mound" from the Boxborough site, reported here in part 1.
There is a view of Mt Wachusett in the background and, yes, I think this is classical "Wachusett Tradition" site, although barely even there.
Here we are looking at the pile from the direction of the larger boulder:
Let's look more carefully at the smear:
I think this is not without some information; there is some similarity with the central "mound" from the Boxborough site, reported here in part 1.There is a view of Mt Wachusett in the background and, yes, I think this is classical "Wachusett Tradition" site, although barely even there.
Roadside attractions - Old Harvard Rd, Boxborough
Driving south/west off Burroughs Rd, see if you can spot these on the right:
Hard to see, and I know there are more piles in this picture than I can see now, but I circled some in red:
At first glance this might be a burial site, but I noticed the piles were evenly spaced and somewhat in lines...just sayin'. All visible from that boulder in the background.
Some closeups:
Not too exciting but worth surveying more carefully - I think this is another "grid".
Hard to see, and I know there are more piles in this picture than I can see now, but I circled some in red:
At first glance this might be a burial site, but I noticed the piles were evenly spaced and somewhat in lines...just sayin'. All visible from that boulder in the background.Some closeups:
Not too exciting but worth surveying more carefully - I think this is another "grid".
Sites with a central "mound" - part 1
I want to describe three sites I saw over the last two weekends. One site in Wolf Swamp Boxborough had an old smeared out "mound" near the center with a very irregular shape, surrounded by a number of rock-on-rocks and low rock piles, as well as a row of stones leading off in one direction for a few yards. The other two sites are from Leominster: the one being just a single smeared out "mound" near a larger rock, with an irregular shape to the mound; and the other consisting of a low "mound" with a distinct rectangular hollow, surrounded by rock-on-rocks and a few "ski-jump" piles. In each case the mound is near the center of activity and with an irregular outline, as seen from above.
Attention to the idea of "rock piles with tails" has led to paying closer attention to such central mounds, even when they are not the most dramatic or well-preserved piles at a rock pile site. Also now, I am paying closer attention to how things are layed out around this central mound. Since I am of the opinion that these mounds with hollows represent burials and since I am of the opinion that things like ski-jumps and short stone rows are related to sky watching; so I am starting to believe these three recent sites are similar and combine something funerary with something astronomical. That's my fantasy but you can judge for yourself whether these "mounds" have anything in common. I asked a colleague one time, how many different types of rituals could be represented by the different types of rock pile sites. He said "infinite". Although I agree there is validity to the view that "no two snowflakes are alike" for rock pile sites, I think it is an anti-scientific attitude. I am looking for similarities and common patterns.
Wolf Swamp conservation land in Boxoborough has a couple of turnouts where you can park. At one, I explored across the street rather than going into the conservation land. I found a wetland and noticed a couple of rock-on-rocks:
Then I noticed something larger and pretty old (based on its degree of smearing and its debris cover). I was quite taken with this and took a number of pictures:
In the 2nd and 3rd pictures you can see the irregularity of the piles shape. In particular in the 3d picture, you almost sense two lower dips in the height of the pile. These could be the "hollows" I have been noticing in some larger piles recently.
Nearby this large pile another few piles, maybe a "gap" pile (note the gap opens towards the large mound):
A pile with some larger flat rocks:
A bit of an "alignment" formed by a loose stone row:
And some slightly larger, "vertical-sided" piles on the other side of the large mound:
Seeing these as "vertical-sided" is a stretch but I think this is generically similar to the "ski-jump" piles we'll see at one of the Leominster sites. Also worth noticing is that these slightly larger piles are all on one side of the central mound and the minor rock-on-rocks and smaller piles are on other sides of the central mound.
Finally, here is the kind of rock pile you don't see unless you are looking for it:
Attention to the idea of "rock piles with tails" has led to paying closer attention to such central mounds, even when they are not the most dramatic or well-preserved piles at a rock pile site. Also now, I am paying closer attention to how things are layed out around this central mound. Since I am of the opinion that these mounds with hollows represent burials and since I am of the opinion that things like ski-jumps and short stone rows are related to sky watching; so I am starting to believe these three recent sites are similar and combine something funerary with something astronomical. That's my fantasy but you can judge for yourself whether these "mounds" have anything in common. I asked a colleague one time, how many different types of rituals could be represented by the different types of rock pile sites. He said "infinite". Although I agree there is validity to the view that "no two snowflakes are alike" for rock pile sites, I think it is an anti-scientific attitude. I am looking for similarities and common patterns.
Wolf Swamp conservation land in Boxoborough has a couple of turnouts where you can park. At one, I explored across the street rather than going into the conservation land. I found a wetland and noticed a couple of rock-on-rocks:
Then I noticed something larger and pretty old (based on its degree of smearing and its debris cover). I was quite taken with this and took a number of pictures:
In the 2nd and 3rd pictures you can see the irregularity of the piles shape. In particular in the 3d picture, you almost sense two lower dips in the height of the pile. These could be the "hollows" I have been noticing in some larger piles recently.Nearby this large pile another few piles, maybe a "gap" pile (note the gap opens towards the large mound):
A pile with some larger flat rocks:
A bit of an "alignment" formed by a loose stone row:
And some slightly larger, "vertical-sided" piles on the other side of the large mound:
Seeing these as "vertical-sided" is a stretch but I think this is generically similar to the "ski-jump" piles we'll see at one of the Leominster sites. Also worth noticing is that these slightly larger piles are all on one side of the central mound and the minor rock-on-rocks and smaller piles are on other sides of the central mound.Finally, here is the kind of rock pile you don't see unless you are looking for it:
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Variety of rock piles
Sometimes it seems these things have no single style or purpose - the types just go on and on. Actually I think that is not true but there certainly is a lot of visual variety. Here is a smattering from the last two weekends.
From Leominster.
Big mounds:
Little prayer seats:
A smeared old pile at a lookout: 
Split wedged rock:
Rock-on-rock group: 
Ski-jumps:
From Boxboro, an old smeared out mound: 
Ground piles with quartz:
Little old things at a spring:
Harvard, a remnants of past glory (look in the background): 
From Leominster.
Big mounds:
Little prayer seats:
A smeared old pile at a lookout: 
Split wedged rock:
Rock-on-rock group: 
Ski-jumps:
From Boxboro, an old smeared out mound: 
Ground piles with quartz:
Little old things at a spring:
Harvard, a remnants of past glory (look in the background): 
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