Ancient Endings
Started the morning with a walk halfway to Zennor, the nearby village, where a blustery wind made wearing a hat pointless and a chance encounter with a neighbor walking his dogs offered a glimpse into local life. Then we jumped 2,000 years through time—from ancient tin traders to World War II telecommunications—stopping at stone circles, Iron Age settlements, and the spot where global telegraph cables literally came ashore to connect the British Empire.
From Bronze Age to the End of the World
September 17, 2025
Started the morning with a walk halfway to Zennor, the nearby village. Blustery day, though not cold—windy enough that I gave up on wearing a hat. Met our neighbor along the way, out walking his dogs. We had a pleasant conversation about the area, the kind of brief encounter that gives you a feel for local life.
Today we jumped around in time—from 100 BC to World War II, with stops at the actual end of the world.
First stop was Chysauster Ancient Village, an Iron Age settlement that was occupied from about 100 BC to the 3rd century AD. Not much is left beyond the stone foundations of courtyard houses, but there's enough to show how people organized their lives here. Each house had rooms opening onto a central courtyard, with clear evidence of drainage systems and defined living spaces. The settlement sits on a hillside with commanding views—you can see why they chose this spot.
What's particularly interesting is the connection Ian pointed out: this was likely a tin trading settlement. Cornwall was exporting tin to the Mediterranean world during this period, which means these seemingly remote villages were actually nodes in an international trade network. The tin that went through here might have ended up in Roman bronze or Egyptian decorative work. Global trade isn't as modern as we sometimes assume.
Next was Mên-an-Tol, which translates as "stone of the hole." It's a Bronze Age monument consisting of three standing stones, with the middle one having a large circular hole through it. Local legend says crawling through the hole nine times cures various ailments. We didn't test this theory, but the monument itself raises more questions than it answers. Why the hole? What was its purpose? The archaeologists aren't certain.
A highlight of the ancient sites was Boscawen-Un Stone Circle, reached after hiking through about half a mile of ferns. Nineteen stones arranged in a circle with a central leaning stone. Ian noted that both Boscawen-Un and another circle we'd seen earlier that day had exactly 19 stones—probably not coincidental. The ancient builders were clearly working with intentional astronomical or ceremonial patterns. The afternoon light made the granite stones look particularly dramatic.
From ancient history to 20th-century technology: Porthcurno Telegraph Museum was the day's major modern stop. This unassuming valley on Cornwall's coast was the landing point for undersea telegraph cables that connected Britain to the rest of the world. At its peak, Porthcurno handled communications with India, Australia, South Africa, and South America. During WWII, the telegraph station was moved into tunnels carved into the cliff face to protect it from German bombing.
The museum does a good job of explaining how the telegraph cables worked and why they mattered. This wasn't just communication technology—it was the infrastructure that made the British Empire administratively possible. You could govern India from London because messages could move at telegraph speed rather than ship speed. The economic and political implications were enormous.
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| Selfie at Land's End |
Dinner at the Gurnard's Head, a pub that's managed to stay authentic despite being in prime tourist territory. I had mussels for the main course, prepared in a way that I liked better than what we typically get in Oregon.
Back to the house for photo processing, then watched Iron Sky. It's been a while since I've seen it. The film's portrayals of certain personality types and behaviors felt disturbingly familiar given our current political climate. Still funny, but the humor hits differently now.
A day that spanned 2,000 years of human activity, from ancient tin traders to global telecommunications. While the stone circles represent fascinating archaeological history, the ancient settlements' potential connection to early tin mining ties directly to our Industrial Age sourcing theme. And Porthcurno's role as the communications hub of the British Empire connects perfectly to the industrial communications revolution. Cornwall keeps revealing layers of its strategic importance across millennia.
Pictures can be found here: https://beloretrato0.picflow.com/d43bka91mw/5mjyme16sg
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