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Stonehenge

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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


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.

2. In approximately 2500 BC, the 4 tonne bluestone megalisths were brought from the Preseli mountains in Wales.



3. Around 2300 BC, 30 sarsens (sandstone uprights), each weighing over 25 tonnes, were positioned in a circle and capped with morticed stone lintels.



4. Seven centuries later two mysterious rings of pits were dug around the Stones.



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.





Nunzi Francesca

Classe 4Bt




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