Who Built The Stones?

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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby TisILeclerc » 8:22 am

Ah, the three in one all seeing eye?

Trinity House is ruled by a court of thirty-one Elder Brethren, presided over by a Master, at present HRH the Princess Royal. These are appointed from 300 Younger Brethren who act as advisors and perform other duties as needed. The Younger Brethren are appointed from lay people with maritime experience, mainly naval officers and ships' masters, but also harbourmasters, pilots, yachtsmen and anyone with useful experience.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_House

It does sound rather exclusive and a tad religious.

Although if you are referring to the tide gauges they are Ordnance Survey and strictly military.

The Ordnance Survey was founded during the reign of George III (1738-1820). As its name suggests, it has its origins in the Board of Ordnance. The maps produced were originally created for military use, and from the late 19th century onwards the Ordnance Survey produced maps for civilian as well as military purposes.


http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/sto ... nce-survey
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby hvered » 9:52 am

They all referred eventually to Newlyn and were essential in checking heights above sea level from one end of Britain to the other.

That's fascinating. Newlyn has a very small harbour, though nevertheless a fishing port, at the western side of Mount's Bay. St Michael's Mount itself, slap bang in the middle of the bay, would appear to be better placed for tidal gauges.

Building churches on these semi-isolated islets seems quite perverse. On the other hand it is likely that men trained to follow a strict 'Rule' [religion] are best suited for such meticulous (and boring) tasks and used to time-keeping; men who, in theory anyway, are not liable to be hungover or distracted by worldly pleasures.
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby hvered » 10:23 am

Trinity conjures up triangulation though with an appropriate nod to the authority of Church and/or State as Borry says.
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby TisILeclerc » 10:35 am

If we see them as observation points rather than churches it would make more sense perhaps.

If an islet a mile or so out from the coast is used for observing the coast it would have quite a wide span of coastline covered as well as whatever was to be seen on the distant skyline.

Depending on the distance they should be able to keep an eye on any other structures built off the coast on either side. A bit like the old signal points which were positioned to send messages by fire along the coast.

They would be multi purpose no doubt. Perhaps a small community of specialists. Some for observations of one sort or another, some for Customs duties, others for defence/maintenance etc.

There are supposed to be forty three around the coast. Would that be enough or are some missing?

If they were involved in ancient map making they would use the same old triangulation techniques used today. I'm sure I read somewhere that the druids knew about Pythagoras and also used Greek letters for certain things.

Over at Orkney Dr Euan MacKie claims that recent finds have vindicated his belief that there was a settlement of astronomer priests.

The remarkable archaeological discoveries on the Ness of Brodgar are proof that an elite group of astronomer priests once held sway over Orkney.

That’s according to Dr Euan MacKie, an archaeologist and prehistorian, who visited the ongoing excavations on the Ness last summer.

In 1977, Dr MacKie suggested in a book that Skara Brae might be the home of a privileged, theocratic class of wise men and women who officiated at astronomical and tribal ceremonies in and around the Stenness rings and who were supported by the agricultural population.


http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/20 ... riesthood/

Given the standard of the buildings in the area at such an early period it should not surprise us if tidal islands were indeed man made.

At Orkney they are now investigating drowned structures discovered by modern sonar and scanning techniques.

http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/20 ... ness-loch/
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby Boreades » 1:39 pm

As Tisi says, observation points, yes. But not just observation points. These were no ordinary observation points, these were M&S observation points. (Megalithic and Scientific). By which I mean they were Colleges of Education and Schools of Navigation. On prime real estate for the elite astronomer priests, away from the hoi polloi.
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby Mick Harper » 2:13 pm

On prime real estate for the elite astronomer priests, away from the hoi polloi.


Why does everybody keep repeating this? The hoi polloi can wander over and bother them twice a day, every day, half the day. And what 'prime real estate'? Have you ever been to a tidal island? They're crap holes.
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby hvered » 4:30 pm

Have you ever been to a tidal island? They're crap holes.

Quite so. It rather puts the kybosh on the 'elite astronomer priests' hypothesis. On the other hand it would explain the asceticism that surrounds these 'Celtic saints', whatever that's supposed to mean.

People with knowledge of, say, astronomy could be employed by a local bigwig but not in comfort, a bit like the poor old alchemists in sixteenth-century Prague.
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby Mick Harper » 5:21 pm

Astronomers were only treated poorly because, like musicians, they were not very important socially. I decline to believe that astronomers (who must after all be at least educated) are going to be treated deliberately badly. Not luxuriously is not the same as badly. Asceticism is a different matter. This has always been used for developing intellectual prowess. But why go to all the trouble of building/living on a tidal island? You can be ascetic anywhere.
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby TisILeclerc » 6:04 pm

Ah merde zee ascetes and zee asthetes always bickering.

And who wins when the brethren slip their guard?

Image

http://www.burghisland.com/about_us_1.html

The perfect place for a megalithic murder weekend over cinzano and nibbles.

Get thee gone dusty errrmites.

Still Burgh island like all the others is still a more or less permanent residence from which to view the coast.
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Re: Who Built The Stones?

Postby Boreades » 6:46 pm

Ah mon ami Tisi - these perfidious English Mick and Hattie types are obviously slumming it on lower-working-class English islands. Probably the Isle of Dogs, or the Isle of Sheppey, or Canvey Island. Perhaps we better stop showing them pictures of the exclusive kind of Western Islands we inhabit? Otherwise they'll just get even more jealous, bitter and twisted. Mind you, I could see Mick as a perfect fit for Craggy Island.
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