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posted by martyb on Monday June 22 2020, @07:48PM   Printer-friendly
from the Can-you-dig-it?-Shaft! dept.

Scientists find huge ring of ancient shafts near Stonehenge:

Archaeologists said Monday that they have discovered a major prehistoric monument under the earth near Stonehenge that could shed new light on the origins of the mystical stone circle in southwestern England.

Experts from a group of British universities led by the University of Bradford say the site consists of at least 20 huge shafts, more than 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter and 5 meters (16 feet) deep, forming a circle more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in diameter.

The new find is at Durrington Walls, the site of a Neolithic village about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Stonehenge,

Researchers say the shafts appear to have been dug around 4,500 years ago, and could mark the boundary of a sacred area or precinct around a circular monument known as the Durrington Walls henge.

The hollows were initially thought to be natural voids in the limestone before the larger picture emerged to show a circle.

Also at BBC and ITV.


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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Hartree on Monday June 22 2020, @08:33PM (8 children)

    by Hartree (195) on Monday June 22 2020, @08:33PM (#1011233)

    So, you're saying we've been getting the shaft since at least then.

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Monday June 22 2020, @09:55PM (7 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 22 2020, @09:55PM (#1011258) Journal

    No, these are anti-shafts.

    A shaft would be stiff or hard. Such as the handle of a tool or club, or the body of a spear or arrow. Or rotating to transmit mechanical power, like an axle.

    These so-called shafts are holes or voids within the ground. Negative space. Dug by aliens? Thus anti-shafts. Not shafts. Although minors might disagree about terminology.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 2) by Hartree on Monday June 22 2020, @10:26PM (3 children)

      by Hartree (195) on Monday June 22 2020, @10:26PM (#1011267)

      "Although minors might disagree "

      I'll have to ask the UMW about that. They get really worked up about No Miners Allowed signs.

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by Osamabobama on Monday June 22 2020, @11:29PM (1 child)

        by Osamabobama (5842) on Monday June 22 2020, @11:29PM (#1011303)

        I'll have to ask the UMW about that.

        I briefly checked their website [umw.edu] for references to mining, and found a couple references to data science and data mining. Other references approach the subject from the field of biology. I was expecting a school in the same vein as the Colorado School of Mines, but maybe they are unique.

        I finally found the organization I believe you are referring to here: United Mineworkers of America. [umwa.org]

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        • (Score: 2) by Hartree on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:43AM

          by Hartree (195) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:43AM (#1011827)

          Meh, just as well to avoid the UMWA, given my family history.

          My great uncle John refused to join the Illinois mine workers to the UMWA and stayed with Samuel Gompers and the AFL. Given who was head of the UMWA it wasn't a great career move.

          (True story. John Hunter Walker is mentioned as being tossed out by John L. Lewis in the Wikipedia page on Lewis. Awfully bitter fight. There's a lot that happened that didn't make it into the official histories. Miner's unions were pretty rough outfits in those days.)

      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday June 23 2020, @02:00PM

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday June 23 2020, @02:00PM (#1011556) Journal

        I'll have to ask the UMW about that. They get really worked up about No Miners Allowed signs.

        NOTICE: If you are a miner, you must have parent / guardian's permission to work in the mines for more than 16 hours per day.

        --
        People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by vux984 on Tuesday June 23 2020, @02:10AM (2 children)

      by vux984 (5045) on Tuesday June 23 2020, @02:10AM (#1011389)

      "No, these are anti-shafts."

      Pretty sure no one has ever been lost in an old mine anti-shaft or fallen into an elevator anti-shaft. :)
      Interestingly, dictionary.com seemingly isn't aware of shafts-as-holes; which is surprising given that it is not uncommon usage at all -- elevator shafts, mine shafts, as well as in HVAC (e.g. ventilation shafts)...

      • (Score: 2) by Hartree on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:31AM

        by Hartree (195) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:31AM (#1011822)

        I wonder if one of those indoor paragliding facilities (vertical wind tunnel) would count as an anti-shaft? I could see turning it up too high and smashing someone into the ceiling. I'd certainly feel shafted if that happened and I didn't at least get a refund.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:52AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:52AM (#1011832)

        Maybe people are referring to the structure which maintains the hole and not to the hole itself.