Vandals And Prehistoric Sites

[plowter]

Some ned has carved their initials on to a stone at the Ring of Brodgar. These stones are believed to have been erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC.

One stone already has Viking runes carved on them. At what point is it acceptable to vandalise ancient stuff?

http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2015/08/rune-stone-at-brodgar-vandalised/

[Svejk]

It's a wonder these incidents don't happen more often, don't you think? Never acceptable, of course. (imo)

[douglas9401]

"At what point is it acceptable to vandalise ancient stuff?"

If that somebody was Banksy?

[Elina]

Hi plowter, not at all. The idiot that does this kind of thing has no 'real' interest in such a thing. What's the scale of this site? If it's possible, shouldn't they now be thinking of a barrier of some kind where you can still view but can't touch?

[Baldric]

//At what point is it acceptable to vandalise ancient stuff?//

It's not, not even for Banksy!!

[237SJ]

People have always carved their initials into "ancient stuff" I remember when my Dad took me up the 13th century church tower in our village and when we got to the top and were having a look around we saw that someone had carved their initials into the lead. It`s human nature. It`s not acceptable but that is just the way it is.

[DaisyNonna]

At no point

[Old_Geezer]

It beggars belief how some folks' brains fail so spectacularly.

Is the country too poor to keep all those unable to act sanely in a nice secure place of safety ?

Maybe it was a failed Alcoholics Anonymous member.

[Peter Pedant]

twitty thing - the scratcher

Oh if you a hellenistic tourist 250-250AD visiting Egypt
and the valley of the kings you would write

PLOUTA EIDWN

( Plouts was here, wondering)

it is the new testament greek for "Kilroy was here"
also to be seen on the Birthing temple at Philae
and of course the Colossos of Memnon
see
http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2011/01/the-colossi-of-memnon.html

jsut er thought I would say it was a problem 2000 y ago

[Peter Pedant]

// It's not, not even for Banksy!!//

how history repeats itself

it was a Banks ( Jos Banks I think ) who took one of the obelisks from out the front of Luxor and put it up in his garden at Kingston Lacy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philae_obelisk

[Mosaic]

Very difficult to prevent, unless you have staff wandering about looking sternly. And it's not always easy to spot who will do it.
The medieval choir stalls in Manchester Cathedral are graffitied to blazes by 500 years of naughty 'scholars'.
And there are Viking runes in Hagia Sofia
But the ones on the Piraeus Lion are my faves because they basically say 'Rollo and his mates carved this - we asked the Greeks for permission but they said no, so we dun it any road'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piraeus_Lion

[Peter Pedant]

Psammetichus - Hi mozy ! - sent Greek troops darn to Abu SImbel and they carved their names on the side of one of the sitting Ramesses

I think they also found a wooden plaque - troops keep off the grass
no ref for that

[woofgang]

In view of the historical precedent, maybe we shouldn't be trying to stop our generation of graffitti carvers?

[sinderella]

Aren't cave paintings just very old graffiti?

[Mosaic]

Simple answer Sinders - we just don't know. Theories range from graffiti to sympatheic magic.

[woofgang]

intersting stuff here
http://www.medieval-graffiti.co.uk

[woofgang]

and here http://www.medieval-graffiti-suffolk.co.uk