A holiday maker has stumbled upon elaborate carvings on a granite boulder which has been part of the sea defences of the Norfolk resort of Gorleston (England) for the past twenty years. The discovery was reported to the Norfolk Archaeological Unit, who have concluded that the markings are genuine and probably date back to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age. The main design is a series of concentric circles, common in Northern Britain, Scandinavia and elsewhere along the Neolithic Atlantic fringe.
     It is known that some of the rock used to construct the Gorleston sea wall were imported from Scandinavia. The likelihood that this was the region of origin of the carvings is strengthened by what appears to be a later textual addition, thought to be Viking related, beneath the main carving.
     The two tonne stone has now been recovered from the beach and placed in storage by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, pending further analysis. A spokesman for the Council said: "It is quite amazing that a piece of stone with such history has been hidden with sand for over twenty years before being uncovered. The future of the stone will not be decided until investigations into its origins have been completed. However, if it is confirmed to be from Scandinavia then it is likely that it will be returned to its home country."
     (Editor's note: A few days later after we published this news, these carvings have been found they were really created by a stone artist in 1995; see Archaeo News on 3 September 2003)

Source: Anglia Advertiser (28 August 2003)