Great Britain is famous for its science, military technology, bloody crimes of the colonial era, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes, football, Stonehenge and (more recently) Salisbury Cathedral.
Everyone has heard of Stonehenge. But on the territory of the country there is another amazing attraction, almost unknown to the general public. Its mysterious origin confuses experts and creates the basis for the emergence of all sorts of fantastic assumptions.
Today we will talk about a grotto, whose walls are covered with shells, from which a beautiful mosaic is formed.
The small town of Margate was made famous by James Newlove, who made an important discovery in 1835. More precisely, it was made by his son Joshua. Newlove was digging an underground pond for ducks. During his absence, Joshua decided to descend into an incomprehensible passage underground. When he did this, he could not believe his eyes.
The walls of the grotto are covered with shells.
It turned out that the guy got into a grotto decorated with shells. According to some estimates, their number reaches 4.6 million. And they are not just attached at random, but create a stunning mosaic.
Newlove Sr. appreciated his son's discovery. He decided to convert the grotto for commercial purposes in order to profit from visitors. Gas lamps were used for lighting. This played a negative role in the study of the find. Victorian lamps were smoked. When they decided to carry out radiocarbon analysis, it turned out that the chemical composition of the shells had changed due to the soot. For scientists wishing to know the age of the mosaic in the grotto, this news came as a heavy blow.
The upper part of the grotto.
Promotional video:
But the commercial goals were met. Since 1838, people began to come to Margit in large numbers to see the miracle. Here you can see "drawings" of owls, turtles, snakes and plants. However, some images are conditional, and their meaning is disputed. Curious tourists sometimes take some seashells as a souvenir. Because of this, it is necessary to carry out restoration work.
During the Second World War, the grotto was damaged by bombing. The exploding bomb actually destroyed part of the altar room. After the war, restoration work was carried out and the object was reopened to the public.
Who was the creator of this masterpiece? Alas, even an approximate answer to this question cannot be given today. The age of the mosaic is unknown. Some researchers believe that it can be up to 3000 years old. But such numbers are not supported by strong arguments.
Perhaps the authors of the masterpiece can be identified by their work? Most likely, it was done by representatives of a developed people, and not by tribes living at the Neolithic level. Oddly enough, some of the patterns evoke associations with the Phoenicians. It was with them that the eight-pointed star was popular. And the city of Margit itself is located on the Tenet Peninsula. People familiar with the Phoenician religion have an association with the goddess Tanit. Perhaps the peninsula was named after her?
The eight-pointed star was common among the Phoenicians.
Of course, we can also say that the Phoenicians were good navigators and theoretically could have reached Britain, but … To confirm this assumption, evidence is needed, but there is none.
I believe it is possible that fans of pagan cults could have had a hand in creating the mosaic. They experienced persecution during the spread of Christianity and were forced to gather for religious services in the forests. Why couldn't the grotto, well camouflaged from prying eyes, become their meeting place? When the pagans stopped appearing here, they could simply forget about it.
Be that as it may, the grotto is waiting for its visitors. You can also visit it.