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BAJR Web award nominations - Orkney Jar - Digitaldigging - 29th July 2008
Please read to the end of the post before dismissing me as a Quinlank - it honestly has a relevant point.
"That just left one problem; Stonehenge is not a henge." - Mike Pitts, Hengeworld, p26.
"This bizarre contribution by the archaeological profession to the English language was first used by a British Museum Keeper, Thomas Kendrick, in 1932." - Mike Pitts, Hengeworld, p26.
"Henge. A ritual enclosure, usually circular or nearly so, consisting of a bank and ditch with one or two opposing entrances. The bank is usually outside the ditch. . ." - Dicitonary of archaeology, Penguin Reference, Ed. Paul Bahn.
"Henge. This term is used to denote various ceremonial sites which have certain features in common. They are almost all circualr or near circular in plan, and can range from about 9m to over 450m in diameter, with an average diameter of over 60m. The circular areas are usually defined by a bank and internal ditch, although some have an external ditch, or a ditch on both sides of the bank. . ." - The Handbook of British Archaeology, Lesley and Roy Adkins, P29.
According to the etymologist Walter Skeet (and being the first ever man to compile an etymology he should know), the word 'henge' is cognate with the words 'hinge' and 'hang', and seeing as this is the interweb and we have a lot of room, you may as well have the lot;
"Hang, to suspend, to be suspended. (E.)
The original strong verb was transitive;
the weak verb intransitive; they are now mixed up.
The weak verb is from A.S. hangian, pt. t. hangode,
to hang down (intr); derived from the base of the A.S. strong
verb hon (contracted form of hangan), pt. t. heng, pp. hangen + Icel.
hengja, weak verb, from hanga (pt. t. hekk for henk*, pp.hanginn);
G. hangen weak verb from G. hangen (pt. t. hing, pp.gehangen).
allied to L. cunctari, to delay, Skt. cank, to hesitate." - From Walter Skeet's Concise Dictionary of English Etymology (1882).
The point of inserting this definition is to highlight the fact that the very term for the monument class is misleading. Frequently people will wisely write that the word 'henge' has much in common with the words 'hang' and 'hinge' - but it very plainly doesn't - it is the same. all three mean, essentially, 'hang' and describe a suspension. Which has, to put it bluntly, **** all to do with banks and ditches or, for that matter, circles or near circles.
So, re-adjusting the straps of my helmet of calm, I put it that not only is the word chosen to describe the monument utterly inacuarate, but there also seems to be a difference of opinion about what, precisely, it describes.
There was a point. . .
Oh yes. So in that case, if the website is merely reflecting a widespread confusion about a yet to be perfectly defined term, isn't it a little harsh to reject it for that reason alone?
BAJR Web award nominations - Orkney Jar - BAJR Host - 29th July 2008
nice one... its looking good for this site
"I don't have an archaeological imagination.."
Borekickers
BAJR Web award nominations - Orkney Jar - drpeterwardle - 30th July 2008
Given the BAJR website award is for
?Recognising websites showing excellence in Innovation, Education, Design and Content in Archaeology and Heritage.?
I?m not sure which category this fits into.
The site is a guide to some of the monuments, life and times and the Orkneys put together by a journalist. It is a good site but I am not convinced it is an exemplar in any of the above categories. All congratulations to this chap for doing so but?
I think http://www.buildinghistory.org is more deserving and I can think of other.
Perhaps it might be better to theme each award ? best web site by none archaeologist
Best by archaeological educational charity
Etc
Then draw up a short list and have a poll
Peter
BAJR Web award nominations - Orkney Jar - Jean M - 6th August 2008
Good gracious! Thank you Dr Wardle. I was coming here to nominate http://thehumanjourney.net/ and what do I find but your kind nomination of my website, which isn't even primarily archaeological.
http://thehumanjourney.net/ is Oxford Archaeology's new(ish) website. In my view it is well-designed, up-to-date and innovative. I'm impressed by the commitment to Open Archaeology (see under Explore), though at the moment they do not have the resources to do all they would wish - i.e. digitise their legacy holdings of approximately 1.7m items.
BAJR Web award nominations - Orkney Jar - Digitaldigging - 7th August 2008
"Recognising websites showing excellence in Innovation, Education, Design and Content in Archaeology and Heritage.
I'm not sure which category this fits into."
I can understand why you might have qualms about 'innovation', but surely the other three catagories apply?