...The Stonehenge is located in the county Wilshire, which is about an hour and forty minutes drive, east of London. Long before the first construction of the monument was built, the Stonehenge landscape already used to contain long barrows, communal burial mounds of people from the Early Neolithic Period, around 4000 BC. The Stonehenge cursus, a 3 kilometer long and 100 meters wide strip of land outlined by two earthern banks found near Stonehenge also comes from about the same time (Ruggles et al). It is important to note that the Stonehenge is built in stages. The circular earthen ditch and bank is the earliest known development in Stonehenge, probably built using the antler of a red deer. It was developed during the Middle Neolithic period, around 2950 BC (Ruggles et al). The monument originally comprised of a ring made of 56 pits, known as the Aubrey holes, named after the antiquarian and scholar, John Aubrey who first discovered and recorded the holes in 1666 (Jack). These holes erected Bluestones that came from the Preseli Mountain in South wales, about 250 kilometers away (Pearson). These Bluestones were around 2 meters long and weigh several tons each (Ruggles et al). It took a lot of effort for prehistoric people to transport the heavy Bluestones from Whales to England; this suggests that the people who first created the monument placed significant importance on the Bluestones. The Station Stones and Heelstone (with a missing companion) were also put at about the same time...
Words: 3526 - Pages: 15
...Chris Biala Art History 181 Professor Kennedy September 20, 2012 The Mystery and Reasoning Behind Stonehenge One of Britain’s greatest national icons is the Stonehenge; it is a group of large stone aligned in a circle placed in the middle of large land. To this day it is still a mystery of how this creation was made and what the original purpose was. Unfortunately according to Lacy Norri, over time many of the original stones have broken, fallen or were used for home construction and road repair. This creation is extremely impressive; it had to have required commitment and much time spent on manual labor. There are many speculations for the reasons behind this creation; some believe it was for religion or even as a hobby to spend their time. I do agree with these assumptions but I also believe that it was used as a symbol to communicate with other spectators. Norri states that the Stonehenge was a large earthwork which is a bank and ditch arrangement called a henge. Some theorists have come up with the idea that the ditch was dug with antlers of deer’s and wood. During this time there were not many tools available so I feel that whoever created the Stonehenge relied on nature. I agree with the ideas of the theorist that they must have used antlers, wood, or their bare hands to accomplish this. Since the hole of the ditch was deep they must have had to beat the dirt or use water to soften it so that digging it would be easier. During 2000 BC the first stone circle was assembled...
Words: 1553 - Pages: 7
...Whalon Herbert Anthropology 108 17 November 2000 Dr. Ringle, Professor Stonehenge is without a doubt the most interesting monument in Europe. The ring of stones standing in the open vastness of Salisbury Plain is an evocative image of wonder and mystery. (Scarre, 130) Stonehenge is both traditional and unique in Britain colorful history. It is traditional in that it falls within a whole class of monuments characterized by circular banks and ditches, or by rings of standing stones. Its uniqueness is engulfed within the size of the stones, the complexity of their arrangement, and the balancing of the lintels atop the uprights. There are three other major monuments in Britain, and while they don’t receive the same consideration as Stonehenge, they too entice much scrutiny. While the unique characteristics of Stonehenge only help to intensify its marvel, the ambiguities of its intention pose questions that today are still not answered. This essay will discuss monumentality as it compares to the four major henge enclosures in Britain. The monuments, namely Stonehenge, Avebury, Marden, and Durrington Walls, will be used in conjunction with discussing what purposes monuments can serve, as well as what the remains of a site can tell us about the culture of a society. Avebury The best-known neighbor of Stonehenge, the Great Circles at Avebury, was built between c. 2,500 and 2,200 BC. Together the two sites illustrate two important general characteristics of the culture of the Bronze Age:...
Words: 986 - Pages: 4
...Stonehenge is not only the most famous stone circle in Britain, but also the best-known ancient monument in the World, with at least ½ a million visitors each year. Located on Salisbury Plain, north of Salisbury, England, it is famous for the debate, mystery, and speculation surrounding it. Stonehenge was not built all in one single step, but rather in four separate stages, dating from approximately 3100BC to 1500BC. The modern visitor to Stonehenge is viewing the ruins of the final phase of construction site. The monument itself consists of four concentric ranges of stones. The oldest part, called Stonehenge I, consists of little more than a circular ditch dug in the chalky soil of the Salisbury Plain, with the soil taken from the ditch piled up to make an enbankment about 6 ft tall. This part of the monument is about 320 ft across. Inside this large circle are the things that we normally think of as Stonhenge proper; circles of stones that once stood upright, and the most photogenic, the large horseshoe arrangements of standing stones at the center. These last, the so-called trillithons, consist of upright stones supporting horizontal lintels, and the largest of them weigh in around 45 tons. These massive stones have been placed in unison with these circles to create Stonehenge and along with that bring about the curiosity of why one would build such a structure as that of Stonehenge. The location of Stonehenge was not simply a coincidental happening, for the latitude is...
Words: 343 - Pages: 2
...Additionally, religion was a major factor in interpreting Stonehenge. Religion, arising from the psychological need to find “spiritual states, or comfort in a hostile world, or [providing] a bulwark against fear of death” was the lens through which Stonehenge was seen before early Enlightenment. The religious and powerful political dogma of the Christian church in England, resulting in severe punishment when going against the institution, conditioned thinkers of the time to interpret the mysterious as unchristian and distance their “cultured” society. This was especially prominent when the church found an explanation to be unsavory or suggestive of anything other than Christianity. Time and again, one can see the influence and power the Church...
Words: 286 - Pages: 2
...Stonehenge Formal analysis Stu.Name : Omar Al Salti ID: U14110165 Stonehenge has stood alone on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England., a mysterious legacy of a vanished culture. Today it is flanked by two busy roads and its visitor center attracts million tourists from all over the world. Yet only 50 years ago it was a still quiet and empty place. stonehenge is a prehistoric monument without parallel . it was built by an ancient civilization over 4,000 years ago. The location was first marked 10,000 years ago. The most noticeable structure that we see at Stonehenge today is a circle of upright sarsens with some horizontal lintels perched on top of them. The sarsens are large slabs of sandstone like rock that were probably obtained...
Words: 622 - Pages: 3
...The Stonehenge was during the Neolithic Megaliths period. Megaliths means Big stone, and monoliths means a single piece of rock placed within a monument. The Stonehenge is exactly that a Big stone placed within a monument. Located in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire,England is the Stonehenge. The first phase of the Stonehenge was built around 3100 B.C.E. The second phase started about 100-200 years later and the third phase started about 400-500 years after that. The grand total build time for the Stonehenge took about 1500 years. The Stonehenge is one of the most well known monument. Currently the Stonehenge is one of the most sophisticated and orly serving linteled stone circle in the world, hence why so many people around the world come to see...
Words: 761 - Pages: 4
...The remarkable monumental stones also know, as the megaliths have been architecture by Neolithic builders. These big stones are located in the Northern Europe, and collectively are estimated about one hundred upright stones placed in a circular position. This unique architecture structure is famously known as Stonehenge. Researchers have estimated the Stonehenge to be built around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. By exploring the monumental stones it has intrigued myself to know who built Stonehenge, the construction of Stonehenge, the purpose of its creation, and Stonehenge as of today. By researching these topics we will have a better understanding the meaning Stonehenge. Many historians and archaeologists have came to an agreement that there were several tribes of people that participated to construct Stonehenge. It was first believed that Neolithic agrarians were inherent by the British Isles. But than later, to believe a group of more advance tools and a cooperative way of marking their presence on the land was...
Words: 703 - Pages: 3
...The Stonehenge is considered as one of the Neolithic period monuments and considered as an architectural artwork that represents an earthwork. It was constructed between 3000-1800 BC, on the Salisbury plain in Western Europe, Wiltshire, Southern England. Archaeologists state that there are several theories on the purpose of building the Stonehenge. Many have wondered by whom and why was it built. One of these theories narrate a story of the conflict between the kingdom of Breton Vortigern, elected king of England, and the Saxon and their king Hengist. Since the two parties had agreed to make peace, they agreed to meet, unarmed near the site of the Stonehenge. However, the Saxons drew their daggers and assassinated king Vortigern and hundreds of noble Bretons. Aurelius Amborosius successor to Vortigren, decided to erect a monument to commemorate the massacre. A second theory states that the Stonehenge was made to be used as a temple for sacred ceremonies. There are several assumption regarding the purpose of the monument, however, the most accurate theory so far is that the Stonehenge was built to understand the movement of the sun in order to determine the lengths of the day and to detriment seasonal changes....
Words: 727 - Pages: 3
...The mysterious formation of rocks that are in Wiltshire, England have been keeping scientists confused for years and years because it was an extremely difficult structure to build when it was predicted to be first built about four thousand years ago. Stonehenge has all sorts of theories and predictions on how and why the structures of rocks are there. Some of theories revolving around Stonehenge include how people four thousand years managed to move these gargantuan rocks. Each rock is about seven feet in height and fifty tons. Another theory about Stonehenge is how they used the building of the rocks to “heal” people. They would put the person they were healing in the center surrounded by all the rocks and do whatever they had to, to...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...establish the theory that Stonehenge was built by Druids as to form a Druid Temple to carry out sacrificial rituals. The pre-christian celtic tribes were described (Hawkins “Stonehenge Decoded” 1965) to perform several ritual sacrifices at Stonehenge. Proof exists for the activity of sacrifices as skeletons were excavated and injuries depicted by bones were shown to be from arrow shots as the arrows found at the site fit perfectly into the the gaps, indents and cracks of the bones. Also there wasn’t any equipment found at the site to hold down people being sacrificed, meaning that this was could have been a gift to the gods (religious) or it could’ve just been a choice. Complicated analysis of the bones form an assumption that sacrifices were made to warn others not to commit crimes as death will be the punishment (many of the bones were thought to be the bones of criminals when considering that the jewellery surrounding them were traced back to distant places and tribes); it’s plausible to assume that if the Druids can kill someone just to please the gods they can at least go to this extent to give a criminal a death sentence. Furthermore, arrows that were buried close to the bones are made from metal (mostly iron), dating the evidence to the Iron Age (the era when the Druids existed). Cultural stories passed down from generations also suggest that Druids performed ritual sacrifices, indicating there was, at some period, the definite presence of Druids at Stonehenge. After the introduction...
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...Stonehenge is not only the most famous stone circle in Britain, but also the best-known ancient monument in the World, with at least ½ a million visitors each year. Located on Salisbury Plain, north of Salisbury, England, it is famous for the debate, mystery, and speculation surrounding it. Stonehenge was not built all in one single step, but rather in four separate stages, dating from approximately 3100BC to 1500BC. The modern visitor to Stonehenge is viewing the ruins of the final phase of construction site. The monument itself consists of four concentric ranges of stones. The oldest part, called Stonehenge I, consists of little more than a circular ditch dug in the chalky soil of the Salisbury Plain, with the soil taken from the ditch piled up to make an enbankment about 6 ft tall. This part of the monument is about 320 ft across. Inside this large circle are the things that we normally think of as Stonhenge proper; circles of stones that once stood upright, and the most photogenic, the large horseshoe arrangements of standing stones at the center. These last, the so-called trillithons, consist of upright stones supporting horizontal lintels, and the largest of them weigh in around 45 tons. These massive stones have been placed in unison with these circles to create Stonehenge and along with that bring about the curiosity of why one would build such a structure as that of Stonehenge. The location of Stonehenge was not simply a coincidental happening, for the latitude is very...
Words: 1217 - Pages: 5
...In chapter 3.7 we see the famous Hall of Mirrors. In King Louis XI’s palace of Versailles there is a large chamber filled with mirrors that reflect the gardens outside. King Louis IX hired many artists to decorate his large palace. The Hall of Mirrors is used for celebrations, greetings of dignitaries, and balls. The gardens that are reflected by the mirrors surround 2,000 acres of the palace. It is filled with 200,000 trees, 210,000 flowers, and 2,100 sculptures. Versailles is located outside of Paris, France in the country. The palace contains a 83m high dome that allowed the King to see all of Paris. It also had a bell tower which held the bell of France, La Savoyarde. King Louis XI was very committed ad loving to art. He allowed his artists...
Words: 357 - Pages: 2
...Sacred Building/Sculptures and their Ritualistic Functions Throughout history man has created great marvels, in present day most great sculptures and buildings serve little to no underlying function than most the most obvious. However, looking back into history we will find that almost every great marvel served and exact purpose, whether it be for placing the dead, worship for the living, or even performing rituals. Some of my favorite ancient sacred standing structures are Stonehenge as well as The Tomb of Djehuty (TT110). The Tomb of Djehuty (TT110) also known as the Tomb of Djehutihotep happens to be one of many great buildings of Ancient Egypt still standing today. Djehutihotep translates to “Thoth is satisfied”. Djehuty was a Nomarch of the fifteenth nomos of Upper Egypt...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...This structure has many wild stories as to why it is there such as it was thought to have been created by an ancient race of giants and conjured by Merlin the Magician who transplanted it from Ireland. Those most probable of all stories is that this middle aged structure was built for use as an astronomical calendar. This perplexing circle of rocks has mesmerized tourists for hundreds of years. An estimated one thousand five hundred years to erect, Stonehenge consists of massive stones placed in a circle with a larger circle surrounding them. Scientists have found that the outer edge of stones come from local quarries and the bluestones that the inner ring consists of came the Preseli Hills in Wales which is about two hundred miles from where Stonehenge is located. Though we are unsure why Stonehenge is there we can certainly learn a lot from it about ancient...
Words: 451 - Pages: 2
