Stonehenge
“Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby.” (English Heritage)
Have you ever had the pleasure of actually visiting Stonehenge in person?
Terry and I went there years ago when we were in England and it truly is quite magical. When we were there you could actually walk right up to the stones but now it is roped off because too many tourists were taking little pieces of the henge as momentos. Some of the boulders have now been set in concrete to prevent further errosion.
The thing they don’t show you in the travel brochures is that it is actually right beside a highway!
“In about 2500 BC the stones were set up in the centre of the monument. Two types of stone are used at Stonehenge – the larger sarsens and the smaller ‘bluestones’. The sarsens were erected in two concentric arrangements – an inner horseshoe and an outer circle – and the bluestones were set up between them in a double arc.
Probably at the same time that the stones were being set up in the centre of the monument, the sarsens close to the entrance were raised, together with the four Station Stones on the periphery.
About 200 or 300 years later the central bluestones were rearranged to form a circle and inner oval (which was again later altered to form a horseshoe). The earthwork Avenue was also built at this time, connecting Stonehenge with the river Avon.” (English Heritage)
There are many theories about how the stones were put in place at a time when there weren’t any metal tools or the wheel. See below for image ideas of how the stones were moved and lifted into place.
People have theorized that everyone from “Merlin” to the Druids created the henge. Some folks thought it acted as an astronomical calendar.
“There is strong archaeological evidence that Stonehenge was used as a burial site, at least for part of its long history, but most scholars believe it served other functions as well—either as a ceremonial site, a religious pilgrimage destination, a final resting place for royalty or a memorial erected to honor and perhaps spiritually connect with distant ancestors.” (History)
Did you ever read the “Outlander” books? That was a series of books about “Claire”, a doctor, who travelled through the standing stones and ended up in the past where she meets her soulmate, “Jamie Fraser”. I really enjoyed those books and now there is a television show based on the books.( Take note that the sex scenes in the television series are quite graphic)
“From 1927, the National Trust began to acquire the land around Stonehenge to preserve it and restore it to grassland. Large areas of the Stonehenge landscape are now in their ownership. More recent improvements to the landscape – including the removal of the old visitor facilities and the closure of the section of the old A344 that ran close to the stones – have begun the process of returning Stonehenge to an open grassland setting.” (History)
Before Covid this monolithic marvel drew over 800,000 tourists a year. It is well worth the visit if you ever have the chance! But be careful …..you might just ‘fall through’ the stones!