"
Stonehenge is one of the most famous megalithic
monuments in the world and may once have been an observatory for predicting
important astronomical events. But what is not clear is who
built it, when, why and how? What was the extent of the
architect's knowledge and was it d..."
Stonehenge is one of the most famous megalithic
monuments in the world and may once have been an observatory for predicting
important astronomical events. But what is not clear is who
built it, when, why and how? What was the extent of the
architect's knowledge and was it designed as a center for religious ritual?
These are just some of the questions raised about Stonehenge and here I
shall attempt to find some answers.
Stonehenge is a strange and powerful magnet, attracting people of all kinds,
from all across the world to view and sense the mystical and magical aura of its
huge and ancient stones. Many people of all faiths and
religious denomination now make it an annual pilgrimage, particularly during the
summer solstice. Yet the original purpose of Stonehenge is
still an enigma, one that even the best brains in the world have failed to
unravel. Lord Byron in his poem 'Don Juan' echoed one of the
questions many have sought to answer: ?The Druid's groves are gone - so much the
better. Stonehenge is not, but what the devil is it??
The
Saxons called the group of stones 'Stonehenge' or the 'Hanging Stones', while
medieval writers refer to it as the 'Giant's Dance'. Inigo
Jones the renowned 17th-century architect and the first to make a serious study
of it, considered Stonehenge to be a Roman temple. Then
William Stukeley an 18th-century antiquary and freemason convinced many that
Stonehenge was once a ?Temple of the British Druids?. Only
in the 20th century have archaeologists established the true age of the monument
and arrived at a more realistic conclusion as to its purpose.
The
open Wiltshire countryside surrounding Stonehenge lies in the heart of southern
England and is rich in prehistoric remains, these include:
Woodhenge (a henge or enclosure once consisting of great wooden posts),
Durrington Walls (once a structure similar to that in Avebury) and the Cursus (a
pair of banked ditches 100 m (300 ft) apart and running straight for about 3 km
(2 miles), they are believed to be dated around the 4th millennium BC).
Then there are some 400 barrows, a lying testament to the intense
communal activity of our ancient ancestors, those who grazed animals and cattle,
grew wheat and other crops while at the same time worshiping their gods in and
around Salisbury Plain. The purposes of some of these sites
are still unknown, but many believe them to have been religious.
Then in around 3500 BC they started to build Stonehenge...
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Articles similar to "Stonehenge A Mystical Temple?"
By Steven A. Culbreath
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Bill Kramer
Some years ago I learned that someone had
put forth the notion that Stonehenge, the famous archeological site in
England, could have been
used to predict eclipse events. As an eclipse chaser, I was
naturally intrigued by this concept and wanted to learn more.
During a visit to Stonehenge in 2001 the tour guide said that
Stonehenge might have been used as an
astronomical calculator. He mentioned that it was said to
predict eclipses howev...
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Mystery of the Stonehenge
Stonehenges all around us
Vandals damage Stonehenge
Uncovering stone circle's secrets
"Bluehenge" discovered
