Awe . Mystery . Grandeur . Fascination . Fear . Unreachability . Unknowability . Ancien . Ancien . and
even more ancient . !!
If you have ever been Stonehenge, you may have felt these feelings.
It's thought that the name "Stonehenge"
originates from the Anglo-Saxon period. The old English word
"henge" meaning hanging or gibbet.
Today the word "henge" has a specific archeological meaning: a circular
enclosure surrounding settings of stone and timber 
uprights,
or pits.
Who
built Stonehenge?
Stonehenge is a group of standing stones on Salisbury Plain in southern England.
Dating to c. 2000-l800 B.C., the megaliths are enclosed by a circular ditch and
embankment that may date to c. 2800. The arrangement of the stones suggests
that Stonehenge was used as a religious center
and also as an astronomical observatory.
There are probably hundreds of myths and legends about
StonehengeOne of the most popular beliefs was that Stonehenge
was built by the Druids. These high priests of the Celts,
constructed it for sacrificial ceremonies. It was John Aubrey, who first linked
Stonehenge to the Druids. Additionally, Dr.
William Stukeley, another Stonehenge antiquary, also claimed the Druids were Stonehenge's builders. Stukeley studied Stonehenge
a century later than Aubrey and became so involved in the study of the Druid
religion that he himself became one. Through his work he was very instrumental
in popularizing the theory that Stonehenge was
built by Druids. Unfortunately researchers
have proven this age-old theory linking Stonehenge's
construction to the Druids impossible. Through modern radio carbon dating
techniques, scientists have discovered that its builders completed Stonehenge over a thousand years before the Celts ever
inhabited this region, eliminating Druids from the possibilities. Usually
Druids worshipped in marshes and forests, but it has been verified that they
did use Stonehenge occasionally as a temple of
worship and sacrifice when they moved into the region. Modern Druids, formally
named the Grand Lodge of the Ancient Order of Druids, still congregate at Stonehenge on the midsummer solstice, clad in white robes
and hoods. As recently as 1905, the Druids initiated 258 novices inside these
stones on midsummer solstice. Today, for fear of its desecration, Stonehenge is usually shut off to public access on
midsummer's eve.
Stonehenge: a visual history
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1. Around 3000 BC, the first Stonehenge
consisted of a ditch and bank enclosing a ring of 56 pits. These were later
named Aubrey Holes after the 17th century antiquarian John Aubrey who
discovered them.
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2. In approximately 2500 BC, the 4 tonne bluestone megalisths were
brought from the Preseli mountains in Wales.
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3. Around 2300 BC, 30 sarsens (sandstone uprights), each weighing over
25 tonnes, were positioned in a circle and capped with morticed stone
lintels.
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4. Seven centuries later two mysterious rings of pits were dug around
the Stones.
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5.
Over time, the landscape around Stonehenge
underwent substantial change and development. In the Neolithic period long
barrows and huge earthworks such as the Cursus and Durrington Walls were
created.
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Nunzi
Francesca
Classe 4Bt
