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Durrington Walls

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by ap Tom (U1380901) on Tuesday, 29th November 2005

  I watched the Time Team special on Durrington Walls last night and found it very interesting indeed. Plenty of questions about the site itself, but I was a bit confused over the 're-construction'. How did they know how high the posts were? Was this just a guess? I thought that the only thing aposthole could tell you was that it once held a post. Would the depth at which the post was inserted into the hole reflect its height, I wonder.

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  Posted by TonyG (U1830405) on Tuesday, 29th November 2005

  Good question. I didn't see the programme, unfortunately. You haven’t mentioned the age of the site, but I would imagine they could justify it from either pictorial or written descriptions of similar buildings of the same period elsewhere. I agree that I wouldn't have thought it possible to tell from the post hole, although the width of the hole might indicate how thick the post was, that doesn;t necessarily tell you how tall it was.
  
  The problem with TV is that, as a visual medium, the producers feel obliged to show something, even if it is only an "artist's impression". It often amazes me how they can create a drawing of a vase or pot from one little fragment. I suspect the reality is that these reconstructions are no more than educated guesses.
  
  

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  Posted by ap Tom (U1380901) on Tuesday, 29th November 2005

  The site is Neolithic; contemporary with nearby Stonehenge. The programmes pages are at:
  
  
  I totally agree with you about educated guesses, Tony.

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