It's hard to say which bit I liked the best.
It was both fascinating and informative to revisit an archaeological site
accompanied by a group of geologists. The two interests combine and my understanding
of the site has increased thanks to their help. La Hougue Bie, one of the best
preserved passage graves to be found in Europe, was thought to have been built
around 3500 BC.
Jersey was understood to have become an island around 4000 BC, the very beginning of the Neolithic period in archaeological terms. In simplistic terms, the Neolithic period was judged as a time when the small bands of hunter gatherer tribes ceased to rely on their subsistence by following the migratory herds of mammoth, bison, red deer etc. across the continents. A more sedentary cultural setting evolved involving massive wood clearance, farming and the building of such monuments as La Hougue Bie.
We were extremely lucky to be guided on our visit by Deirdre, a member
of the Société Jersiaise which purchased the monument in 1919
for a price I seem to recall of some £1500. The Société
excavated the site in 1924 and Deirdre, making the task of this write up
very much easier, distributed some very useful handouts.
As is usually the case, the chambered tomb
is aligned on an East-West axis and Deirdre explained that during the March
equinox, a shaft of sunlight travels the length of the tomb at sunrise, striking
what is believed to be the most "sacred" stone at the rear of the
tomb. Many civilizations share a belief in a relation between the conjunction
of the sky and the dead. Much research has been undertaken under such a theme.
Such archaeo-astronomy has led theorists to argue for a Neolithic belief in
the ability of the sun's equinoctial rays to reanimate the souls of the dead.
The provenance of the "sacred" stone which blocks the rear of the tomb, forming a concealed chamber, is interesting. Of the seventy capstones and uprights forming the passage grave, only the "sacred" stone did not originate from the South-East locality. The other megaliths comprised of a mix of local granites and diorite whereas the "sacred" stone came from Mont Mado, some five miles away. Whether it was quarried or came from a sacred site already in existence is a matter of speculation. Interestingly, Tony recalls the occurrence of Mont Mado quarrying in his lifetime.
The passage grave is sixty-seven feet long with some thirty-two feet taken up by the passageway. In order to enter the main body of the tomb, you are forced into a bowed position, possibly adding to a sense of entering a sacred place. It seems unlikely that passage graves such as La Hougue Bie were ever intended as tombs in the sense understood today.
The first excavation report claimed that the bones of one individual had been found, four feet nine inches tall, given to "squatting", with long arms and a small brain. At least such a person would have no problem accessing the four and a half feet high entranceway. Modern DNA testing has shown that the bones came from, I think, four or six individuals. Deirdre did explain however that the bones were in very poor condition, that preservation of bone was very poor on Jersey and the tomb had been disturbed and ransacked at some earlier date.
Chambered tombs throughout Western Europe have been found to contain certain bones only; long bones and skulls being favoured above the smaller bones. Suggestions have been made that the bodies were defleshed, probably by leaving in the open and only the whitened, cleansed bones were interred in the tombs. Archaeologists have suggested that the placing of the bones in the tomb may have had more to do with a cult of ancestors accompanied by a rite of feasting and ceremony. Certainly the bones of animals such as sheep, pigs and ox were evident during the excavation.
Two of the megalithic uprights were found to display cup marks, literally the edge of a circular object ground into the granite. One stone evidenced about two dozen such marks but most of these were hidden by the construction of the tomb. It was felt that these stones were brought from another ceremonial site to be used at La Hougue Bie. This reminded me of Avebury where many of the local houses are made of the remains of dislodged megalithic stones. It may be that in the Neolithic period earlier monuments were being dismantled and incorporated into a Neolithic tradition.
The significance of the quern stone found at the base of the "sacred" stone and deliberately turned upside down can only be guessed. This stone too came from Mont Mado. Traces of beads, shells and pottery were discovered along with flint arrowheads and other small, fragmentary pieces of sea worn flint. Traces of ash and charcoal were discovered beneath portions of a large coarse urn from an excavation trench leading to the entrance.
It was a delight to visit La Hougue Bie. Archaeological study of such monuments always raises more questions than answers, even when the monument is so complete.
Yvonne Farrell
The passage grave was covered by a massive rubble cairn, 9m high and 36m diameter,
which in turn was covered by a series of earthen banks creating the mound seen
today. It is thought that an early medieval chapel, possibly made of wood, was
built on top of the pagan site to "christianise" it. The stone chapel
of Notre Dame de la Clarté replaced this old structure in the 12th century.
In 1520 the Jerusalem chapel and crypt were added on one end of the chapel and two archangels were painted on the ceiling where they can still be seen.
During the Protestant Reformation in 1540 the chapel was abandoned and
fell into ruin. The present chapel is a restoration carried out in 1925
and 1931 and is used for several services and is the site of an annual pilgrimage.
On the lawn alongside
the mound there is a reconstructed Neolithic hut where parties of school-children
sample the delights of 'primitive' life. Several of their paintings decorate
the walls.
On the same lawn there is a hut that looks like a standard wooden garden sunhouse but conceals the entrance to a Second World War German bunker. This is still in the process of being restored, but we were allowed a preview.
Firearms of all shapes and sizes, munitions boxes, heating stoves, radio equipment, ceremonial daggers and swords and a whole host of paraphernalia is stored waiting to be arranged for display. Several of the rooms have already been repainted and rewired whilst others still await decoration.
The museum houses exhibitions of both the geology and archaeology of Jersey. The story of the island from both viewpoints is described and well illustrated with fascinating and interested specimens including a wattle and skin boat, like a huge coracle, which (they say) actually floats!
Jane Clarke