Stonehenge: Ancient Structure, How and Why Unknown

A massive stone monument sits on a chalky plain north of Salisbury, England. Named Stonehenge, its present appearance dates back 5,000 years. It’s older than the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Archeologists and historians have been investigating the site for hundreds of years and still can’t find answers to why and how the monument was made. No one can prove the purpose of the monument, and archeologists can’t agree on how the Neolithic residents moved the massive stones to the site and then placed them to form a design. The people were at the end of the Stone Age when the wheel didn’t exist. How they transported and lifted the stones is a mystery.

Carbon dating findings show that what we see now as Stonehenge was begun in 2620 BC and construction stopped in 2300 BC. It’s unclear whether the monument was completed or whether some of the outer stones were taken away to be used for other purposes.

The original beginnings before the stones were laid goes back many more years. Primitive people as far back as 10,000 years ago dug ditches with high embankments called henges using animal antlers and sticks. Henges usually had dirt piled on the outside of the ditches, but the embankments at Stonehenge are on the inside of the circles.        

Two concentric rings make up the structure. The inner circle is made of five doorway-like towers. Two large boulders stand side-by-side and are topped with another stone or lintel to make each tower. These are sarsen stones, which are a type of sandstone. They measure about 30 feet tall and weigh up to an incredible 50,000 pounds each.

An incomplete outer circle has a similar structure. Smaller blue stones, a type of granite, are positioned on the ground of the outer circle. The blue stones, named because of their hue when wet, range in weight from two to five tons each. The monument consists of 153 stones placed 340 feet across the plain.  

The nearest quarry holding blue stones is 40 miles from Stonehenge. Sarsens, the big ones, had to be moved as far as 140 miles away. One of the many theories, and some outrageous guesses, about how Stonehenge was built is that glaciers moved the stones from the faraway quarries to the location. This has been proved impossible.

Among the outrageous theories that existed for many years is that a civilization of giant humans lived in the area and provided the muscle power needed to lift the tonnages of stones. Another theory, and this one actually lasted many years, was that Merlin the magician provided his powers to move and plant the stones. More contemporary thinking from the last century delivered the idea that aliens or outer space visitors provided the technology to move the massive stones.

Even without having a wheel, the Neolithic Europeans of that time had the technology of moving things on sleds or skids. Animal fat was a known lubricant to use under the skids, and they knew about placing tree trunks as primitive wheels underneath loads.

Once the stones were dragged to the site, tree branches could be used to pull the boulders onto their positions, according to some theories. Dirt was piled up and around the tall sarsens to form a ramp, and the lintel caps were pushed into place. All the theories are speculation, because the primitive people living there had no written language to provide any evidence except showing what they did.

The primitive beginning of the earthen ditches, called henges, date as far back as 10,000 years ago in this part of England. Archeologists discovered remains of three large posts that were sunk into the ground. The experts speculated that the wooden posts were totems or some sort of religious symbols. They found a series of 56 deep, ancient holes in the general area of the stone monument, adding to the belief that people worked on the site long before the stones were put into place.

Many historical experts believe that Stonehenge and many surrounding areas are old burial sites. The evidence of bodies buried near and around the monument gives support to that theory. Numerous burial mounds have been found in the area. The scientific discoveries about Stonehenge began in the 1600’s AD through the efforts of King James I of England. The king provided money and people needed to investigate the curious site. Investigators sponsored by the king dug into suspicious depressions near the site and found burned remains of women and children. They concluded that human sacrifice was practiced by the primitive people.

Any human sacrifice was done by a religious group called Druids who came long after Stonehenge was built. The Druids lived with the Celtic residents of England from 300 BC to 1,000 AD. The Druids were religious leaders who believed all things in nature held a deity or god. Druids did practice human sacrifice. 

Another popular thought about the purpose of the stones is that the circled area is a calendar of some kind. The rising sun during the summer solstice and winter solstice does align directly over a heel stone positioned 80 yards outside the outer ring. That’s a unique quality of Stonehenge, but there doesn’t seem to be any other geological meaning to the structure. A popular theory that the site can be used to predict solar eclipses is incorrect.

Many people celebrate the mystery of Stonehenge in an annual celebration during the beginning of summer and winter. During the summer solstice celebration of 1985, more than 100,000 enthusiastic, would-be Druids, filled the area and vandalized the grounds. The visitors dug holes into the earth and left an enormous amount of litter over the area. The British government closed access to Stonehenge until 2000. Now about 30,000 visitors attend during the biannual celebrations under strict guidelines.

Casual visitors and even researchers can access the site only with governmental permits. Investigations to know more about the origins and purposes of Stonehenge continue. We can’t know definitely why and how the enigma exists. We can only have better-informed guesses.

Thank you for reading this blog. Another one will be in this space later this month. Visit my web site at joevlatino.com for information about by book of short stories “The Device.” It’s available on eBook and paperback through Amazon.