Creswell Crags: An Ice Age Frontier

[@HistoryTime]

Enjoyed this! Creswell Crags is right on my doorstep. I’ve been meaning to go for many years. Looking forward to visiting some time this summer. Looks like an incredible place

[@amberann1229]

It’s amazing how we ignore what is under our nose. I could say the same for a couple of places near me 🙄

[@crow1066]

Love the fact that you spend the time to mention the figures who helped to unravel the mysteries hidden within, above and underfoot. Speaking of 'feet', I enjoy the pace - your literal pace as you explain the details moving towards the camera. No frantic walking and undue unsettling urgency.

[@jake-rg3fd]

Pls come back, these videos are great

[@johnblackledge4009]

I'm going at the weekend!

[@kublaicarl4818]

Fond memories of a great lecture by Dr Bahn.

[@dryad_92]

These are great, well produced videos. Thank you!

[@archygirl1750]

Another lovely video that I've just stumbled on. I could watch this all day. Although this was done a year ago, I hope that you continue to make content. Experimental archaeology is so important, and it's just fun to watch.

[@PuppetVikings]

excellent. love this site we go several times a year to visit.

[@april5666]

This was so interesting -- thank you. I came here from watching Dr Dilley carving a lamp oil reservoir during an interactive archaeology demo of various Paleolithic crafts (basket making, leather work, needle making, etc). On the reverse side of the lamp, Dr Dilley was carving an outline of a caribou on the replica he was making and remarked that it was interesting that there are other instances of paleolithic pieces where outline/carvings of animals are placed on objects on the bottom were they wouldn't be seen. After thinking about this and seeing the outline of other animal forms in the Creswell Crag caves, I think he's onto something quite interesting, in that carving into an item meant much more than just decoration or representational art itself, but more was going on, like the Paleolithic people were imbuing their objects with the essence or spirit or however they thought about these animal attributes onto their work-a-day objects. So interesting to think about.

[@blessings2you435]

@April Hall... Your comment, in & of itself, is incredibly thought provoking. Thanks for your hypothesis! As an educator & counselor I've witnessed how imperative it is for we humans to "put MY stamp on it". We burst with pride in our jobs well done. It's deeply imbedded in our psyches to leave our mark on all we do. Given this train of thought.. 🤔 might the creators of these many artifacts have left their "signature" via unseen "emblems", thus representing their view of themselves? Displaying their "soul", if you will? The act of claiming 🙌 rights to our creations is vitally empowering to cognition of who we are. It serves a purpose (bedrock) in the creation of ourselves. But... we know that bragging WILL beget trouble,L. Thus, we'll hide our thrill of victory (if you will). Could the carvings be a titilating form of personal "virtue signaling"? Maybe? After all, here we are - picking up on the signals emanating from the eons old object d'artes...

[@Lapsed_Skeptic]

The value of all the videos on this channel have been amazing…I certainly hope there are still some projects in the works.

[@Souliciousmenu]

Creswell Crags was my favourite playground during the mid 1960s / early 1970s, a time mostly devoid of sapiens. Scaling the cliff faces to reach the higher level caves often spending the night, wild camping? No, just childhood dreams and flights of imagination of a time past. Creswell Crags has a different feeling today. More invaded and occupied, Gone is the tranquility and peacefulness. But still an exciting place to be even today. Dawn and dusk in early spring brings a magic to the place reminiscent of my childhood spent there. Maybe for me personally, speaking as a neurodivergent, seeking out, the unpopular quiet places was a retreat for a much needed rest from the loud and overly busy world of the neurotypical. More than anything, Creswell Crags is now a place of learning and Discovery. and that's a good thing, it's now an uncomfortable place to be during the day, but it's still a good thing. Great videos by the way, both informative and fascinating.

[@raymondtonns2521]

aye, take the road less traveled.

[@Souliciousmenu]

I lad, appen I might 😁​@@raymondtonns2521

[@1963TOMB]

And to think we used to play in these caves and climb up the sides! Not many people realised the significance of these crags in those days. There are also traces of human occupation (hill fort) in the nearby Markland Grips, another of my playgrounds in the 1970s.

[@johndodwell7264]

Great video & info

[@davidevans3227]

thankyou for sharing this.. so interesting.. how about when showing the art in the caves some clever computer person could give an outline of the shape? the red dot is helpful, but i still struggle to make much of it.. thankyou again for these videos.

[@aprilnash6698]

Better than the new Time Team!

[@soxpeewee]

I imagine a lot of the places would be hard to date due to the repeated use as well as lack of artifacts

[@amberann1229]

Glad l found this vid because it came up in my notifications and later when l decided to watch, it said video deleted 🤔

[@ancientcraftUK]

Frustratingly we’ve had some errors with the premier of this video. Hopefully it’s here to stay now!

[@amberann1229]

AncientCraftUK - Dr. James Dilley 👍

[@LuxisAlukard]

Really cool! I need to check is there any cave paintings in Serbia, since I doubt I'll come to UK...

[@dirtbikerman1000]

This is a 15 minute drive from my house. I'm massively into Graham Hancocks work Why haven't I been here

[@Corialtavi]

It always seemed to me when I've been in Church hole that the reasons for the drawings were quite logical but nowhere have I read anything like my theory. The crane is on the roof, the fish is right in the back of the cave. I immediately thought, you hang game birds, you want the fish in the coldest deepest part of the cave to preserve them longer. To me it's a big larder with signs for where to put things. It was a shame your camera could not pick up the crane in it's full glory. It's much more obvious in person.

[@garychynne1377]

thank yew

[@bobmcbob4399]

Dr James, as you are in this field, I assume you know about The Younger Dryas (around 12,900 to 11,700 years BP) impact event? Care to relate that event to your discussion of the homonids in Britain at the time?

[@simonphoenix3789]

I wonder why they chose to make those one sided points rather than bifacial tools. It seems like their knowledge of flintknapping was already quite advanced, so it shouldn't have been that much of a stretch for them to figure out how to make more symmetrical points both from side to side as well as on both faces.

[@tao.of.history8366]

Haha, I see a frog on that wooly rhino bone (@ 6:25mins), with a lighter etching of an alligator or pelican (something) to its left. As a human figure though, those bell bottoms remind me of the chalked human figures where the huge deer outline is carved into the wall.

[@thomasdykstra100]

"Exact dating" is not just 'tricky', it is not possible without a reliably calibrated CALENDAR. Look at the issues archeologists have with more recent, relatively well-known and studied sites in Egypt and the Levant for examples of the difficulties involved.

[@m.e.l.9335]

OPEN, now means barred gates huh?

[@dwightupton4520]

Those few carbon chips would have been created in a forest fire possibly.

[@rogerrabbit6522]

The video was going great until the face nappy came out. How can anyone who wears one of those be taken seriously?

[@Neonstrobelight100]

She’s wearing one as not to contaminate the finds I’m guessing, hence the gloves also.

[@davidevans3227]

couldn't work out what face nappy was! Llol.. but i guess it means mask?! you Would Want to be very careful with this stuff wouldn't you!? ..also, maybe filmed during covid? ​ they are in a small confined space close to each other? @@Neonstrobelight100

[@sillybeeful]

@@Neonstrobelight100it was filmed during the pandemic

[@Souliciousmenu]

It was indeed.​@@sillybeeful

[@TheDerstine]

This video is almost too good to be true I mean this place is just a joy to see.. cave art in the Paleolithic in Britain... Who knew?! Too bad I'm not wealthy because this place would have no problem-- whatsoever-- staying open, seriously. What is this world up to that this type of establishment can't survive, but Exxon Mobil can??🤔🫣🥲