Located 90 miles west of London and 8 miles north of Salisbury, Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire. Built by a culture that left no written record of its construction, there are Mesolithic potholes dating back 8000 years. Believed to have been built in 3500BC, the construction of Stonehenge occurred in three phases over around 1500 years. Its name comes from the Saxons and means Hanging Stones.
Stonehenge was constructed out of two distinct stone types: bluestones, representing foreign stones of which there are about twenty at Stonehenge, and Sarsen, sandstone rocks found on the Salisbury Plain.
Originally, Stonehenge was a circular bank and ditch that contained what became known as Aubrey Holes. These holes were identified by John Aubrey, an antiquarian, natural philosopher and pioneer archaeologist, in the 17th Century. In this initial stage of construction, it is believed that the first of the standing stones were erected to stand on slightly sloping grassland.
Two hundred or more years later, the second phase of construction at Stonehenge commenced. During this time, bluestones were transported from Wales. They were erected and then taken down again sometime during this period. The giant stones that dominate the site now were put in place. Some of these stones weigh 26 tons and stand 18ft high with a width of 7ft. The trilithons, which are three stones fitted together, were erected. The stones were wrought to make them slightly convex and then slotted into place with lintels. Finally, they were hinged together using ball and socket joints.
About 1500 years after construction began on Stonehenge, the bluestones were re-erected in the circle and a large green sandstone block, known as the Altar Stone, was placed in front of one of the trilithons.
There has been much conjecture over the purpose of Stonehenge. Medieval authors, including the bard Geoffrey of Monmouth, referred to the monument as the "Giants Dance", and believed it was constructed by Aurelius Ambrosius, King of the Britons. It was said that he wanted to build a memorial where 460 British consuls and princes lay buried after being massacred. Aurelius Ambrosius sought the counsel of the wizard Merlin, who advised him to get the Giants Dance from an Irish mountain called Kilarus. Aurelius sent his brother, Uther Pendragon, and an army. They got the monument, and it was believed that Merlin transported the massive structure.
In the 17th century, Inigo Jones, an English architect, suggested that Stonehenge was most likely a Roman Temple. By the 18th century, antiquarian, cleric and Freemason, William Stukeley, concluded it was a Temple of British Druids.
The stones of Stonehenge are lithophones, meaning they are ringing rocks. These were believed to have healing properties. Stonehenge may have been a place of healing. There have been suggestions that Stonehenge may have been like Lourdes, something further supported by the high number of burials and trauma deformities in the area. It's also been suggested that it may have been an ancient calendar to track the movement of the sun and moon and the changing seasons.
In 2013, a team of archaeologists excavated 50,000 cremated bones from 63 individuals buried at Stonehenge. The bodies belonged to men, women and children equally. Cremation burials were also found in the Aubrey Holes. Stonehenge, at one time, was used to hold funerary rights.
Stonehenge has many myths and legends surrounding it. In recent years, two tourists have accidentally filmed 'anomalies' that look like spirits around the mystical stones.
There have been sightings of unexplained lights above Stonehenge, as well as light anomalies between the stones.
When I visited Stonehenge, I could understand why these standing stones have evoked so much conjecture and mystery. The standing stones are cordoned off and, as a tourist, you walk around the outside of the structure. There is definitely a feeling that something ancient and mystical exists at Stonehenge.
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