Upon arrival to Salisbury, visitors board a bus that will journey through the town snaking down its historic street and out to the wide-open plains surrounding the Stonehenge site. Our guide pointed out the cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Mary or simply Salisbury Cathedral, and talked about that its 123’ spire is the highest spire in all of England. Once we were driving by the plains, our guide explained that there is not just Stonehenge but also other prehistoric rectangular constructions that are also being evaluated and preserved. For example, 2 miles away from Stonehenge, is Woodhenge which was discovered through aerial photography and is a timber monument. But the one he was pointing out to us from the bus appeared to be a burial mound. I was amazed by the thought that this site was larger than known (3 miles diameter!), a meaningful campus for a prehistoric people. The mystery of it just seems to grow, which is part of the draw of people to come to this site to see it for themselves.
As we drive by the River Avon, I wonder if the huge megalithic stones were ever somehow floated on the river to transport their massive weight. From looking into this, it does sound like archeologists find this idea plausible and believe that they were transported by boat originally from the Bristol Channel which leads to the River Avon. Geologists have tracked the origin of the stones to several different locations in England and Wales, so there was an organized concerted effort around building Stonehenge which involved substantial manpower, ingenuity and millions of hours of effort. The large rocks on the outer ring are called Sarsens and the largest one is a monstrous 30 tonnes. (Citation: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/building-stonehenge/#:~:text=On%20average%20the%20sarsens%20weigh,Stone%2C%20weighing%20about%2030%20tons.&text=Bluestone%20is%20the%20term%20used,the%20smaller%20stones%20at%20Stonehenge) Archeologists believe a rope and wood frame system was used to hoist the stones in their upward position, ultimately.
When we arrive, we continued down a pathway to a building which houses the ticket booth, the exhibit areas and gift shop. We went through the exhibit space, and enjoyed reviewing the development of the site over the years and seeing what materials were found on the site during excavation and how far back those items were dated. There’s an area where I especially focused my attentions and that was the different theories that experts have come up with for the meaning behind the megalithic stone circles of Stonehenge. The potential answers behind the question of why people would go to this much effort move such large stones so long ago. There were 4 main theories presented, though I’m sure there may be others:
Ancestors: The first has to do with the site being a connection honoring ancestors. This would mean the site was used to celebrate and give a home for the spirits of ancestors.
Astrological purposes: probably the most well-known is the theory is that the site has astrological alignments observed that astronomers think is no mistake at the equinoxes and solstices and are witnessed at multiple other sites and is too perfect to not be planned out with precision. This suggests that people gathers those times the year for ceremonies.
For healing: Another third theory was about that the stones are used in a part of a healing ritual. The experts of this theory, Darvil and Wainright, state that the site is associated closely with springs and sometimes holy wells, the spokesperson (from the video put together at the exhibit) says that there is a history in Wales in Wiltshire that bluestones (the innermost circle) have a magical or mystical properties, that they have healing powers. He says that what we see now is just stumps of stones that were broken up and taken away. As a healing center, he says that the site would have drawn pilgrims. This is perceived to be a place to bring your cremated remains as a sacred burial location. It would have been seen as an ancient Lourdes, he says. There has been discovery of human remains on the site, which all have signs of injury or illness and indicate people may have traveled long distances to make pilgrimage to this site to seek a cure for their ailments. The quarry in the Presili Hills surrounding Stonehenge where the bluestones are believed to have originated from in Wales, were decorated with prehistoric art which indicates a celebration or reverence for the rock. Also nearby, springs locations have similar art associated with them. (Citation: Smithsonian magazine article, Oct 2008 by Dan Jones https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-light-on-stonehenge-11706891/#:~:text=But%20Darvill%20and%20Wainwright%20say,local%20adherents%20to%20traditional%20practices.)
Burial Grounds: The fourth theory is that the site is burial grounds, and a place of worship.
There are lots of theories about this sight that are surely not limited to these 4, like a legend that giants built this site.
Outside the visitor’s center there is a demonstration area, a rigging or mock-up of the way it is thought that a stone could be moved like this. The extraordinary feat of moving megalithic stones great distances and then going to the trouble of standing up stones these size is what makes the site so unbelievable and mysterious. The idea is that the stones would have been tied to a framing which is rolled on logs and that this feat would be orchestrated by many people working at once to accomplish this movement.
As I walked around the site, there is a circular path around one half of the site and on the other half the landscape is left untouched and looks more like a natural plain. At the top of the stone, there is a notch that serves as a connection point for the station stone above overhead and securing one stone to another. What is also interesting is the variability of the presentation of the stones when walking around. They never look the same. Some of the stones appear to be more situated as original intended with more remaining headers or station stones intact.
Whatever theory prevails, it is amazing to conceive of the communal effort involved in putting this site together, and the intent and execution of the use of space to serve a community is both mysterious, humbling, and awe-inspiring. It is representative of something bigger than ourselves, it has a definite grandiosity and divine presence makes the site a timeless treasure.
#stonehenge
