Stonehenge: a Mysterious Monument of the Olden Times - Assignment Example

Stonehenge: a mysterious monument of the olden times I. Introduction Stonehenge is one of the most famous megalithic1 monuments in the world as is considered as one of the major archeological finds of all times. Located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire some 8 miles north of Salisbury, this Neolithic2 and Bronze Age3 structure attracted several scholars from all over the world. Most scholars believe that this megalithic monument dates back as early as the 2500 BC to 2000 BC. According to A well known British Archeologist Christopher Chippindale (2004), Stonehenge comes from the combination of two old English words “stan” or stone and the “hen(c)en” which means “instrument of torture”. In a less romantic and more functional point of view, Chippindale said that the word “henge” is simply derived from the word “hinge” because the construction of the monument has stone lintels hinged on upright stones. The Stonehenge is one of the unsolved mysteries of the olden times and no one really knows who built this monument and why they built it in the first place. Several theories have been spawned around the purpose and history of the Stonehenge but until now, there is still no single and unified theory as to why people built this monument. Two of the most popular theories about the existence of the Stonehenge revolve around the idea of religion and the other, of science. On the religious point of view, this place is considered as a sacred ground where ancient rituals for the dead were performed. According to this theory, this monument was built to honor the dead and served as a crematorium during the time. In the other hand, the science point of view sees this place as an observatory where ancient scholars study the position of the stars and predicts the changes in the alignments of heavenly bodies. Whichever is the true purpose and meaning of the Stonehenge to the people of built it will perhaps remain a mystery to us for the next several years. However, since this monument is considered as one of the most notable archeological finds of all times, it is best that we delve into the history of this monument and how it affects the history of humankind. II. Construction of the Stonehenge The Stonehenge lies in an open field. It is a circular monument which is enclosed by circular earthwork (refer to diagram in annex 1). The two approaches, one lying north east and the other south-west served as entrance to the site. Although much of the information about this area has been lost over time4, scholars have learned through modern dating technologies that this monument was built over a period of 3,000 years (Atkins 1956: 6-10). There were at least three known stages of the construction of the monument. Stonehenge Phase 1 was said to be constructed around 3100 BC, Stonehenge Phase 2 dates back to around 3000 BC while the most extensive phase of construction which is known as the Stonehenge Phase 3 was done somewhere around 2600 BC to 1930 BC (Atkins 1956: 58-90). Over this time, the Stonehenge seem to evolve not only in terms of design but also in it use. To under the different phase of the construction better, let us take these stages of construction one by one. a. Stonehenge Phase 1 The first phase of the Stonehenge appeared to be built around 3100 BC (Castleden 1993: 28-29). It consists of circular bank and ditch which is about 8 feet high and around 300 feet in diameter (Atkins 1956:7). The circular bank and ditch has a large entrance located in the north east side and a smaller entrance located in the south. At the bottom of the ditch, the builders of the Stonehenge placed bones of oxen together with work flint stones. Evidence showed that the bones of oxen and deer were older than the tools used by the builders to dig the ditch. Furthermore, there are strong evidences that the people who buried the bones of the animals looked after these bones prior to burial. Inside this circular ditch are 56 holes known as the Aubrey Holes named after John Aubrey, the 17th century antiquarian who first identified them (Castleden 1993: 67-71). The Aubrey Holes may have been used by the builders of the monument to predict the movement of the heavenly bodies (Stevens 1916). The construction of this monument involved millions of work hours. Builders of Stonehenge 1 probably took approximately 11,000 working hours or an equivalent of 460 working days to finish this phase (Castleden 1993: 49-57). b. Stonehenge Phase II The Phase of Stonehenge was constructed somewhere around 3000 BC but there is no more visible evidence of the second phase of the construction of the Stonehenge. During this phase, the builders used mostly wooden materials. Only the postholes dating back to this period were found by archeologists. These postholes are found at the northeast entrance and some parallel alignment of wooden posts run inwards from the entrance. The postholes are said to be smaller than the Aubrey Holes and is more evenly spaced compared to the Aubrey Holes. During this period, 25 of the Aubrey Holes were used as cremation burials. The ditch and the some portions of the monument especially the eastern half were also turned into burial grounds during this phase. Although there are no more visible evidences of the construction of Stonehenge II, this phase probably took the builders about 360,000 working hours or an equivalent of 15,000 working days (Castleden 1993: 58-67). This means that whoever constructed the phase II of Stonehenge spent about 41 years to build the monument. c. Stonehenge Phase III The third phase of the construction of the Stonehenge is considered as the most elaborate of the three phases. Around 2600 BC, the builders of the monument abandoned the use of wood at this phase and used stones in its place (Castleden 1993: 127-124). This is shift from wood to stone is evidenced by the two concentric crescents of holes called the Q and R Holes located in the center of the site. The holes are said to hold about 80 standing stones. Forty-three of these standing stones were derived the Preseli Hills, 250 km away in a place now known as Pembrokeshire in Wales (Castleden 1993: 146-155). The stones which as been brought from afar weighed about four tons and may have been dressed before they were transported to the site of the monument (Stevens 1916: 59-60). During this period of the construction, the eastern entrance was widened to match the direction of the midsummer sun and the midwinter sunset. However, the construction was never finished and for some unknown reasons, smaller stones the Q and R holes were later removed and the holes were purposely backfilled. Green mecaceous sandstone which now known as the altar stone may have stood as a single large monolith at that time. This stone weighed about 6 tons and may have been brought either from Pembrokeshire or the Brecon Beacons. At this point, the Heelstone may have been erected outside the north east entrance of the monument (Castleden 1993: 58-60). Around 2450 BC to 2100 BC, the builders of the Stonehenge brought 30 enormous sarsen stones from a quarry about 24 miles north to the site (Castleden 1993: 150 -155). Each stone weighs around 25 tons and stands about 13.5 feet high and about 7.5 feet in width. Evidence showed that the stones were dressed and fashioned with tenon joints and was later on erected to form a 33m diameter circle of standing stones complete with lintels resting on top of it. Within this circle are the five trilithons made of dressed sarsen stone. The trilithons are arranged in a horseshoe shape about 45 feet with its open face to the north. These enormous stones weigh up to 50 tons each and were arranged symmetrically inside the monument. The smallest of the triathlons were around 20 feet tall (Hawkins & White 1988: 52-56). The next pairs of stones were larger and taller that the previous ones making the largest trilithon about 24 feet tall. The stones may have been carried to the site through the use of wood rollers like the ones used by the builders in the pyramids of Egypt (Castleden 1993: 150-154). The trilithons represent some type advanced construction. The tapering of the giant stones and making them appear straight takes a high level of engineering (Hawkins & White 1988:54). As the longest and the most elaborate phase of the construction, Stonehenge 3 probably took the builders around 20 million hours to complete or an equivalent of 2300 years of work (Castleden 1993:157-165). III. Theories and Speculations on the Purpose of the Stonehenge There are many popular theories about the existence of the Stonehenge. One of the theories spawned about this place was that this was built by the Druids as a sacred place for rituals (Atkins 1956: 166). However, the Druid theory have been refuted by many scholars because at the time when the monument was erected, as early as 1916, Stevens, in his book Stonehenge: To-day and Yesterday already objected to the Druid theory saying that it is highly improbable because the Stonehenge belongs to an era which is far earlier recorded Druidism (Steven 1916: 67-69). In another point of view, the Stonehenge was linked to the Arthurian legend popularized by Geoffrey of Monmouth (Rosenberg 1988: 428-430). The Arthurian legend said that the rocks were healing rocks from Africa and were brought by giants to Ireland for their demonic healing beliefs. The knights later on brought the stones to Britain with the help of Merlin the magician of King Arthur’s Court. Although the Arthurian legend may be quite romantic, it never did sit well with historians. Another theory which was later on expounded by Gerald Hawkins in his earlier work on the Stonehenge Decoded (Hawkins 1965) was that the monument is used by astronomers at that time to observe the movement of the stars and to predict eclipses. He argued that the construction of the Stonehenge appears to have very strong relations to the Midsummer sunrise line (Hawkins 1965: 46) which could not have been made by chance by the builders. He noted that the solstice sunrise appears directly on the horizon and align perfectly with the huge Heel stone in the monument. Hawkins believed that the people who built the monument used it to determine the length of the year and use the information derived from the Stonehenge for practical reasons such as the determination of the planting season (Hawkins 1965: 46-50). According to this theory, the Stonehenge served as the most popular theory perhaps regarding the Stonehenge is that it is a place for cremation of the dead (Castleden 1993: 168-170). The supporters of this theory believed that the Stonehenge, like the pyramids of Egypt was constructed by the inhabitants of the place to serve as a sanctuary for their departed ancestors. The Stonehenge is said to be a place that affords the communication between the heavens and the underworld which explains why the stones were arranged in such a way that it aligns with the stars (Eliade 1978: 114-138). IV. Recent Findings on the Purpose and Significance of the Stonehenge A recent study conducted by a team of archeologists and the National Geographic found some significant evidences that the Stonehenge was not an isolated construction as earlier speculated. According to the study, the people who built the Stonehenge may be the same people lived in Durrington Walls5. The archeologists found that there are foundations of houses in Durrington that dates back to as early as 4,600 years ago (www.nationalgeographic.com). According to the team that studied the ruins, Durrington and the Stonehenge is closely related. The two structures are so similar in many senses that the similarities could not just be a series of coincidence. The structures in the two areas are much alike. The designs of the Woodhenge in Durrington are much like that of the Stonehenge. In fact, there is a kind of connectivity in the two structures. Where the Stonehenge’s avenue is aligned to the summer solstice sunrise, the avenue at Durrington is lined up towards the summer solstice sunset (www.nationalgeopgrahic.com). According to Parker Pearson, the leader of the Stonehenge Riverside project which involves six Universities in England, there is a strong indication that Durrington and Stonehenge represents the idea of life and death. The Woodhenge which Pearson refers to as a wooden circle of life in Durrington represents something that is temporary like life itself. On the other hand, the Stonehenge which is made of stones represents something permanent like death (www.nationalgeographic.com). V. Conclusion For many years, the Stonehenge has attracted a number of researchers and scholars, all wanting to understand the reason behind the construction of such a monument. Many had attempted to give some explanations as to how and why the monument was built but until now there seem to be no clear explanations why this monument of stones was erected. What is more baffling is how the builders were able to build such monument made of giant stones with ancient tools such as the antlers and stones found in the area. The Stonehenge is built is great precision and high level knowledge of engineering, who could have had such advanced knowledge more than 4600 years ago? Perhaps the secrets of the Stonehenge will be revealed in time and perhaps now. Suffice it to say that the Stonehenge had been one of the most important structures that humankind had ever built. Otherwise, the builders of this monument will not spend 3000 years just to put together the Stonehenge. Annexes: Annex 1 Plan of Stonehenge with the Aubrey holes, the Heel Stone, and the Station Stones Image taken from Castleden 1993 p. 30 Annex 2 Arial photo of the site from “Places of peace and power” retrieved 31 March 2007 http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/stonehenge.html Annex 3 The megaliths from “Places of peace and power” retrieved 31 March 2007 http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/stonehenge.html References: 1. “Places of peace and power” retrieved 31 March 2007 http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/stonehenge.html 2. Christopher Chippindale (2004) Stonehenge Complete. Thames and Hudson, London 3. Eliade M. (1978) A History of Religious Ideas, Vol. 1, From the Stone Age to the Eleusinian mysteries. University of Chicago press 4. Frank Stevens 1916 Stonehenge To-day and Yesterday. Sampson Low, Marston & Co. ltd. London 5. Hawkins G and White J. (1988) Stonehenge Decoded Heppocrene Books 6. Hawkins G. (1965) Stonehenge Decoded. Delta Book New York 7. Rodney Castleden (1993) The Making of Stonehenge. Routledge. New York.. 8. Rosenberg D. (1998) World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths & Epics, 3rd ed Madison,WI:NTCContemporaryPublishingCompany 9. Stonehenge Didnt Stand Alone, Excavations Show http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070112-stonehenge_2.html 10. Stonehenge Settlement Found: Builders Homes, "Cult Houses" http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070130-stonehenge.html Read More