What's that I spy upon yon Bronze Age burial mound?
Arise, and make your presence known!
Oblivious to the notion of Bronze Age, these calves are more interested in viewing potential enemies—namely, us—from atop the mound.
Yesterday we went to Stonehenge, and while our American guests wandered around the stones, my daughter and I visited the burial mounds nearby. While normally I dig Bronze Age burial mounds as much as the next person, I confess I was more interested in the bovines pastured there than in the mounds themselves.
They're actually barrows, excavated in the 18th and 19th centuries. Tenant farmers use the land for pasture now, with cows and sheep clipping the grass instead of lawn mowers. Fertilizing it, too, which makes walking somewhat hazardous.
I didn't get too close to the calves, who were obviously not keen on making my acquaintance. They stood as I approached, ready to bolt. I don't blame them. Their kind were once roasted in celebration at this very site, according to archeological remains found at the site.
The latest theories on Stonehenge suggest that the monuments were erected as a sort of celebration of the unification of East and West Britain.
Which might explain the presence of the A303 nearby, a major dual carriageway which connects the western edge of this island with the east.
