Gardom's Edge facts for kids
Gardom's Edge is a cool rocky area located near Baslow in Derbyshire, England. It's a popular spot for outdoor activities and is also famous for its ancient history.
The land between Gardom's Edge and Birchen Edge is now mostly open moorland where sheep graze. But long, long ago, during the Bronze Age, people actually lived and farmed crops here!
Ancient Stone Art: The Cup and Ring Stone
One of the most exciting discoveries at Gardom's Edge is a special stone with carvings called a cup-and-ring-marked stone. These carvings are a type of ancient rock art known as a petroglyph. They look like small hollows (cups) and circles (rings) carved into the stone.
This amazing carved stone was found in the 1940s. To keep it safe from weather and damage, the original stone is now buried. Don't worry though, you can still see what it looks like! A copy, or replica, of the stone is placed exactly where the original was found. There's also another replica on display at the Weston Park Museum.
Archaeologists from the Peak District National Park Authority and the University of Sheffield studied this area in 1998 and 1999 to learn more about its past.
The Mystery of the Seasonal Sundial Stone
In 2012, some researchers suggested that a tall, standing stone at Gardom's Edge might have been used as a type of ancient calendar or clock! They think it could have been a seasonal sundial.
A sundial uses the sun's shadow to tell time. This particular stone might have been a "gnomon," which is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. It's thought that this stone could show the change of seasons. For example, during the colder half of the year, its north-facing side would always be in shadow. This special stone might have been used during the late Neolithic period and the early Bronze Age, which was around 2500 to 1500 years BC.
