#sylvics

A quick flick through the 240 pages of Sylvics. I'll be launching it at Thought Bubble later this month. VERY excited!

xxx

5 new pages for your delectation.  

Whilst Sylvics is clearly a work of fiction, for the Neolithic flashbacks I have tried to base the tools, monuments and clothes on the archaeological evidence as it is presently understood. Here's a little download for those that are interested ... Farming arrived in Britain around 4000 BC (late versus East Europe), the monuments in Sylvics arrived later still - around 3000 BC. I have used Avebury as the centre of my story and referenced research in regard to the construction of Silbury hill, the famous stone circles, avenue and the sanctuary. Needless to say much is open to ongoing debate. Avebury was not unique - there were several known "ritual" landscapes of similar scale across the UK (and indeed Europe) - Stonehenge (which continued into the Bronze Age with its remarkable trilithons), Thornborough, Brodgar, Dorchester on Thames to name a few of the British sites I could have chosen (although hawthorn is not found as far north as Orkney) . They evolved through the Neolithic over 100s, even 1000s of years, to a scale that even 5000 years later we cannot but notice their remains. There are no written records of course so what they were used for remains open to conjecture and interpretation of the remaining, often scant archaeological evidence. So whether they represent a continuous evolution like European medieval cathedrals or deliberate appropriation of an existing ritual site akin to what the Spanish did in Sevilla or the new world (building cathedrals deliberately on top of Mosques and Temples) remains unknown. What we do know is that they are often sited at the source or confluence of rivers. Avebury is at the source of the River Kennet which flows to the Thames. In fact the Thames valley is full of Neolithic monuments and it has been proposed it played an important spiritual and cultural role in Neolithic south east England much as the Nile in ancient Egypt or Ganges in India. There was certainly contact with Europe, this is borne out of the exchange of polished stone axes from as far as Switzerland, as well as the adoption certain building styles, certainly in the earlier Neolithic. The great ritual sites bear testimony to feasting on a massive scale, from the remains of cattle and especially pigs in the case of Avebury. Fish was avoided and possibly taboo (?) We are still in the time of small scale farming. No towns, possibly no concept of kingdoms, but certainly clans or big cultural groups were present. The current hypothesis based on anthropology as much as the archaeology is these ritual sites saw the gathering of many people perhaps on an annual basis to meet, build, exchange, make pacts or treaties (if that is the right phrase in a proto-urban society). They almost certainly met in the summer : Silbury hill evidence (from pollen) shows that the hill levels were built (over many years) in summer. The analysis of animal bones (notably young calves) indicate a summer meeting. It is also proposed that the building was in of itself part of the ritual. The community coming together to create a testimony to their skill, power and control of the landscape. There may have been competition with neighbouring societies to create bigger, more impressive edifices - again think of medieval cathedrals or even modern skyscrapers. Equally, these sites must have played some kind of role in the beliefs of these early farmers to aid the fertility of the land, the gathering of the harvest. It remains open as to whether this work was voluntary or through some level of compunction. From my perspective I think the latter more likely. Lastly it is thought the landscapes were designed to be walked. The avenues at Avebury are the most startling remaining example but all the sites have some kind of "route". How imagine these used in Sylvics (not yet drawn!) will be wholly conjecture. Well hope you all found that useful! JP

First pass just didn't feel right, so I binned it off and re-drew over 2 pages. I traced the 2 panels I liked as they were too lovely to lose.

Inking en-route home from Malaysia.