The majestic Stonehenge is the most famous cromlech in the world, located near the city of Amesbury in England. There are many secrets around the ancient structure, in particular about who, when and why it was created.
The name of Stonehenge is another unsolved mystery, which is still debated to this day. The modern name in English "Stonehenge" means "stone circle", but the exact translation of the Old English word "Stanhengues" is in doubt, tentatively - "hanging stones".
Stonehenge - a mystery of history
The mysterious past of Stonehenge has given rise to various hypotheses about the purpose of this ancient megalith. The opinions of scientists differ and today there are 3 main versions of the purpose:
- burial mound - currently known about the burials of 60 people of the Neolithic era;
- an ancient primitive temple - a pagan temple where rituals, celebrations and sacrifices were held;
- astronomical observatory - Stonehenge is oriented with small errors according to the various stages of movement of the Sun and Moon.
And legends say that Stonehenge, as the eighth wonder of the world, was created with magic by the famous wizard Merlin.
In terms of mystery, Stonehenge can be compared to the no less mysterious one.
Construction of a cromlech
There are as many theories around the mysterious Stonehenge as there are stones in the structure itself. It is not known exactly how old these megaliths are, it is assumed that construction took place in 3 stages and lasted 1000-1500 years (between 3500 and 2000 BC). There is also no consensus about the builders of the cromlech: it could have been built by the Celts, Greeks or Germans. Modern calculations have shown that the creation of Stonehenge at that time required about 20 million man-hours of work. Why Stonehenge was built around the 20th century is unknown, but it is obvious that the reason was very compelling.
The Stonehenge cromlech consists of small stones (up to 5 tons) and 30 large stones, weighing 25 tons, which form a circle with a diameter of 33 meters. Inside this circle are 3 trilithons, each weighing 50 tons. The height of these megaliths is from 4 to 6 meters. During the construction, blue stones were used, which were delivered from a distance of 250 km. By what means these stones were moved is another mystery.
There is another theory according to which Stonehenge is not an ancient structure, but a fake from 1954. There are quite a few photos on the Internet showing how stones were installed and concrete was poured. At the same time, there is plenty of evidence of the antiquity of Stonehenge.
- Stonehenge is one of 900 similar stone structures discovered in the British Isles.
- The most common finds in the ground under the stone ring are Roman coins from the 7th century BC. e.
- Stonehenge was first mentioned in chronicles of the 12th century.
- In 1915, lawyer Cecil Chubb bought Stonehenge for £6,600, but three years later donated it to the state.
- At the beginning of the 20th century, visitors were not prohibited from chipping away a souvenir as a souvenir.
- Since 1986, Stonehenge has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- In 2011, the BBC produced a 4-part documentary film, “The World of Stonehenge.”
- Every year on the day of the summer solstice, a festival is held near Stonehenge, in which pagans and descendants of the Druids (as they call themselves) take part.
- About a million tourists visit Stonehenge every year.
Excursions: how to get there, opening hours, tickets
You can get to Stonehenge from London either as part of an excursion group or on one's own:
- by car - heading along the M3 and A303 towards Amesbury;
- by train - from Waterloo station to Salisbury or Andover railway station, from where buses run regularly to Stonehenge.
The nearby tourist complex has a café, gift shop, toilets and parking, and you can also book a tour here.
Address: Amesbury, Salisbury SP4 7DE, UK.
GPS coordinates: 51°10"43.9"N 1°49"34.4"W.
Opening hours (daily):
- 9:30 - 19:00 - from April 1 to May 31;
- 9:00 - 20:00 - from June 1 to August 31;
- 9:30 - 19:00 - from September 1 to October 15;
- 9:30 - 17:00 - from October 16 to March 31.
Entrance ticket price:
- Adult - £15.50;
- Child (5-15) - £9.30;
- Student/Pensioner - £13.90;
- Family ticket* - £40.30.
* - 2 adults and 3 children.
Attention! Ticket sales stop one hour before closing. Prices are as of November 2017. When visiting Stonehenge during public hours, it is prohibited to approach the stone structure closer than 15-20 meters.
There is a unique megalithic (stone) structure. This Stonehenge, which since 1986 has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and transferred by the British Crown to the management of English Heritage.
What is Stonehenge, one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, and why has the gaze of those who explore history been riveted on it for many years?
Let's try to answer this question. To do this, consider all the interesting facts related to the world of Stonehenge.
To begin with, we should turn to the historical name of this mysterious complex, which in ancient times sounded like Stanhengues.
They tried to translate this word back in, and the most accurate version was listed as “suspended stones” or “hanging stones.”
Today, this monument is called Stonehenge, which means “stone henge”, that is, “stone circle”.
Where is Stonehenge
Stonehenge is located in the United Kingdom and is one of its most important attractions.
To be more precise, as we have already said, the structure is located in the county of Wiltshire in England, approximately 3.2 km west of Amesbury and 13 km north of Salisbury.
World of Stonehenge
Scientists believe that Stonehenge arose around 3000 BC. e. In other words, this structure is about 5 thousand years old.
The complex is a circle of stones surrounded by 56 Aubrey burial holes, named after the 17th century explorer of Stonehenge.
In the very center there is an altar weighing 6 tons. In general, Stonehenge consists of 82 megaliths weighing 5 tons; 30 blocks, each weighing 25 tons; and 5 trilithons (arches of three stones), weighing 50 tons each.
By the way, the arches point to the cardinal directions with impeccable accuracy.
The stones that were used to create this mysterious structure have different origins. It is believed that they could have been transported from a site located 210 km from Stonehenge.
When considering such structures, the question involuntarily arises: how were these giant multi-ton blocks moved from one place to another?
Scientists conducted an experiment and found that 24 people can move a stone weighing one ton at a speed of 1 km per day.
As we said earlier, there are 50-ton blocks at Stonehenge. Consequently, ancient builders could move one such block over several years.
Legends of Stonehenge
One of the legends says that the megalithic complex was built with the help of the wizard Merlin, who was also the mentor of King Arthur. Allegedly, he brought stone blocks from South Wales - the site of a collection of sacred springs.
However, even assuming that the legend has some basis, it is difficult to assume that this is true. After all, the distance to these quarries is enormous, and it would have been much easier to transport multi-ton blocks by sea, and then only drag the remaining 80 km by land.
According to another version, the huge Heel Stone was formed when one monk was running away from the devil and did not have time to hide. The demon threw a stone at the fleeing saint and crushed his heel.
Of course, all this cannot be true, if only because the characters of ancient England lived much later than the emergence of Stonehenge.
Who built Stonehenge
Like any unique cultural heritage site, Stonehenge has controversial origins. Whether the ancient Romans were involved in the construction, or whether it was the result of the activities of the Germans and Swiss, remains a mystery.
It is believed that this complex was used for its intended purpose for 2-2.5 thousand years, after which it was abandoned.
Of course, it is not possible to verify this, and such conclusions are made on the basis of insignificant facts and details.
Purpose
There is also no clear and unambiguous answer to this question. However, there is a persistent version that it was an ancient observatory.
In the 90s of the twentieth century, as a result of computer modeling, researchers found that Stonehenge is not only a lunar calendar, but also a solar one.
Moreover, Stonehenge is a visual cross-section of the solar system. An interesting fact is that at that time this model consisted of 12 planets.
Perhaps the ancient sages knew something that still remains a scientific mystery to us.
The English historian Brooks, who explored Stonehenge for many years, proved that it is part of a giant navigation system.
Of course, the complex was also used as a ritual place. Many ritual attributes were found in the surrounding area.
After excavations, scientists came to the conclusion that in total about 240 people were buried at Stonehenge, who were cremated before burial. Archaeologists believe that most likely representatives of the local elite or ruling dynasty were buried here.
Using radiocarbon dating, scientists have determined that most of the remains date back to 2570-2340 BC, and the first part of the ashes, which were discovered in the oldest part of Stonehenge, is dated to 3030-2880 BC.
At the beginning of the 20th century, local residents skillfully sold hammers, chisels and other auxiliary tools to visitors so that they could chop off a piece of the sacred megalith.
Today, tourists do not have this opportunity, since this monument is the most important architectural heritage of the past and is protected accordingly.
Druid Sanctuary
John Aubrey (English writer and antiquarian) believed that Stonehenge was the fruit of the hands of the Druids (priests of the ancient Celts).
This has led modern English neo-Druids to regularly visit Stonehenge, considering it one of the.
Considering the fact that this complex was actually built taking into account astronomical patterns, on the days of the winter and summer solstice, many representatives of pagan beliefs come to Stonehenge to feel the connection with nature and the cosmos.
Maybe future scientists will be able to answer this question, but for now we are forced to limit ourselves to describing interesting facts.
Just 130 km from the capital of Great Britain there is an ancient structure, the reason for its construction cannot yet be named. Stonehenge is still shrouded in secrets and mystical mysteries, attracting not only curious tourists, but also paleontologists, historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and many other scientists.
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Giant stone giants have stood guard over Stonehenge for more than 5 millennia, strictly keeping secret the true reason for the creation of this unique ancient monument. Located in the middle of the Salisbury chalk plateau, the structure made of huge stone blocks covers an area of 107 square meters. km and is located in the middle of marshland near the Devonshire hills. The unsolved mysteries of ancient Stonehenge give reason to call it the eighth wonder of the world. No wonder Stonehenge is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Origin of the word Stonehenge
Like the structure itself, the word “Stonehenge” has ancient origins. It is believed to come from a combination of the Old English words "stan" and "hencg", which translates to stone rod. In reality, the upper stones are fixed on huge blocks of stone in the form of rods. There is an assumption that the word “Stonehenge” has in its structure the Old English “hencen”, which means “gallows”, since the stone structures of two vertical blocks and the horizontal slab lying on them resemble medieval gallows.
These sculptures, reminiscent of medieval execution instruments, were called trilithas, which translated from Greek means three stones. There are five such trilithes, weighing 50 tons each. In addition to the huge triliths, 30 stone blocks weighing 25 tons each and 82 five-ton megaliths - large fragments of rocks that in ancient times were used to build structures with a religious purpose - were used in the creation of Stonehenge.
Grandiose building
The stone monoliths of Stonehenge are laid out around the perimeter of a large circle. On top of these blocks are huge stone slabs. Inside the circle there are stone blocks of larger sizes and covered with larger slabs, which are arranged in the form of a horseshoe. In the inner part of this peculiar horseshoe there are blue stones, forming the semblance of a smaller horseshoe.
Averubi and Silbury Hill
During the study of Stonehenge, even more ancient structures were discovered nearby - a huge circle laid out using vertical stone slabs - Averubi and Silbury Hill - a man-made cone-shaped mound reaching a height of 45 m. When studying these structures, we came to the interesting conclusion that they are all connected themselves, forming a single whole. Scientists made this conclusion based on the fact that the distance between Stonehenge, Averubi and Silbury Hill is 20 km, and they themselves are located so that they are in the corners of an equilateral triangle.
Mysteries of Stonehenge
None of the scientists can definitely say for what purpose and how exactly this stone structure was erected. It remains a mystery how, several centuries before the victory over Troy, multi-ton blocks were delivered to the site of Stonehenge, if the distance to the nearest rocks is 350 km. Even using modern construction equipment, it is not at all easy to deliver a block of stone weighing 25 tons over such a distance, and it is impossible to understand how this was achieved in the 2nd millennium BC.
Trying to somehow explain the reason for the appearance of stone monoliths on the swampy plain, people composed legends and tales. According to one of them, the powerful sorcerer Merlin brought legendary giants here by air to heal their wounds. The British call Stonehenge “the dance of the giants.” Indeed, stones placed in a circle are associated with a round dance of giants holding hands.
Another mystery of Stonehenge concerns the construction of a megalith over the intersection points of underground rivers. Under Stonehenge there are huge reserves of groundwater. Their presence can be explained by the location of the stone structure in a swampy area, but how to explain how the ancient people managed to accurately position the megalith remains a mystery.
The construction of Stonehenge took about 2000 years. Recently, archaeologists have found evidence of ancient wooden monumental buildings on the territory of this stone structure that were erected here 8,000 years ago.
Cult place
Later, on the territory of Stonehenge, two earthen ramparts were formed in the shape of a circle with a diameter of about 115 meters, separated by a deep ditch dug by deer antlers. During excavations in certain areas of the ditch, bones of large animals were discovered, and in some places the remains of burnt corpses. Based on the research, we came to the conclusion that this place was a cult place and sacrifices were made here. Many hundreds of years after the final construction of Stonehenge, it was used as a cemetery for cremated remains.
Stonehenge stones
Inside the moat are blue stones that were laid much later, around 1800 BC. e. Experts have established that these huge blocks were brought here from deposits located in different places and were moved from one place to another several times. It is difficult to imagine how this was possible without modern technology. Outside the circle is a huge monolith called the heel of the fleeing monk. On the opposite side of the shafts, opposite the “Heel” stone, there is a “Stone-block” inside.
Despite its name, the stone has nothing to do with sacrifices. Being exposed to external natural factors, weathering products appeared on the stone - iron oxides, which have a blood-red color. These “bloody” stains gave the stone its name.
In the center of Stonehenge there is a block of green sandstone weighing about 6 tons, which served as an altar.
The largest reconstruction of Stonehenge took place at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. Huge stone blocks were delivered to the construction area from the southern hills, located 40 km from the construction site. Even such an insignificant distance by today's standards is difficult to overcome in modern conditions in order to transport 30 huge stone blocks. What can we say about the delivery of stone blocks at the end of the 3rd millennium BC? The results of that ancient reconstruction have survived to this day almost unchanged.
Purpose
Scientists from all countries are at a loss about the purpose of Stonehenge. There are a number of assumptions and versions about this. Some consider the gigantic structure to be an ancient observatory, others argue that the Druids performed their religious rites here. There is an opinion that Stonehenge was built as a landing site for alien ships, and adherents of the existence of parallel dimensions are confident that a portal to other worlds opens here.
Some 5,000-year-old rock paintings discovered 14 km from Addis Ababa allegedly contain images similar to the stone blocks of Stonehenge. In one of these ancient drawings, above the center of the stone sculpture, the image resembles a spaceship taking off.
Paranormal activity
Paranormal investigators claim that amazing things are happening near the complex. Once, during a tour of Stonehenge, a boy accidentally touched one of the stones with a piece of bent wire and fell unconscious. After this incident, the child could not come to his senses for a long time and lost the ability to move his arms and legs for a whole six months.
While photographing Stonehenge in 1958, the photographer observed rising columns of light above the huge blocks of stone. And in 1968, one of the eyewitnesses said that he saw a ring of fire emanating from the stones of Stonehenge, in which there was a bright luminous object. In 1977, eyewitnesses managed to film a UFO squadron over the megalith, and this video was shown on all British television channels. Interestingly, while observing unidentified objects, eyewitnesses' compass broke and their portable TV failed.
In the Stonehenge area, scientists have repeatedly heard clicking sounds and strange buzzing sounds of unknown origin. Many scientists argue that the reason for such phenomena lies in the strong magnetic field spreading around Stonehenge. Surprisingly, the compass needle, which should point south, always turns towards the center of the megalith, regardless of which side of the structure you stop on. Another strange phenomenon is difficult to explain. If you knock on one of the stones in a certain way, the sound will spread to all the stones, although they are not connected to each other.
Versions of scientists
The 17th century English architect Inigo Jones, studying the structure, came to the conclusion that the structure of Stonehenge resembles the architecture of ancient times and suggested that these are the ruins of an ancient Roman temple. Another version indicates that the pagan queen Boadicea, who fought against the Romans, was buried on the territory of Stonehenge. In this regard, there is an opinion that the leaders of ancient tribes were also buried in Stonehenge.
Later, scientists suggested that Stonehenge was erected in order to accurately predict the time of lunar and solar eclipses, as well as the dates of the start of field work. Proof of this is the fact that on the day of the summer solstice during sunrise, its ray passes exactly through the middle of this stone structure. However, this version was rejected by skeptics, who argued that it was hardly justified to invest so much effort and money to verify the existence of an ordinary calendar and the change of seasons.
According to many scientists, Stonehenge was a place of pilgrimage and healing. An analysis of human bones found at burial sites within the stone structures showed that the people buried here suffered from serious illnesses. Warriors wounded in battle, the crippled and the hopelessly ill flocked to the blue stones of Stonehenge, hoping to receive healing here. Many, without waiting for recovery, died and were buried here.
The ancient Stonehenge holds many unsolved mysteries. None of the stones have an inscription, drawing or any marking. Scientists find it difficult to cling to anything. We have to build versions and put forward hypotheses and assumptions. It is worth noting that similar structures made of stone blocks can be found throughout Europe and on individual islands, although in scale they are clearly inferior to Stonehenge.
In the English county of Wiltshire, a favorite tourist destination is the famous - a quaint stone structure. The blocks stand in the shape of a circle, some of them are covered with slabs on top. Inside the circle there are also several structures that form a smaller circle. This archaeological site was officially included in the World Heritage List in 1986, because it still raises a lot of questions and disputes about its origin.
This building has an ancient name - “Dance of the Giants”. The exact year of the appearance of Stonehenge is unknown to anyone, therefore the estimated period is quite wide - from 3020-2910 BC. e. One thing is clear - it took many centuries to build it, and many peoples of that time had a hand in it.
All the stones of Stonehenge are very different, not only in the nature of their origin, but also in weight. The heaviest ones – up to 50 tons. That is why there are doubts that the monument is the work of mankind, because such heavy blocks had to be moved for many years to the construction site. However, according to legend, Merlin, the chief sorcerer of the Britons, managed to build Stonehenge in memory of the battle with the Saxons in exactly one night.
The exact purpose of Stonehenge is an interesting question for archaeologists and researchers. According to some, the stones personified the cult of the Sun. And others are sure that the stones were necessary for the purposes of astronomy. There is another assumption - the energy of the majestic stones could be used to treat sick people who came here from all over the world. The second version is more plausible - many tourists saw with their own eyes how on the day of the summer solstice the sun rises just above the Heel Stone, which is located at the entrance to the stone circle.
Recently, researchers discovered several religious monuments near Stonehenge, leading to new speculation that the stone structure is only a small part of a larger complex of sacrifice points and holy sites. By the way, over many centuries the monument was constantly restored to maintain it, so visually it is somewhat different from its original appearance. At the same time, the scope of the restoration was quite impressive, which caused a lot of criticism; even special investigations were carried out to determine whether the overall picture of the monument had been violated.
You can get to the stone monument by ordering, you will need to drive about 130 km. During the excursion, you can learn more about the mysteries and secrets of this unusual place, as well as take unforgettable photographs as a keepsake, which will definitely become the pride of your home album.
Legends are not only made about this monument, but films are also made. In 2010 alone, two documentaries were released. Therefore, before visiting Stonehenge, you can watch a couple of films to show your knowledge during the excursion.
Stonehenge is quite an interesting place to visit if you are interested in the mysteries of nature. Surely the grandeur of these huge stones will amaze any traveler and make them wonder again about the origin of the famous Stonehenge.
Stonehenge in Great Britain is the most amazing prehistoric megalithic structure made of stone that has survived to this day. It is located in a field located 13 km from the small village of Salisbury. “Stone fence” - this is how the name Stonehenge can be translated. London is located 130 km to the southwest. The territory belongs to the administrative district of Wiltshire. It consists of a circle around which are located 56 small burial “Aubrey holes” (named after a 17th-century explorer).
One of the most famous versions is that lunar eclipses could be calculated using them. Later, cremated human remains began to be buried in them. In Europe, from time immemorial, wood has been associated with life, and stone with death.
Stonehenge structure
In the center of the megalith there is a so-called altar (a 6-ton monolith made of green sandstone). In the northeast there is a seven-meter high Heel Stone. There is also the Block Stone, so called because of the color of the iron oxides protruding on it. The next two rings consist of huge hard blocks of blue color (siliceous sandstone). The construction is completed by a ring colonnade with horizontal slabs lying on top. In general, the structure consists of: 82 megaliths weighing 5 tons; 30 blocks, each weighing 25 tons; 5 trilithons, each weighing 50 tons. All of them form arches precisely pointing to the cardinal directions.
This monument of prehistoric architecture is built in the form of a circular fence of two types of hewn stone blocks, which were transported from the Preselian Mountains to the construction site over several centuries. And the Preselian Mountains are located more than 200 km from Stonehenge.
And here a logical question arises: how were our ancient ancestors able to drag heavy boulders over such a long distance, and, in fact, why? There are many assumptions about this.
The myth of the construction of Stonehenge
According to ancient Celtic legend, Stonehenge was created. It was he, the great magician, who personally carried bulky blocks of stone from Ireland and the extreme south of England to the town of Stonehenge, which is located north of the town of Salisbury, in the county of Wiltshire, and erected a sanctuary there, which was destined to survive centuries - the most famous in the British Isles, and throughout the world, megalith.
Stonehenge, let us remind you, is a double circular fence made of large stones installed vertically. This fence is called a cromlech by archaeologists. And, as they believe, it was built between the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC - in 5 long stages.
Purpose
The position of all blocks, vertical support and ceiling are precisely oriented according to the position of the sun on the days of the summer and winter solstice. Two internal “horseshoes” - for sunrise and sunset during the summer and winter solstice. As you can see, the builders attached great importance to this, but the meaning and purpose of the structures still remain unknown to scientists. Researchers are not sure that this structure served as an astronomical laboratory. It is more likely to be used as a religious center. In the middle there is an altar made of green stone. The other blocks in the inner circle are called "blue stones".
There is also an opinion that Stonehenge is a landing site for alien ships, and adherents of the existence of parallel dimensions believe that a portal to other worlds opens here. Some 5,000-year-old rock paintings found 14 km from Addis Ababa allegedly contain images that are similar to the stone blocks of Stonehenge. In one such ancient drawing above the center of a stone sculpture, the image resembles a UFO taking off.
The 17th century English architect Inigo Jones, studying the megalith, came to the conclusion that the structure of the structure resembles the architecture of ancient times and suggested that these are the ruins of an ancient Roman temple. According to another version, the pagan queen Boadicea, who fought against the Romans, is buried on the territory of Stonehenge. In connection with this, an opinion arose that the leaders of ancient tribes were also buried in Stonehenge.
Later, scientists proposed a version that Stonehenge was erected in order to accurately predict the time of lunar and solar eclipses, as well as the dates of the start of field work. Proof can be found in the fact that on the day of the summer solstice during sunrise, its ray passes exactly through the middle of this stone structure. But this version is negatively viewed by skeptics who argue that it was hardly justified to invest so much effort and money to build an ordinary calendar.
One day, during an excursion, the boy accidentally caught a stone with a piece of wire and fell unconscious. After which the child could not come to his senses for a long time and lost the ability to move his arms and legs for six whole months.
While photographing Stonehenge in 1958, the photographer observed rising columns of light above the huge stones. And in 1968, one eyewitness said that he saw a ring of fire that emanated from blocks of stone, in which there was a bright luminous object. 1977 - managed to film a squadron of unidentified objects over the megalith, and this video was shown on all British television channels. It is curious that during UFO sightings, eyewitnesses' compass malfunctioned and their portable television broke down.
In the Stonehenge area, researchers have repeatedly heard clicking sounds and strange buzzing sounds of unknown origin. Many scientists argue that the reason for this kind of phenomenon may lie in the strong magnetic field spreading around Stonehenge. It’s interesting, but the compass needle, which should point south, constantly turns towards the center of the structure, regardless of which side of the megalith you stop on.
Another mystery of Stonehenge concerns the construction of a megalith over the intersection points of underground rivers. Under Stonehenge there are huge reserves of groundwater. Their presence can be explained by the location of the stone structure in a swampy area, but how to explain how the ancient people managed to accurately position the megalith remains a mystery.
There is no explanation for another strange phenomenon. If you knock on one of the stones in a certain way, the sound will spread to all the stones, although they are not connected to each other.
Stonehenge – computer reconstruction
Averubi and Silbury Hill
During the study of Stonehenge, even more ancient structures were discovered nearby - a huge circle laid out using vertical stone slabs - Averubi and Silbury Hill - a man-made mound of a cone shape, 45 m high. Studying these structures, we came to the curious conclusion that they are all interconnected, making up a single whole. Scientists made this conclusion based on the fact that the distance between Stonehenge, Averubi and Silbury Hill is 20 km, and they themselves are located in the corners of an equilateral triangle.
Where did the stones come from?
1136 - the English chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth testified that “these stones were brought from afar.” We, based on the data of modern geology, can completely agree with him on one thing: part of the blocks for the construction of the megalith were in fact somehow delivered from the west, but not from the quarries closest to Stonehenge. In addition, 80 tons of menhirs, or processed stone blocks, which were then installed in a vertical position, were imported from the southern regions of Wales, which is located in western England (in particular, from Pembrokeshire). And this happened already at the second stage of construction, i.e. in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. e.
From the Preselian quarries, in southwest Wales, the so-called blue stones were transported to Stonehenge by water - or so, at least, the famous English archaeologist, Professor Richard Atkinson suggested. And more precisely - along the sea and rivers into the interior of the state. And finally - the final section of the path, the “front”, which several centuries later, in 1265, received a name that has come down to our time, albeit in a slightly different meaning: “avenue”. And here, in reality, it’s time to admire the strength and long-suffering of the ancients.
Construction of Stonehenge
The skill of the stonemasons is no less impressive. After all, most of the roofing slabs of the legendary Stonehenge weigh several tons, and the weight of many supports is several centners. But it was still necessary to find suitable blocks, transport them to the site of future construction and install them in a strictly defined order. Thus, the construction of Stonehenge, in modern terms, was tantamount to a feat of labor.
In fact, during the construction of Stonehenge, two types of stones were used: strong boulders - the so-called aeolian pillars - made of Avebury sandstone, from which trilithes were formed - the same dolmens, or vertical stone blocks with transverse stone slabs on top, forming the outer circle of the entire structure ; and softer dolerites, which are part of ore and coal beds. Dolerite is a basalt-like igneous rock with a bluish-gray hue. Hence its second name - blue stone. Two-meter-high dolerites form the inner circle of the megalithic structure.
Although the blue stones of Stonehenge are not very high, it is in them, according to archaeologists, that the secret meaning of the entire structure lies.
The first thing that archaeologists were unanimous on was the geological origin of dolerites: their homeland is the Preselian Mountains. But as to why the ancient ancestors of the Celts needed to drag dolerite boulders, researchers have differing opinions. The controversy was mainly caused by this question: did people from the New Stone Age actually drag stone blocks with their own hands to the site of the construction of the megalith, or could the stones move on their own - as glaciers shifted in the Quaternary period, i.e. long before the appearance of person? The situation was clarified not long ago. At an international conference, glaciologists announced the result of their many years of research, which boiled down to the fact that there had never been any major glacial movements in the Stonehenge area. However, answers to many other questions have not yet been found.
The distance from the Preselian Mountains to Stonehenge in a straight line is 220 km. However, as you know, the direct path is not always the shortest. So it is in this case: given the exorbitant weight of the “cargo,” we had to take not the shortest, but the most convenient route.
In addition to everything, it was necessary to build appropriate vehicles.
It is known that in the new Stone Age a person could hollow out canoes from tree trunks - they were the main means of transport. In fact, relatively recently, archaeologists discovered the remains of an ancient trimaran, which consisted of three seven-meter-long dugout canoes, which were fastened together by crossbars. Such a trimaran could easily be controlled by six people using poles. As for the four-ton stone blocks, the same six oarsmen were able to load them onto the trimaran using levers. The sea route along the gentle coast of Wales was the most convenient, and there were enough secluded bays in case of bad weather.
But part of the journey had to be covered overland. And here hundreds of pairs of hands were required. The first step was to transfer the “load” onto a sled and pull it along tree trunks cleared of branches, laid across the path, like rollers. Each block was pulled by at least 20 people.
In the beginning, Stonehenge was a cemetery
During excavations in certain areas of the ditch, bones of large animals were discovered, and in some places the remains of burnt human corpses. And although the initial purpose of the construction of this structure remains a mystery, anthropologists claim that in the period before the appearance of the first stone blocks, the monument was the resting place of the remains. At least 64 Neolithic people are now known to be buried at Stonehenge.
Most of the remains discovered were ash. But, in 1923, archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a headless Anglo-Saxon man, dating back to the 7th century AD. e. Because the man was executed, it is possible to assume that he was a criminal, but his burial at Stonehenge led archaeologists to believe that he could belong to the royal dynasty.
The ancient Stonehenge holds many mysteries. There is no inscription, drawing or any marking on any of the stones. It is difficult for scientists to cling to anything. All that remains is to build versions and put forward hypotheses and assumptions. It should be noted that such structures made of stone blocks can be found throughout Europe and on individual islands, although in scale they are of course inferior to Stonehenge.
