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anonymous Stonehenge February 26, 2005 11:25 AM


Of all the mysteries we've discussed so far, no one has brought up the great mystery of Stonehenge! So, I'm bringing it up.

What is Stonehenge, exactly? Is it some kind of giant calculator meant to predict solar and lunar eclipses - and possibly, the end of the world as we know it? Was it a temple for the ancient Druids? Who really built Stonehenge?


This is an excerpt taken from World Mysteries:

Stonehenge is a megalithic monument on the Salisbury Plain in Southern England, composed mainly of thirty upright stones (sarsens, each over ten feet tall and weighing 26 tons), aligned in a circle, with thirty lintels (6 tons each) perched horizontally atop the sarsens in a continuous circle. There is also an inner circle composed of similar stones, also constructed in post-and-lintel fashion. Constructed without the use of draft animals and shaped by stone tools, Stonehenge was erected many miles from the quarry from which the stones came. It is an amazing feat of engineering, and many stories, both old ones and retellings, frequently name Merlin as this engineer. This is due largely to one Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis), a historian of the 12th century, who wrote a book titled The History and Topography of Ireland. Gerald called Stonehenge "The Giant's Dance," because he had heard stories that giants brought the stones from Africa to Ireland, and built the monument (by some accounts on Mount Kildare, and by others "at Ophela, near the castle of Nas" (O'Meara, ). Later, Gerald said, Aurelius Ambrosius, king of the Britons, had Merlin bring the stones to Britain. However, the archaeological evidence at Stonehenge simply does not support an Arthurian date of construction. The archaeology points to a construction date between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago (more than likely, several construction dates over this time). Stonehenge is angled such that on the equinoxes and the solstices, the sun rising over the horizon appears to be perfectly placed between gaps in the megaliths. This is doubtless not an accident, and probably contributed to the stories of its mysterious origins. In the 1940s and 1950s, Richard John Copland Atkinson proposed that construction occurred in three phases, which he labelled Stonehenge I, II, IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc. This sequence has recently been revised in Archaeological Report (10) published by English Heritage.Phase I (2950-2900 BCE) Stonehenge: Eclipse Computer? Plan of Stonehenge with the Aubrey holes, the Heel Stone, and the Station Stones 91, 92, 93, 94 marked (image from Rodney Castleden The Making of Stonehenge. London and New York: Routledge, 1993. p. 30)




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Holly February 26, 2005 1:17 PM

Good topic! Isnt Stonehenge placed on a (I forgot the term again lol) "energy point" also? I would sure love to visit it!  [ send green star]
 
anonymous Nice pic, Les! February 26, 2005 3:22 PM

And yes, it was.  I believe the phrase you're looking for, hon, is "ley line."  Most researchers seem to agree that Stonehenge was built upon invisible energy lines, or "ley lines" traveling along the surface of the earth - rather like the meridians that run in the human body....  [report anonymous abuse]  [ accepted]
 
Thanks Holly! :) February 26, 2005 3:39 PM

Yeah, Ley Lines! I always forget what theyre called  I would think the ley lines would have something to do with why stonehenge was put there.  [ send green star]
 
anonymous For sure February 26, 2005 3:44 PM

And I can't help wondering WHY Stonehenge was built.

I mean, why build something that huge on the earth's energy lines, if not for the purpose of using that energy? 

I've always been fascinated by that place... I guess I always will be...  [report anonymous abuse]  [ accepted]
 
Holly February 27, 2005 12:40 AM

Considering that they placed it in such a spot leads me to believe that it was a spiritual or religious act, but there are so many possibilities!  [ send green star]
 
anonymous Well February 27, 2005 10:37 AM

The picture in the first post won't show (when I tried to get the pic to show, it said "Please: No hotlinking!"), now, but the basic idea is being put forward that Stonehenge is actually some kind of cosmic calculator, designed to chart the movements of the stars and moon, and predict specific events in time from those calculations.

Which - if that's true - raises the questions: What events needed to be calculated, and what were the energy lines powering?????

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Holly February 27, 2005 11:29 PM

A Cosmic Calculator makes sense!

I can see how the ley lines would tie in with the cosmos

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anonymous But, February 28, 2005 1:11 AM

to what purpose? What would the builders of Stonehenge have needed energy for?  What would they have needed to power up, that they would not only build an elaborate structure like Stonehenge, but they would build it right on or beside the earth's ley lines? I'm soooooooooo curious about that!   [report anonymous abuse]  [ accepted]
 
anonymous Actually.... February 28, 2005 10:31 PM

I believe I saw a program on the Discovery Channel or the Learning Channel that implied the possibility of that, yes.   And I seem to remember thinking, at the time, "Now how stupid is THAT?  Anyone with half a brain in their head knows that the Druids built it!"  [report anonymous abuse]  [ accepted]
 
 March 03, 2005 6:37 AM

I have always found this topic fascinating!

I would love to visit that place! 

Smiles & Blessings!

Cindy

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 February 08, 2007 10:33 AM

Stonehenge Builders' Village Found

Photos: Stonehenge Builders' Prehistoric Village Found

A prehistoric village has been discovered in southern England that was likely home to the builders of Stonehenge, archaeologists announced in January 30, 2007. (Read the full story.)

The village, located 1.75 miles (2.8 kilometers) from the famous stone circle, includes eight wooden houses dated back to around 2500 B.C.

The remains of a cluster of homes include the outlines of floors, beds, and cupboards. Tools, jewelry, pottery, and human and animal bones were also found.

The excavated houses formed part of a much bigger settlement dating back to the Late Stone Age, according to project leader Mike Parker Pearson of England's Sheffield University.

"We could have many hundreds of houses here," Parker Pearson added. "Our dates for the building of Stonehenge are identical to the dates for this very large settlement."

The village stood next to a newly revealed stone avenue, partly visible in the excavation ditch at top right, which once led from a large timber circle to the nearby River Avon.

The site was excavated in 2006 as part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project.

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