I gioielli dell'età di Stonehenge

Non traduco: lascio solo immaginare che cosa accadrebbe se i tesori sardi (ma vale anche per quelli del resto dell'Italia) fossero pubblicizzati almeno come lo sono quelli Inglesi (in questo caso: ma il discorso resta valido anche per i francesi, gli spagnoli etc). Gli Inglesi non raccontano fandonie sul proprio passato ed hanno investito enormi cifre (in rosso le modalità della raccolta di fondi) per fare del loro centro più rappresentativo (iconico, dicono loro) un polo d'attrazione turistica eccezionale. Dal quale, poi, si aspettano i giusti ritorni di capitale.

Revealing the Golden Treasures of the Age of Stonehenge

Britain’s greatest treasures from the mysterious golden Age of Stonehenge are to go on permanent display for the first time ever. This will be the largest collection of Early Bronze Age gold ever put on public display in England. In a move that will transform public understanding of the Stonehenge era, the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, 15 miles north of Stonehenge, is exhibiting 500 Stonehenge period objects, including 30 pieces of gold treasure which have rarely been seen by the public before.

A grouping of gold and flint objects [Credit: © Wiltshire Heritage Museum]

The large specially-designed new high security and humidity-controlled exhibition facility, constructed inside the museum, cost £750,000 to build, with funding coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, Wiltshire Council, the North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty and other sources.

Amongst the ancient Stonehenge era treasures placed on permanent display for the first time, are a beautifully decorated gold lozenge, a magnificent bronze dagger with a gold- covered hilt, a golden fitting from a dagger sheath, a ceremonial axe, gold beads,  necklaces, ear-rings, pendants and other items of gold jewellery, a unique jet disc (used to fasten a luxury garment), rare traces of ancient textiles and two of the finest prehistoric flint arrow head ever found.

“These and other spectacular treasures from the Age of Stonehenge were unearthed by antiquarians and archaeologists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but until now it’s never been possible to give the public permanent access to them,” said David Dawson, Director of the Wiltshire Museum. "But now, after generous funding from a number of national and local organisations, we have been able to create a secure and stable environment in which they can be enjoyed by visitors to the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site from Britain and around the world.

The Bush Barrow treasures - the ritual objects of a Stonehenge-era chieftain - displayed
together [Credit: © Wiltshire Heritage Museum]

“Stonehenge is an iconic monument – but this is the first time that such a wide range of high status objects from the spectacular burials of the people who used it, has ever been put on permanent display”. The most precious gold, jet and amber objects from the period are being permanently brought together to tell the story of the people who lived in and around the Stonehenge landscape when the monument was one of the great religious focal points of western Europe. Indeed, many of the items may well have been worn by Bronze Age priests and chieftains as they worshipped inside Stonehenge itself,” said Mr Dawson. “Axes and daggers on display in the new purpose-built galleries are identical to images of weapons carved into the giant stones of Stonehenge itself.” “We believe the new displays are a major step forward in helping to explain the extraordinary sophistication of the remarkable people who used the world’s most famous prehistoric monument,”.

The new facility not only features treasures from the Age of Stonehenge, but also recreates some of the key places they were unearthed. Archaeologists have recreated the famous Bush Barrow burial, where a Bronze Age chieftain was buried in regal splendour overlooking Stonehenge itself.
The museum hopes that the new display will help attract substantial numbers of additional tourists to Devizes, generating jobs in the local community.

“Devizes is mid-way between two of the world’s most important ancient monuments – the great prehistoric stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury. Visiting the Wiltshire Museum completes the experience of seeing these two iconic sites. “ said Mr Dawson.

The new facility, consisting of four new galleries – form the centre-piece of the relaunched Wiltshire Museum. The museum is run by the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, an independent charity founded 160 years ago. It now has 1,000 members.

The new galleries – featuring gold from the time of Stonehenge – are the first part of a totally new re-presentation of Stonehenge and its landscape. Two months after the new facility in Devizes opens, English Heritage will open its new Stonehenge Visitor Centre and in 2014 Salisbury Museum will also inaugurate new displays

Source: Wiltshire Museum [October 13, 2013]

ESIBIRE IL PASSATO

Stonehenge Exhibition and Visitor Centre opens 18 December

Probabilmente si può fare anche in Italia: per esempio in Sardegna. Si dirà: ma di Stonehenge ce n'è una sola. Invece i nuraghi sono tanti: quale scegliere? Si tratta di un falso problema, naturalmente. Ma se proprio si desiderasse scegliere un 'pezzo unico', la scelta potrebbe cadere sul 'Santuario' di Monte d'Accoddi, pubblicizzandolo come unica Ziggurat fuori della mesopotamia.  E si potrebbe procedere proprio come hanno fatto gli inglesi con l'esempio di Stonehenge: ci hanno messo del tempo, è vero, ma sono ancora i primi, anche se non hanno ancora finito...

English Heritage announced that the first phase of the long-awaited improvements to the setting and visitor experience of Stonehenge will be launched to the public on Wednesday 18 December 2013.

Aerial view of Stonehenge showing how it is expected to look by summer 2014,
once the A344 has been covered by grass [Credit: English Heritage]

Finally, a place to tell Stonehenge's story

Visitors will be welcomed at a new visitor building, located 2.1km (1.5 miles) to the west of Stonehenge. For the first time ever at the site, they will be able to learn more about this complex monument in a stunning, museum-quality permanent exhibition curated by English Heritage experts. A 360-degree virtual, immersive experience will let visitors 'stand in the stones' before they enter a gallery presenting the facts and theories surrounding the monument through various displays and nearly 300 prehistoric artefacts.

Over 300 prehistoric artefacts on display

The archaeological finds on display are on loan from the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, the Wiltshire Museum, and the Duckworth Collection, University of Cambridge. All were found inside the World Heritage Site and many are on public display for the first time.

211 steel columns support the gently undulating canopy, under which sit two "pods" which
house the exhibition, education, cafe, and retail space [Credit: English Heritage]

Set in Stone? How our ancestors saw Stonehenge, will be the first special temporary exhibition. It will chart over 800 years of ideas and debate - from 12th-century legends to radiocarbon dating reports in the 1950s - on who built Stonehenge and when, and features stunning objects on loan from many national museums.

Heightened sense of anticipation

Visitors will have a heightened sense of anticipation when they arrive at the visitor building as Stonehenge is not immediately visible; it will only emerge slowly on the horizon during the 10-minute shuttle ride to the monument.

Artist’s impression of the permanent exhibition which features, among other things, precious objects on loan from the Wiltshire Heritage Museum and the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum [Credit: English Heritage]

At the stones, there will be opportunities to walk and explore the surroundings of the monument including the Avenue, Stonehenge's ancient processional approach, guided by new interpretation panels specially developed with the National Trust. The Avenue will have been reconnected to the stone circle after being severed by the A344 road for centuries, the whole area will be free of traffic, and newly-sown grass will be establishing on the former route of the road. 

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: "This world famous monument, perpetually described as a mystery, finally has a place in which to tell its story. The exhibition, will change the way people experience and think about Stonehenge forever - beyond the cliches and towards a meaningful inquiry into an extraordinary human achievement in the distant past. The exhibition will put at its centre the individuals associated with its creation and use, and I am very proud with what we have to unveil to the world in December."

The new visitor building, designed by leading practice Denton Corker Marshall, is reaching the final stages of construction and interior fit-out has started. 

Phases two and three in 2014

From Easter 2014, visitors can look forward to the opening of a group of reconstructed Neolithic houses. The Neolithic houses are the highlight of the outdoor gallery and will be built from January 2014 onwards by volunteers, based on houses where the builders of Stonehenge may have lived, complete with furniture and fittings. 

Flint arrowhead, from a grave near Stonehenge on loan from
Wiltshire Museum, Devizes [Credit: English Heritage]

The final phase of the project - the restoration of the landscape around Stonehenge - will be completed in the Summer of 2014. Work to demolish the existing facilities and return the area to grass will begin immediately after the new visitor centre has opened and will continue for a few months.

The £27-million Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Programme is the largest capital project ever undertaken by English Heritage. It is financed almost entirely by Heritage Lottery Fund money (£10m), English Heritage commercial income and philanthropic donations including significant gifts from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Linbury Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.

From 18 December 2013, entrance to Stonehenge will be managed through timed tickets and advance booking is strongly recommended. Online booking opens on 2 December at www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge. 

Source: WiredGov [September 30, 2013]