Meet the Volunteer: Rob Rosenthal

Role.     BUILDER

 

What made you want to get involved with the Neolithic Houses project?

Because of all the local history of the area, the project provided the opportunity to find out a lot more  about the comprehensive history of the area including the recreation of buildings    based on archaeological research of the Neolithic age.

What are you enjoying about the project so far?

Teamwork with a wide variation of other workers, understanding and learning about  life in the Neolithic  age, and learning new skills in the building of these houses.

 Is there any part of the project that you’re particularly looking forward to or that you are particularly interested in?

 The most interesting part for me is how the Neolithic age fitted into the history of the area. The part that I am particularly looking forward to is when all the houses are nearing completion and you can get an  appreciation of how the ‘village’ will look and how it can be included in the whole Stonehenge experience.

 In what ways has being involved in this project made you think differently about the people of Stonehenge and their lives?  

The most striking aspect is learning how long it must have taken to harvest and build their houses and the fact that these activities obviously took up most of their time in their day to day life. And how this soon moved on to factory farming. 

What do you do when you’re not building Neolithic houses?

My main activities are singing in one of the local Salisbury choirs, volunteering for other organisations including U3A and travel. Having lived in Africa for 10 years in the seventies, we have a close affiliation there and still visit friends and spend time in the bush. 

 What would you say to people who are tempted to volunteer at Stonehenge?

DO IT!  You meet such a diverse group of interesting people, both other volunteers and visitors, and  learn more about the extensive history of the area.