Huge stones, mounds, ditches, pits and ramparts - for many centuries, Stonehenge has been of interest to historians, astronomers, astrologers, who put forward various theories of the reasons for its origin and purpose.
Many people wonder how old this building is and what is the history of Stonehenge. In terms of age, it is not much younger than the Egyptian pyramids - according to the latest data, it was built almost four thousand years ago. The ancient inhabitants called it the “Dance (or round dance) of the giants”, and with just a glance at it, it immediately becomes clear why.
It has long been known where Stonehenge is and what it looks like. The building is located in Wiltshire County in the UK. According to the latest data, its construction began around 1900 BC. e. (at the end of the Stone Age), and ended three centuries later (while it was rebuilt three times).
First, the builders dug a ditch in the shape of a circle, then installed blocks and pillars of wood, dug out and placed 56 holes in a circle. The central element of the building turned out to be the Heel Stone, seven meters high, right above which the Sun still rises on the day of the summer solstice. This is exactly what the old building looked like.
The structure of the UK is extremely resistant to seismic activity. Studies have shown that builders have achieved this thanks to special platforms designed to soften or even extinguish tremors. Another feature is that they do not give the so-called "shrinkage of the soil."
The building itself has the following description:
- 82 stone blocks (megaliths). According to recent studies, the volcanic stones of Stonehenge, blue or greenish-gray in color, weighing 5 tons, were most likely brought here from Karn Goedog, which is very far from Stonehenge - at a distance of 250 km. Scientists are still putting forward different theories about how the ancient British dragged a large number of five-ton blocks over such a distance.
- 30 stone blocks. Blocks of stone weighing 25 tons each, four meters high, and about two wide, the ancient builders placed in the form of a circle, the diameter of which was 33 m. Each such stone is a little more than three meters in length. The distance between the top of these lintels and the ground turned out to be about five meters. In our time, an arc has been preserved, consisting of thirteen blocks with crossbars.
- 5 triliths. The weight of each trilith is 50 tons. They were located inside this circle and formed a horseshoe. They were installed symmetrically - the height of one pair was six meters, the next one was higher, and the height of the central trilith reached 7.3 m. By the nineteenth century, only two southeastern triliths remained, as well as one curved support of the main stone. At the beginning of the 20th century, experts restored one northwestern trilith and straightened the support of the central one, which brought its appearance closer to the original.
Building Versions
Many people ask who built Stonehenge, how Stonehenge was built and how old it is. Stonehenge was built for several centuries and a huge number of people worked on the construction (it should be borne in mind that at that time very few people lived in the UK). Therefore, many scientists believe that all the peoples living at that time in this area were involved in the construction.
To build such a structure, the ancient British used dolerite, volcanic lava, volcanic tuff, sandstone and limestone.
Half of the monoliths were delivered from a site located more than two hundred kilometers from the building. According to some assumptions, they were delivered first by land, then - by water, according to others - they themselves sailed here by natural means.
Even experiments were carried out that showed that in a day twenty-four people are able to move a one-ton block of just one kilometer. This means that the delivery of one heavy monolith from ancient people most likely took several years.
Stones were processed in several stages in order to obtain the desired look and shape. First, even before moving, they were prepared for transportation with blows, fire and water, and after delivery they were already processed and polished, after which they acquired the desired look.
In order to install a block, they dug a hole, lined it with stakes, along which they rolled the monolith. After that, the ropes were installed in a vertical position and fixed.
Laying the crossbars was much more difficult. According to some assumptions, in order to hoist them on parallel stones, earthen elevations were made, along which the monoliths were tightened. According to others, they raised them using logs. First, they put them at the same height, dragged a block on them, then they built a higher pile of logs next to it, lifted a stone on it, etc.
purpose
Considering how many years and centuries it took to build Stonehenge, the number of people involved (according to some sources, at least a thousand) and efforts, the question arises why Stonehenge was built in the UK.
At first, its construction was attributed to the Druids. In the Middle Ages, most people believed that Merlin erected it overnight after the victory of the British king over the Saxons. During the Renaissance, historians decided that the Druids could not erect such a building, so the Romans most likely built it.
Now some scientists are convinced that this building is the burial place of Queen Boadicea. Moreover, the remains of ancient people were found here, according to the version of scientists, who belonged to 240 representatives of the local elite. At the same time, most of the human bones belong to 2570-2340. BC, and the oldest ones are older by another millennium.
Most researchers are inclined to think that buildings of this type were not only ritual, but also astronomical structures, since here they could intensively study other planets, stars, sunrises and sunsets.
Astronomical theory
Now, few people question the fact that Stonehenge was a huge observatory from which they watched the sky. Here it was determined on which day the summer and winter solstice would occur (at this time the Sun rises directly above the Heel Stone), and they began to keep an annual count of time.
Also in the course of research, scientists noticed that on the day of the winter solstice, the Sun is perfectly visible through one trilith, and the sunsets of celestial bodies through the other two. And two more were used to observe the moon.
Some scientists have put forward the idea that the holes located inside the circle accurately imitate the trajectory of the Pole of the World, which existed from 12 to 30 thousand years ago, as a result of which a version appeared that Stonehenge may well be much older than it is now suggest.
For example, David Bowen, a professor at the University of Wales, conducted research that enabled him to claim that this structure is 140 thousand years old. The theory, of course, is unlikely, but it exists.
Interestingly, when the scientist reconstructed the primary view of Stonehenge with the help of a special computer program, he came to surprising conclusions: the ancient observatory was also an absolutely accurate model of the solar system, consisting of twelve planets. At the same time, two, unknown to us now, are hiding behind Pluto, another one is located between Mars and Jupiter. The model surprisingly confirms the latest hypotheses of modern astronomy.
eclipse predictor
Eclipses of celestial bodies have always caused an ambiguous reaction among our ancestors - they were simply afraid of them. Therefore, according to one of the hypotheses, Stonehenge in the UK was built precisely in order to warn of a possible danger in time.
For example, Gerald Hopkins claims that at the time of the construction of Stonehenge, eclipses were when the rising moon appeared over the central block in winter. Autumn eclipses of the night light occurred when its rising completely coincided with one of the stones from the outer side of the circle.
It was in this place that the moon appeared once every eighteen years. And this means that three such cycles add up to fifty-six years - the number of holes installed in Stonehenge. Many years ago, when the ancients, after a certain time, shifted stones from one hole to another, they determined when such an event frightening them would occur, accurate to the time of the year.
Stonehenge is a wonderful place that attracts and attracts those around who are interested in its description and history. Stonehenge: interesting facts is the most requested question of tourists, to which the guides are happy to answer, revealing the secrets of the amazing construction of the ancient inhabitants.
Stonehenge is visited by 1 million tourists every year, but it remains a mystery. Scientists attribute its construction to the Neolithic period, but for some reason the first mention of this "wonder of the world" is found only in the 11th century AD.
Who built?
Version number 1. Celts
For a long time, scientists believed that Stonehenge was built by the Celts. However, today this version has been refuted. The dates don't match. The first Celtic archaeological culture (Hallstatt) appeared in the 9th century BC. Whereas the dating of the construction of Stonehenge officially accepted today boils down to the fact that the last stage of its construction falls on the 11th century BC.
Version number 2. Ancient Britons
If not the Celts, then who? Professor Michael Pearson (University of Sheffield), head of the ten-year research Stonehenge Riverside Project and author of Stonehenge: Exploring the Stone Age's Greatest Mystery, claims that the megalithic complex was built by the ancient Britons, representatives of the tribes that lived in the British Isles at the end of the Bronze Age, during the Neolithic . Today it is the most "working" version.
Version number 3. Merlin
In the Middle Ages, there was a popular legend set forth in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Britons. It lies in the fact that the megalithic complex was transferred from Ireland by the wizard Merlin. The legendary magician thus fulfilled the will of Aurelius Ambrosi (uncle of King Arthur) to perpetuate 460 British leaders who were treacherously killed by the Saxons during the negotiations. Since then, the Britons called this complex "Dance of the Giants".
Version number 4. Hoaxers
There is also a version that Stonehenge is a hoax, “worked out” in the 20th century. In 2013, an article went viral on the Internet proving that the famous Bronze Age monolith was built between 1954 and 1958.
As evidence, the author of the material cites a lot of "sensational" photographic materials, where some people use cranes to install megaliths into the ground. A theoretical “base” is also given: allegedly, the British Ministry of Defense bought up land in the Stonehenge area and conducted military exercises there until the Second World War.
During the war, the territories of nearby villages were evicted and supposedly today are under the authority of military structures. The author writes: “On the territory protected by the British military department, this “center of ancient civilization”, “the legacy of great ancestors”, “monument of humanity”, which became the most important cult center of no less purposefully planted “spirituality” was consciously and purposefully erected.”
Version "hot", but baseless. What is presented in it as the construction of Stonehenge is just its restoration. We will tell you more about her.
Why did you build?
Version number 1. Observatory
To date, the generally accepted version is that Stonehenge is an ancient observatory. The authorship of this version belongs to Boston University astronomy professor Gerald Hawkins. In the late 1950s, he entered into a computer the coordinates of the plates and other parameters of Stonehenge, as well as a model of the movement of the Sun and Moon.
In 1965, the scientist wrote the book Stonehenge Deciphered, where he provided evidence that Stonehenge made it possible to predict astronomical phenomena, while being an observatory, a computing center and a calendar.
Another famous astronomer, Fred Hoyle, also dealt with the problem of Stonehenge and found that the builders of the megalithic complex knew the exact orbital period of the moon and the length of the solar year.
Version number 2. Galaxy model
In 1998, astronomers recreated a computer model of the original appearance of Stonehenge and came to the conclusion that the stone observatory is also a cross-sectional model of the solar system. According to the ideas of the ancients, the solar system consists of twelve planets, two of which are located beyond the orbit of Pluto, and one more - between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Version number 3. Ritual complex
A four-year study by the Austrian Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Exploration and Virtual Archeology has established that Stonehenge is not a single megalith, but part of a huge ritual complex of 18 parts located in an area of 12 square kilometers from Stonehenge.
Surveys were carried out using remote sensing and other advanced geophysical methods.
Version number 3. "Disco"
Perhaps the most original version of the purpose of Stonehenge (if you do not take into account the alien base for humanoids) is the version that Stonehenge is an ancient "disco".
Professor Rupert Till, an expert in acoustics and music technology from the University of Huddersfield, conducted research and came to the conclusion that the gigantic stones of the complex are ideal sound reflectors. If placed in a certain order, they can produce interesting acoustic effects.
Of course, Rupert Till did his experiments (after computer simulation) not in England, but in the state of Washington, where there is an exact copy of the megalithic complex. This version, although it seems strange, does not exclude the previous one - ritual dances could be held at the temple to the accompaniment of musical instruments.
How was it built?
To shed light on how Stonehenge was built, scientists have helped the study of the materials of which it is composed. The complex is composed of three types of stones:
1) Dolerite ("blue" stone, more precisely, gray sandstone with a bluish tint)
2) Rhyolite
3) Volcanic tuff.
Stones of these rocks are found only in the mountains of Wales (210 km from Stonehenge, and taking into account the features of the relief - 380 km).
According to Stonehenge researcher Richard Atkinson, the stones were carried on wooden sledges over logs. Experiments have shown that 24 people can move a load of one ton in this way at a speed of one and a half kilometers a day.
Most of the journey was on water. The speed of movement was also facilitated by the fact that the stones were processed even before they were moved into place, using both stone tools and heat treatment for this.
According to Gerald Hawkins, to install the blocks, a hole was first dug to size, three of which were sheer, and one with a 45-degree angle, which was used as a receiving ramp.
Before setting the stone, the walls of the pit were lined with wooden stakes. Thanks to them, the stone slid down without showering the ground. The lower parts of the blocks, upholstered in the form of a blunt cone, could be rotated on their axis even after the earth had been rammed.
What's left of Stonehenge?
If you look at the picture of John Consable, painted by him from life on the territory of Stonehenge in 1835, we will see piles of piled stones. This is how the legendary megalithic complex looked until the beginning of the 20th century. Since then, as we know, he has changed. Not everyone knows about it, but Stonehenge has undergone a serious and lengthy restoration.
Its first stage took place in 1901. Reconstruction continued until 1964, and information about the work was carefully concealed. When it became known to the general public, it gave rise to numerous attacks from the public and the press. There was something to be angry about. In fact, the complex was rebuilt. With the help of cranes, the restorers erected megaliths and lintels, strengthened the stones, and concreted their foundations.
By and large, Stonehenge is “not the same anymore”, but it is not customary to mention this in booklets. Otherwise, this most famous (but far from unique) megalithic complex would not provide an influx of 1 million thousand tourists a year.
The monumental structure of Stonehenge is more than one thousand years old, but scientists still cannot reveal all its secrets. Let's figure out together exactly how this grandiose monument of antiquity was created and what its purpose was.
The attraction is located on the territory of England in the county of Wiltshire, 3.2 km from the city of Amesbury and 13 km north of the city of Salisbury. The monumental building is located 130 km from the capital of the country. Since 1986, the site has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
History of Stonehenge
After lengthy research, scientists came to an agreement and concluded that the monument was created between 3500 BC and 1600 BC. Construction continued in several stages with interruptions of two or three centuries. There is a legend according to which Stonehenge was built by Merlin, the famous wizard who lived during the prosperity of Camelot and the reign of King Arthur. According to legend, he moved stones from west Wales in just one night.
According to one version, the creators of the stone monument were the Celts. But over time, scientists refuted this theory, explaining that the level of development of the Celts would not allow them to build such a structure. During the Middle Ages, it was believed that the monument was built either by the Swiss or the Germans. Which version is correct, one can only guess, but one thing is for sure, only an advanced civilization could build such a place.
The attraction consists of a complex of huge stones located in a vertical position. Together, the stones form several rings. The structure includes: 82 stones, weighing five tons; 30 blocks of twenty-five tons; five triliths, weighing fifty tons each. Triliths are located in the central circle - two standing stones covered from above by a third. They form arches that point exactly to the sides of the horizon. At the very entrance to the complex there is a six-meter stone, which is called "Heel".
It is over this stone on the day of the summer solstice that you can watch the sunrise. Thanks to research, it was found that some of the stones were delivered from quarries located three hundred kilometers from the complex. The heaviest monoliths moved from a distance of thirty kilometers.
With the help of the experiment, it was established that 24 people and a day of time are needed to move one block weighing one ton. During this time, people will be able to move the stone only one kilometer. Imagine how long it took the ancient people to drag all the stones to the right place. It took about three hundred years to build the complex completely. One can admire not only the size of the complex, but also the fact that during its creation the possibilities of earthquakes were taken into account, and during construction, special platforms were laid under the stones that could smooth out tremors.
Stonehenge stones
The blocks of stone that were used in the construction are of different origin. Triliths and huge single stones are gray limestone sandstone and limestone. There are also blocks of tuff and dolerite - these are minerals of volcanic origin. These stones were delivered to the construction site from a quarry located 210 km away.
Blocks moved on land, on skating rinks - these are wooden logs, and on water. Taking into account the huge mass of stones, up to 50 tons, it could take several years to transport them. The blocks were polished by fire, water and mechanically. Before the direct installation of the blocks in the right place, the stones were subjected to more painstaking grinding.
Mysteries of Stonehenge
What is the purpose of the complex? After all, it is not in vain that people have put so much effort into its construction. There are many theories, but the most popular among them is that Stonehenge was the first open-air observatory. This version was confirmed using computer simulations. 
After careful research, it was possible to establish that the structure is an exact copy of the solar system, only it does not consist of nine planets, but of twelve. This model corresponds to the ideas of the Universe of the ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and acts as a confirmation of the modern astronomical hypothesis. The creators of the megalithic structure possessed colossal knowledge of astronomy. They knew exactly everything about the orbital period of the Earth's satellite - the Moon and the duration of the solar year.
Triliths - structures of three stones acted as astronomical instruments. December 23 - on the day of the winter solstice through one of them the sunrise is clearly visible. Through the remaining triliths, the sunset of celestial bodies is visible. It is assumed that the complex was created to predict eclipses and in order to know when to start agricultural work. Some scholars suggest that the site served as a special sanctuary for the Druids who worshiped the Sun.
There are many versions of destiny, and each of them is tuned to some kind of mystical event or religious destiny. It is believed that the place could have been built by the Romans in honor of their ancient gods, or that local influential leaders were buried here. Ancient people believed that various diseases could be cured in the Sacred Place, and that is why many wounded and crippled people from all over the area came here. During the excavations, people were found with traces of severe injuries. Legends are still retold among the people that the dust from the blue stones of Stonehenge has healing properties.
Little known facts about Stonehenge
- The construction of the complex lasted 1.5 thousand years. The oldest construction sites date back to 3000 BC. It was during this period that ditches two meters deep began to be dug to form the outer features of the circle. Stone setting began around 2500 BC. Construction was completed around 1500 BC.
Stonehenge today
Nowadays, the complex is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and it is also under state protection. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come from all over the world to look at this miracle, created by human hands in an era when neither technology nor high technology existed.
About 130 kilometers from London there is a very strange place - a bunch of huge stones, neatly arranged in a circle in the middle of an open field. Their age cannot be accurately estimated even by the means of modern science - either three thousand years, or all five. Why did our ancestors, literally just climbing down from the trees, suddenly begin to cut huge boulders out of the rocks and drag them hundreds of kilometers away? An ancient observatory, a cult building of the druids, a landing site for aliens and even a portal to another dimension - all this is Stonehenge.
United Kingdom, Wiltshire, 13 kilometers from the town of Salisbury. Here, in the middle of an ordinary English plain, is Stonehenge - one of the most famous buildings in the world. It has 82 five-ton megaliths, 30 stone blocks of 25 tons each, and 5 giant triliths weighing up to 50 tons.
What is Stonehenge
The very word "Stonehenge" is very ancient. There are several versions regarding its origin. It could be formed from the Old English "stan" (stone, that is, stone) and "hencg" (rod - since the upper stones were fixed on the rods) or "hencen" (gallows, torture instrument). The latter can be explained by the fact that the medieval gallows were built in the shape of the letter "P" and resembled the trilithons of Stonehenge.
Megalith (from the Greek "megas" - large, and "litos" - stone) is a large hewn piece of rock used in the construction of ancient places of worship. As a rule, such structures were erected without the use of mortar - stone blocks were held under their own weight or on hewn stone "castles".
Trilith (or "trilithon", from the Greek "tri" - three and "litos" - stone) is a building structure of two vertical blocks supporting a third, horizontal one.
How Stonehenge was built
The construction of Stonehenge took place in several stages, which took a total of over 2000 years. However, archaeologists have found evidence of much older structures at the site. For example, near the parking lot for tourists near Stonehenge, three shallow "mines" were recently found, into which wooden supports were dug (they, of course, did not survive). The location of the supports shows that they supported a very large wooden monument, whose age is estimated at about 8000 years.
Around 2600 BC, the wooden buildings were demolished, and majestic stone structures appeared in their place. First, the builders dug two rows of large holes in the shape of a crescent (one horseshoe inside the other), deployed to the northeast. 385 kilometers away, from the cliffs of Carn Menin in the hills of Preseli (Wales), 80 so-called "blue stones" were delivered. Each stone was about 2 meters high, about 1.5 meters wide and 0.8 meters thick. They weighed 4-5 tons.
In the heart of Stonehenge, a six-ton monolith of green mica sandstone was placed - the so-called "Altar". In addition, the northeast entrance was moved a little to the side and widened so that it looked exactly at sunrise on the day of the summer solstice.
Apparently, the construction of Stonehenge at this phase remained unfinished. The Blue Stones were soon removed and the holes under them filled in.
At the same time, three separate large "blue stones" appeared here. Two survived - the so-called "Heel" (in the meaning of "last") stone at the northeastern entrance outside the ramparts and the "Stone Block" near the same entrance inside the ramparts (later it collapsed on its side). Despite the name, the “Stone Block” is not associated with bloody sacrifices. Due to weathering, red spots began to appear on its side - iron oxides, which gave rise to such gloomy associations. In addition, on the inner side of the northern and southern ramparts, for unknown purposes, small barrows (without burials) topped with "blue stones" were piled up.
At the end of the 3rd millennium BC, Stonehenge underwent a new - the most ambitious restructuring, thanks to which it has become so popular today. From the hills of southern England (40 kilometers away from Stonehenge), 30 huge stone blocks - "sarsens" were brought here, each of which weighed 25 tons.
Stonehenge. How it was.
The earliest surviving religious building on the territory of Stonehenge looks very primitive and does not resemble later stone buildings. Stonehenge No. 1 was built no earlier than 3100 BC and consisted of two round earthen ramparts, between which there was a moat. The diameter of the entire object is about 115 meters. A large entrance was arranged on the northeast side, and a small one on the south.
Presumably, the ditch between the ramparts was dug using deer antler tools. The work was carried out not in one step, but in sections. Studies have shown that the bottom of the moat was covered with animal bones (deer, bulls). Judging by their condition, these bones were carefully monitored - they probably had considerable cult significance for people who visited the temple.
Directly behind the inner rampart inside the complex, 56 recesses were dug, arranged in a circle. They were called "Aubrey Holes" after the antique dealer who discovered them in 1666. The purpose of the holes is unclear. According to the chemical analysis of the soil, wooden supports were not placed in them. The most common version is that lunar eclipses were calculated from the holes, however, the accuracy leaves much to be desired.
Stonehenge - prehistoric crematorium
Later buildings date back to 2900-2500 BC and can be judged theoretically - time has left us only a group of depressions in the ground, where wooden supports for some structures were placed. The latter could well have been covered sheds, because these holes (now filled with earth and indistinguishable from the rest of the landscape) run in two parallel rows from the northern and southern entrances to the center of the entire structure. The diameter of the recesses is much smaller than the Aubrey holes, only 0.4 meters, and they are more distant from each other.
During the second phase of the construction of Stonehenge, the earthen ramparts were partially torn down - their height decreased, and the ditch between them was almost half filled up. In the same period, the functions of the Aubrey holes changed - they began to be used for the burial of cremated remains. Similar burials began to be carried out in the ditch - and only in its eastern part.
Whatever Stonehenge was built for, a few hundred years after that, it began to be used as a fenced cemetery for cremated remains - the first known in Europe.
Interesting facts about Stonehenge
The most common archeological finds in the ground under Stonehenge are Roman coins and the remains of the Saxons. They date back to the 7th century BC.
There are more exotic theories about Aubrey holes. For example, the ancients could use them to plan pregnancy (based on the 28-day menstrual cycle in women).
Blue stones are dolerite, the closest relative of coarse-grained basalt. Dolerite got its “colored” nickname because it turns blue when wet with water. A fresh chipped stone also has a blue tint. Heel stone - so named because of the legend according to which Satan threw it at a monk and hit him in the heel. The origin of the word "sarsen" is unclear. Perhaps it came from the later term "Saracen" (Saracen, that is, pagan stones). Sarsens were used to build not only Stonehenge, but also other megalithic monuments in England. The inside of the sarsens was processed much better than the outside. This suggests that, perhaps, the room was closed, and some important rituals were performed inside it, the participants of which did not leave the stone “circle.” Calculations show that the construction of Stonehenge (with the tools available at that time) required about 2 million people hours of work, and the processing of stones would take 10 times more. The reason why people worked on this monument for almost 20 centuries must have been very good. The theory of a UFO landing site arose in part due to the fact that there is a military airfield near Stonehenge (near the city of Warminster).
What was Stonehenge for?
As soon as people did not rack their brains - why did the ancients need Stonehenge? The very first references that have come down to us connect it with the legend of King Arthur - supposedly this monument was built by the wizard Merlin himself (according to another version, he transferred it with his charms from Mount Killaraus in Ireland).
Other stories "blamed" the construction of Stonehenge on the devil himself. In 1615, the architect Inigo Jones claimed that the stone monoliths were built by the Romans - allegedly it was the temple of a pagan deity named Knelus. In the 18th century, researchers discovered the “astronomical” function of Stonehenge (its orientation to the solstice) - this is how the version appeared, according to which this building belonged to the Druids. Nowadays, some experts claim that Stonehenge can predict solar eclipses or even perform complex mathematical calculations. The "planetarium" and "calculator" theories are very controversial - the evidence is usually refuted either by the simplest astronomical facts or by history itself (Stonehenge has been repeatedly rebuilt, changed its structure and probably served different purposes).
Outer ring of sarsens
The assumption that the second, “cemetery” stage of the construction of Stonehenge was associated with successful conquests of local tribes looks very interesting. An analysis of the remains found in the burial grounds adjacent to Stonehenge showed that some of the people buried there were from Wales. This may also explain the subsequent delivery of "blue stones", symbolizing the unification of the two lands. Experts also admit that for most of its history, Stonehenge served as a place for the cremation of the remains. This version is not without the right to exist, because the Neolithic cultures of Europe associated wood with life, and stone with death.
Late 19th century
One way or another, Stonehenge should not be called an observatory or associated with the druids. In the first case, we simply apply the concepts of the 21st century to events that took place almost 5,000 years ago. In the second, we sacrifice facts to a beautiful legend. Druids are a purely Celtic phenomenon. The Celts came to Britain no earlier than 500 BC - Stonehenge was already built.
Fiction writers on Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a structure so ancient and incomprehensible that even science fiction writers are not too sure what to do with it. The ideas that they offer in their works are often not much different from the versions of some scientists.
For example, Harry Harrison co-wrote the novel Stonehenge (1972) with Leon Stover. According to this book, the ancient monoliths were erected by the surviving inhabitants of Atlantis. A little earlier, Keith Laumer created the book “Trace of Memory” (1968), where he developed an “alien” idea: there is an underground communication center next to Stonehenge, from where you can call the descent module of a huge alien ship drifting near the Earth - and this module landed right on Stonehenge .
New Stonehenge
: modern astronomers revived the knowledge of ancestors
February 12, 2005 in the New Zealand town of Wairarapa opened "New Stonehenge", very similar to its famous British "relative". But why did modern astronomers need to build a copy of an ancient structure?
The modern stone observatory is called Stonehenge Aotearoa, built by the New Zealand Phoenix Astronomical Society.
Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand. And it was taken for a reason.
But first it must be said that the new Stonehenge is not at all an exact copy of the stone monster from the Salisbury Plain (Stonehenge), although their basic dimensions are almost the same.
And it's not just a tourist attraction. Stonehenge Aotearoa is a full scale adaptation of its ancestor to work properly on the other side of the planet. What is this job? Of course - an indication of astronomical events.
Already at the dawn of the development of civilizations, people began to build grandiose structures, which later became known to the whole world. The Stonehenge cromlech in Great Britain was no exception, the age of which is only slightly behind the famous Egyptian pyramids.
What is Stonehenge? History and interesting facts
A cromlech is an ancient structure of stones placed vertically, forming one or more circles. Stonehenge in England belongs to this type of ancient buildings.
Despite all its grandeur and antiquity, Stonehenge could not get into the classic list of wonders of the world. And in general, there are no mentions of him in the writings of Greek and Roman scientists, apparently piles of stones did not delight people of that time.
Sketch of the end of the 19th century
There were legends about the construction of the Stonehenge complex among local residents. Its construction was attributed both to Merlin and to antediluvian giants. The inhabitants of ancient Britain called this building the "Dance of the Giants".
Studies of the Stonehenge cromlech began under King James I. And in 1655, the first book dedicated to this building, by the author John Webb, was published. In the 60s of the XX century, astronomer Gerald Hawkins put an end to the study of Stonehenge. He showed that this stone ring could have been used as a very precise observatory, allowing the ancient Britons to make astronomical observations and calculations.
Reconstruction by William Stunkley
The construction time of Stonehenge is estimated between 1900 and 1600. It took more than one century and the work of a very large number of people to build it, although even in those days there were few people in Great Britain. On the Salisbury Plain at that time several peoples were noticed at once: the Windmillhill people, the Beakers, the Wessexes. Now it is impossible to say for sure who built Stonehenge from them. Some researchers suggest that all these peoples had a hand in the construction of the structure.
How was Stonehenge built?
Stonehenge stones used in construction are of different nature. This is dolerite, and volcanic lava, and volcanic tuff. There is sandstone and limestone. An analysis of the area showed that some of the stones were delivered from a site located 210 kilometers from the construction site. They could be delivered both by water and on skating rinks. They even conducted studies that showed that a group of 24 people is able to move a stone weighing one ton one kilometer per day. The heaviest stones were brought here from a closer place, located 30 kilometers away. The weight of the largest stones reaches 50 tons. Ancient builders could deliver such blocks only in a few years.
The processing of stones was carried out in several stages. By the method of impact and treatment with fire and water, the necessary stones were prepared for transportation. And already on the spot, fine processing and polishing was carried out.
Reconstruction
The process of installing cromlech stones at Stonehenge in England is also interesting. So before laying the "brick" a hole was dug, sheer on three sides and sloping on the other. The hole was lined with stakes and a stone was rolled over them. Then, with the help of ropes, the monoliths were lifted and dug up. But if everything is clear with vertical stones, then the question remains how the crossbars were installed. It was assumed that embankments were made for their hoisting, along which blocks were dragged. But such work would have taken more time than the construction of the entire complex, and no traces of the embankments being erected were found. Another of the assumptions - the stones were raised with the help of logs. Logs were placed, and a stone was dragged onto them. A higher pile of logs was built nearby, and a stone was raised on it, etc.
According to estimates, the construction took 300 years of continuous work of thousands of people. Of course, the question arises why Stonehenge was built and why such hard efforts were needed. Some archaeologists suggest that the ancient British worshiped the Sun, while others only talk about the use of the complex in astronomical calculations.
Stonehenge attracts crowds of tourists. This is especially true on the summer solstice. On this day, the Sun rises exactly above the Heel Stone, which once again confirms the conjectures about the use of Stonehenge as an ancient observatory. The possibilities of this stone circle even make it possible to predict eclipses.
And although Stonehenge was not included in the list of ancient wonders of the world, the skill of its construction is not inferior to the famous buildings and attracts the views of millions of people every year.
The object is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
