 |
 |
Stonehenge is a Neolithic monument created in stages, although it can be roughly dated to around 2000 BCE. (Its original plan, however, dates back to about 2500 BCE, the time of the Great Pyramids in Egypt.) This mysterious megalithic (literally "large stone") structure has a diameter of 97 feet. Its largest stones weigh in around 35 tons and rise about 16 feet in height. The most impressive feature of Stonehenge, however, is the original inclusion of 80 Bluestones, weighing up to 5 tons each. Bluestones are found only in Wales, 130 miles away (assuming they could be hauled in a straight line). This gives you a slight idea of the immense effort that went into constructing this massive monument. Clearly, Stonehenge was important to the people who built it. But why? What was it used for?
Stonehenge once formed a complete circle. When standing inside the remains of Stonehenge today, it is still possible to sense the feeling of complete protection as the building encircles you. It is also possible to look outside the circle, between the great standing stones forming the "doorway," to a huge standing stone, called the heelstone. This stone was carefully aligned so that, on sunrise every summer solstice (around June 21), it cast its shadow in the direction of a large stone in the center of Stonehenge. This tells us Stonehenge served as a calendar. That, at least, is true. But, there is probably more to Stonehenge than keeping track of the seasons.
Even if the Neolithic farmers who created Stonehenge could use a calendar, it wasn't necessary to put this much effort into making one. Therefore, we know Stonehenge MUST have served another purpose, in addition to being a calendar. We may never be sure of what that was, but there are some good theories.
- Scientist recently discovered, with the aid of computers, that Stonehenge could be used to predict eclipses. The question is: Did the Neolithic builders of Stonehenge know how to do this? If so, they could have used Stonehenge for ritual purposes relating to the movements of the sun and moon (and, according to some scientists, major stars as well).
- Because of the alignment of the entire structure to the rising
and setting sun, Stonehenge may be related to ideas of life and
death. The sun (which is born, dies and is reborn daily)
is often associated with beliefs in renewal or rebirth, for
agriculture or for the human soul. Now, if this is true, it makes sense
to build a huge stone monument--ensuring life (through agricultural
fertility) or rebirth (through life after death) is worth the immense
effort needed to construct Stonehenge. The Art History teacher thinks
this theory is likely.