iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Beyond an equally good Harris, I am partial to a spacial plot of Mesolithic lithics and bums around a fire with some apron shaking, and of course a good roundhouse plan.

Modern Iron Age roundhouse built of timber, wattle and daub, thatched roof. And a few modern luxuries like the bed and ambient lighting.

110

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#ThrowbackThursday #Archaeology to 2014 and the Street House Before The Saxons temp exhibition at Kirkleatham Museum with mum, and me on a video. It was the month my ex walked away after 15yrs (to make more money in Dubai), so a rough time. The Saxon Princess exhibition is permanent.

A compilation of images. Director Steve top L, Mum bottom L looking at our local Society banner, me on video in the middle, and one of the posters on the R. No pics of finds here.

000

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Unveiling Kirk Hammerton’s Prehistoric Landscape Near York, North Yorkshire, England A curvilinear feature identified beneath and around the village, examples of flint artefact finds #Archaeology thornboroughag.org/unveiling-ki...

Large circular feature between the red arrows, lying under the village. Finds are Neolithic to Bronze Age. The diameter is similar to those of henge monuments to the north.

LiDAR view of the circular feature beneath the village.

Flint arrowheads dating to the earlier Neolithic (top) and late Neolithic-to-Early Bronze Age (bottom). The barbed-and-tanged arrowhead is particularly fine.

0134

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Lunchtime today St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, abdom ultrasound. 6yrs+ #LongCOVID. Amongst many ongoing symptoms, GI (gastrics) continue to worsen (blood results spooked GP). U/S is fine. Trauma is getting there & back. OBSERVATION: *Nobody* medics, staff nor public wearing a mask, except me! 😷

St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London. Main building, Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother, in a complex campus. Not pretty.

042

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

1 min to go for a last #FindsFriday #Archaeology call. Bank hols digging at Windmill House, Thornborough Arch Group, N Yorks. A bit of flint (& features). I think edge of a Meso/Early Neo core, maybe to correct the knapping angles. thornboroughag.org (Also on Fb).

030

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Exact day when the young lady at local Tesco, looking feverish unwell, coughed straight in my face. No hand, elbow, distancing. When we were told "wash yer hands". A super-spreader. 6 years later? Housebound, disabled, my life is dead. No treatments or cure, no help or support. Millions of us.

131

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

2.15 am Central London. A cloud. Heavy raindrops from the sky for 3mins. Extraordinary spritual presence. Just sat out back b/c still too hot to sleep. Water from the sky? Counted 728 drops around my throne. Whom do we blame?

120

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#Archaeology dates Aug - Sep at Loftus, North Yorkshire (East Cleveland TS13 4PU). Exhibition, meet the archaeologist (Dr Steve Sherlock), site tours & 2026 excavation open day. Dates in image Alt text

Archaeology Exhibition about the excavations at Street House, on show this summer at Loftus Studios and Gallery 15th August - 12th September. Meet the excavator in the Gallery on Saturday 15th August. There will be tours to the site on selected days and an open day on Saturday 12th September at the current excavation.

053

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Latest Thornborough Aerial Survey Completed | YAA Mapping in conjunction w/ EH and TAG have released the latest aerial survey images of the Thornborough Neolithic Henge complex, images taken end of July 2026 during the latest drought. (Near Ripon, North Yorkshire) thornboroughag.org/2026/07/31/l...

The three Thornborough henges, aligned to Orion's belt.

Twelve kilometres north of Ripon, North Yorkshire, is Britain’s best kept prehistoric secret — the three giant Thornborough henges, circular ritual earthworks each about 240m across. They represent one of the largest earthmoving episodes undertaken in Neolithic Britain and are at the heart of a remarkable ‘sacred landscape’ in use for over 2,000 years.

https://thornboroughag.org/about/

1257

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

With an hour and a bit to go, I turned 60 today. Feels a bit heavy and slept most of it. Still desperately unwell, disabled, with #LongCOVID, life utterly unrecognisable. But now free prescriptions. 40yrs since graduation in #Archaeology @arcdurham.bsky.social. Glass of wine for tea?

250

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

I dream of that every day. #LongCOVID housebound since April 2020, 6yrs. I try to fight in an exhausted barely-functioning way. 5% battery at best. A bit of #Archaeology when I can. But, essentially, Covid post-viral is killing me, took my life. Pls don't forget us. We're millions w/o any support.

1153

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Diary dates for August: #Archaeology Exhibition (free) at Loftus, North Yorkshire, Neolithic to Anglo-Saxon

0123

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

We kicked off today (Sat 18th) at Thornborough Neolithic henges in N Yorkshire. I'm still stuck at home with Long Covid 6yrs, but they're using my prehistory teaching kits, mix of replica & original. Next up is Sat 25th Nature theme day. Glad to be involved if only distantly.

Prehistoric artefact teaching kits at our Festival of Archaeology event today, from Mesolithic - Neolithic - Bronze Age, mix of original artefacts and replicas, stone to metal and some antler too.

https://thornboroughag.org/

Three extraordinary henges, 250m diam, at Thornborough, North Yorkshire. The wonky line is because they are aligned to the Orion (star) belt at winter solstice. Close to the Devils Arrows standing stones.

091

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

From Saltburn yarn bombers (Teesside / North Yorkshire coast). Fantastic...

Knitted summer characters on top of a post box. It's a huge local tradition.

0133

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

CBA FESTIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY JULY 2026 Thornborough Archaeology Group events Sat 18 'gateway event' talk, Q&A, artefact handling, tour of the Thornborough henges www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/festival-o... Sat 25 deep dive into the theme of henges & nature www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-... SEE ALT TEXT

This year TAG is making its most ambitious contribution yet to the CBA Festival of Archaeology. On Saturday 18th July, we are providing our 'gateway event', consisting of a talk, Q&A, artefact handling, and then a tour of the Thornborough henges. This event is ideal to anyone who wants an informed and up-to-date overview of Thornborough. A week later, on Saturday 25th July, we are getting together again, to provide a deep dive into the theme of henges and nature. This event, co-organised with English Heritage and Manchester Metropolitan University, consists of a number of talks, and provides the perfect opportunity for you to develop your knowledge and understanding of the British Neolithic, and in particular, its henges. Moreover, English Heritage and TAG will have their own 'stands' there, so there will be plenty of opportunity to talk to archaeologists and heritage professionals. Tickets for these events can be purchased by clicking on the links below. Thank you. (Jan Harding)

18th July: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/festival-of-archaeology-at-thornborough-north-yorkshire-tickets-1991461182004?aff=oddtdtcreator

25th July: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-henges-and-nature-tickets-1991767828191?aff=oddtdtcreator

120

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Utterly massive fork lightning over London 3-4am, not seen likes before, not for a very long time. The downpours are like solid water. And an urban fox running for its life. Birds will be happy tomoz. Seriously a busy storm. Met Office say "occasional light rain showers and light breeze". OFGS.

291

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Hear hear, especially in sub-zero temperatures (in a quarry). 4H ja rule.

Archaeology, sub zero temperatures, huge feature. Pic is the plan, some tools, and a 4H pencil (and eraser, sharpener) on the planning board.

140

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵, 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 Saturday 18th July 2026 (Pls re-post) Come and find out more about Thornborough’s remarkable Neolithic and Bronze Age landscape on Saturday 18th July 2026. West Tanfield, North Yorkshire, HG4 5JU. www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../festival....

Three henge monuments, each 250m diameter, now under the guardianship of English Heritage, free access. The three henges are not in a perfectly straight line but form a distinct dogleg. This deliberate layout mirrors the exact arrangement of the three stars in Orion's Belt. The Thornborough alignment is part of a broader 17.7 km ceremonial route. One of the alignments connects the henges to the Devil's Arrows standing stones in Boroughbridge, via the Nunwick henge.

042

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

An incredible, beautiful, tranquil prehistoric landscape in North Yorkshire, plus fish & chips

0204

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

There's something strangely comforting in washer-drier (UK) spin cycles at 3am. Loud. 1) machine still works. 2) laundering after yesterday's #LongCovid crash carnage (shat myself & vomiting). 3) End state of calm, clean, 6yrs+6wks Covid19 Post-viral is still killing me. Shower next. Terror. 😱

L to R. Spence as an archaeologist, healthy and active. The lady who coughed in my face at Tesco, the super spreader. So Covid infection. And, today, barely able to function, housebound, no treatments or support, an alien potato.

030

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Is there a similar iconographic hunch around some of the image expressions - in mosaic, stone etc - a kind of re-interpretation of legacy in the modes of the new day, like the Rudston Roman Villa mosaic. Venus might have otherwise had a 'better day'?

The primary phase of the villa dates to the 3rd–4th centuries AD. It is a courtyard villa, with mosaics and a small bath house on the east side. The site has some evidence for a 1st–2nd century AD rectangular enclosure and an earlier Iron Age settlement beneath it.

110

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

If I may offer a small taster example from the North York Moors where the historic (and very prehistoric) fragile environment is taken into account. Our Mesolithic #archaeology is unique in many ways. timevista.co.uk/about/resear...

Late Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherer Transitions at Esklets, Westerdale, North York Moors 5000-3700 BC is presently a research project but with future potential for community engagement based on analysis and dating of peat and sediment samples. This phase is supported here by Dr Jim Innes (Durham University Geography) for environmental and pollen analysis and Dr Seren Griffiths (Manchester Metropolitan University) for Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dates.

These sites are under threat, and are being destroyed by erosion, by land management, by heavy use of adjacent footpaths and by unrecorded flint collecting by the public. The project is trying to research the sites through excavation and scientific analyses before they are destroyed. Several are already badly affected.

063

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

But very handsome, became a sollicitor after an onsite altercation.

Minor disagreement over onsite trench priorities, Henry the victim, Kate the poler, and the supposedly Bronze Age double dykes radiocarbon dated to Viking.

020

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Or a ladder to heaven, North York Moors, Durham Uni, 1985

Upland moorland setting (heather), Bronze Age largely stoney features (ring cairn), Prof on a ladder held with ropes to take pics.

1124

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Repost with the Russian agent that spies on your posts (1987 and archaeological posts on an island) Cc @welwynarchsoc.bsky.social

Crop-spray bi-plane, two pilots, vodka, dive bombed our archaeology dig every day. (Lovely guys).

010

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

@durotrigesdig.bsky.social Concerning 2026 new season and my rude post on yr Fb page, involving austerity, Chelsea flower show & compost, I would like to remind of the importance of contextual "POINTING" as an ongoing career development path. Herein, the King, and a Pensioner (might be Boudica).

Chelsea pensioner points at Boudica's plume.

111

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I hear you, solidarity. Been cascading since autumn/fall very badly, last few months worse still. Constant fight-flight mode, panicky anxiety sensations that don't settle. LongCovid 6yrs 1mth. Today felt a little more settled. Like being in a parallel existential universe. It ain't me any longer.

000

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

STONE WARRIORS is the sequel to STONE ARROWS (2023), adventure stories set in Mesolithic Britain around 8000 BCE. Targeted at younger readers, they're great for any age, weaving what we know archaeologically with what we can imagine. Both available through usual online ordering outlets.

Two novels, adventure stories, ideal for younger readers 8-11 but great reads at any age.

Lovely to be acknowledged for fact-checking that aligns the adventure stories with what we know through archaeology.

020

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

I'm in a #LongCOVID crash within a relapse crash since autumn. 6yrs 3wks of dystopia, housebound. Simply stayed in bed hurting everywhere. I'm in my sentient hours between 11pm and 2am. So popped open an oaked Dark Horse cab sauv 14.5 ABV, staring into space (cloudy tonight). Garden weeds green.

020

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I think POTS is the only thing I don't have. I'm now 6yrs 3wks, totally upside down, disabled, forced retirement. Fractured pelvis in big fall in Feb. Just tried probiotics for 5days which has taken away the poisoned sensation, just to drugged & vapourware. Everything aches scalp to toes.

100

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

#MesolithicMonday #Archaeology because you missed #FlintFriday Upland wetland peat bog site, flints almost uniquely within stratified peat. 14C results indicate 3900-3800-3700 cal BC overlapping w/earliest Neolithic on coast (Street House Farm) by generations. Westerdale, North York Moors, England.

060

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Remarkable place to visit, and the modest town is charming, especially for a performance. Traveled by TGV from London.

Orange drama by a Greek cardiologist from London.

Roman stage edge with medical pals, Orange France.

020

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Watching sparrows flying past while laden with eggs is a bit of a hazzard.

Black helmet with white 'W' on front and rear. The helmet is fitted with an internal metal and leather safety structure and a fabric chinstrap. The helmet is stamped inside 'A50 BMH 1/1939'. This helmet is not of LTPB origin but of a common style as used by LT staff. It is believed that the 'W' stands for Warden.

000

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

I shall, blessed by indirect percussion, hover between "natural" and "debitage". Psalm of the absent microlith.

020

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Sits so neatly with convicted rape and (alleged / redacted) paedophilia aka pedophilia. Shhh while my spirit evaporates.

000

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

It also remains some kind of government, political, and NHS cover-up. We're INVISIBLE. Even after the £MMM Inquiry: £2 mills UK, life upside-down, bedbound, disabled, zero recognition or ANY support. Hey "talk to CAB" my MP said. SIX YEARS. B/c somebody coughed in my face Apr 15 2020. #LongCOVID

010

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Born or created in 1966. Action Man 1970s. Other disruptive behaviours followed. All survivors in mum's attic. Went to Durham UK to become an archaeologist. You?

100

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

I'm made of harder stuff, thinking back to my 1990s London years, largely redacted for politeness and to protect the innocent. Forget yer banjo enclosures. And a bit more than berries and 'shrooms.

100

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

It began in the bread aisle at my local store, exactly six years ago today. I was eying up the sourdough, hands still damp with sanitiser. A young lady looking very poorly and feverish coughed straight in my face, no hand, no elbow, no distance. For 10%, life turns entirely upside down. #LongCOVID

For around 10% of Covid victims, no matter what age, gender, or severity, the life-changing journey into post-viral Long Covid is utterly disabling. Image from normal me L, coughing an airborne virus, and how life now feels as a housebound alien unable to move or think. No treatments. Long Covid affects several major body systems, and neural, so there won't be a "single pill" solution.

131

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Wonderful! I know of a HUGE set of plans, almost like 1:1 scale in the Jacobi archive, mesolithic site on N York Moors that nobody's digitised. Mind you, I did a similar 1:1 on an office floor, also meso, to reconcile finds in a rescue excavation, like walking with ancestors.

Laying out a Mesolithic rescue excavation plan and finds at 1:1 scale on an office floor. You can walk around the hearths and see where people were knapping flint, shaking aprons, making tools. Spooky.

Yours truly: Laying out a Mesolithic rescue excavation plan and finds at 1:1 scale on an office floor. You can walk around the hearths and see where people were knapping flint, shaking aprons, making tools. Spooky.

020

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

STONE WARRIORS by Elizabeth Barber is the sequel to STONE ARROWS, adventure stories set in Mesolithic Britain around 8000 BCE. Targeted at younger readers, they're great for any age, weaving what we know archaeologically with what we can imagine. Both available through usual online ordering outlets.

Fictional adventure stories based in Mesolithic Britain c 8000 BCE, illustrated by Amy Groves. Intended for 8-12 year olds, they're great reads for any age. Available via Amazon for under a tenner, Warriors ships end of April 2026.

Lovely to be acknowledged as archaeological advisor. The adventure stories weave together what we know archaeologically, and what we can imagine in human landscapes.

031

Spencer Carter @microburin.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Don't suppose you've any pics with me in? I seemed to be the only taking pics. (Also nearly got arrested in Gdansk taking photos of the famous shipyard anchor monument). I only did 1987 season 1.

100