Stories tagged Stonehenge
Stonehenge: A 19th Century engraving of the mysterious monument.
Courtesy Mark RyanStonehenge is back in the news. Archaeologists working on the mystery-laden prehistoric site located in south central England have now pinpointed the time of its construction to around 2300 BC. This radiocarbon-derived date connects it more closely with burial date of the Amesbury Archer, a wealthy metalworker from Europe’s alpine region, whose tomb was discovered not far from Stonehenge. Examination of the archer’s corpse revealed damage to his knee and other potentially fatal health issues.
This has led Tim Darvill and Geoff Wainwright, the two professors heading the excavation, to believe that the circle of megalithic stones existed as a healing center. Not everyone agrees, but you can find out all the details here. The dig's progress is also being recorded for an upcoming BBC Timewatch documentary.
All very well and good. But scientists remain uncertain as to how these huge stone monoliths were put in place by Stonehenge’s ancient technopeasant builders. Well, Wally Wallington, a retired construction worker in Flint, Michigan, just might have the answer. This following video came to my attention this past weekend, and I find it quite impressive and amazing. See for yourself.
SOURCES and LINKS
BBC website story
More about Stonehenge
Guardian website story
More on the Amesbury Archer
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Stonehenge: A 19th Century engraving of the mysterious monument.
Courtesy Mark RyanThe first archaeological dig in 40 years at Stonehenge is revealing new insights into the origins of the mysterious ancient rock garden.
Scientists there have unearthed some of the sockets that once held the bluestones believed to have formed the original structure.
"We have broken through to these key features," said Professor Geoff Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries, and one of the dig's leaders.
The bluestones could help reveal the 4500 year-old structure's origins. These smaller stones are thought to have been hauled to the Salisbury Plain site in southwest England from the Preseli Hills in Wales, more than 150 miles away. They were placed in a circle in the ground, the outline of which can still be seen by the holes and remaining stones left behind. The huge Sarsen stones making up the horseshoe of massive "pi" symbols for which Stonehenge is so well-known, are believed to have come much later from a quarry about 12 miles away.
The archaeologists hope to be able to date the location more precisely by analyzing organic material found in and surrounding the leftover bluestones and sockets.
Wainwright believes the monument may have served as a sanctuary for healing - a prehistoric Lourdes of sorts. Just as some people today believe in the healing powers of certain stones and crystals, the ancients who built the original structure believed the bluestones could heal whatever ailed them.
Bluestone is an intrusive igneous rock known in England as dolerite. Here in the states it's called diabase. (Those of us in Minnesota will recognize it as a common volcanic rock found along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Split Rock Lighthouse sets upon a huge block of diabase.)
The Stonehenge dig is being filmed for a program that will air on the BBC next autumn, and should make for an interesting documentary. For now you can view some video clips at the BBC website.
Stonehenge: Photo courtesy NASAArcheologists have announced the discovery of what they think may be the primitive homes of the mysterious builders of Stonehenge on the West Salisbury plains within walking distance of the famous monolith circle.
So far, eight huts have been unearthed, already making the excavation the largest concentration of prehistoric huts discovered in Britain. But Mike Parker Pearson, of Sheffield University thinks it’s just the beginning, and that maybe hundreds of hearth sites may exist in the region. Radar analysis of the landscape suggests the settlement is huge.
"The whole valley appears full of houses," Parker Pearson said. “Our dates for the building of Stonehenge are identical to the dates for this very large settlement.”
Carbon dating of the settlement dates it to the middle Neolithic Age about 4500 years ago, the same time the huge sarsens and bluestones of Stonehenge were being put in place.
Each of the huts uncovered so far measure about 5m (16ft) square, and was made of timber surrounding a central hearth. The archeologists found rubbish dating back to 2600 years B.C. covering the clay floors of the houses.
"It is the richest - by that I mean the filthiest - site of this period known in Britain," Professor Parker Pearson said. "We've never seen such quantities of pottery and animal bone and flint."
Parker Pearson believes the region was used for funereal purposes, as well as for some kind of ceremonial midwinter gathering site for prehistoric revelers.
The ancient village is located about 1.75 miles northeast of the famous stone circle, near Durrington Walls a large 500 meter (nearly a 1/3 mile) in diameter circular earthwork. Another henge of a sort is also nearby, but this one was made of wooden poles stuck in the ground in a circular formation. Known as Woodhenge, Parker Pearson believes it is linked in ritual to its more famous stone cousin. Both henges are aligned with astronomical events, but the events are complementary. Stonehenge is lined up with the sunrise of the midwinter solstice, while the timber circle at Durrington lined up with the sunset of the midwinter solstice.
Pig teeth found at the village site seem to support Parker Pearson’s theory of a midwinter festival.
"One of the things we can tell from the pig teeth we've looked at is that most of them have been slaughtered at nine months. And we think they are farrowing in Spring," he said.
"It's likely there's a midwinter cull and that ties in with our midwinter solstice alignments at Durrington and Stonehenge."
Durrington’s purpose, he speculates, was for celebration of life, while Stonehenge served as a memorial and cemetery. After feasting, Parker Pearson believes the dead were deposited in the River Avon and sent downstream to Stonehenge, where a select few were cremated and buried.
More Info and Links
Stonehenge Guide
Stonehenge Settlement Found (National Geographic)
Vast settlement of huts linked to Stonehenge (Guardian)
More on Stonehenge
Stonehenge didn’t stand alone (National Geographic)
The summer solstice is approaching. June 21st is the longest day of the year, and the first day of summer for us in the United States. The summer solstice for the U.S. occurs at the time when the Earth is at a point in its orbit where the Northern Hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun.
Many cultural traditions are tied to the summer solstice, as well as the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes - the days in the spring and fall where the amount of day and night time are nearly the same. Some scientists believe that Stonehenge , in England, is part of a huge astronomical calendar because Stonehenge's axis is roughly pointed in the direction of sunrise at the summer and winter solstice.
In England and Ireland the solstices and equinoxes do not mark the start of a season, as they do in the United States; rather they occur at the midpoint of their seasons. Summer for these countries starts on May 1 and ends on July 31and the summer solstice is called mid-summer.
Gene posted an entry on March 4th about his feelings on when the seasons should start based on the average temperature .
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