Post by Supernatural Empress on Dec 20, 2005 5:02:22 GMT -5
Mystery of Stonehenge
Definition: A henge is the term given to a large prehistoric earthwork, usually but not always circular, whether of stones, wood, or earth. Stonehenge was the Saxon name for the famous monument on the Salisbury plain, and the "henge" part is Old English for "hang," not earthwork. Nonetheless, the term henge is in wide use in both popular and scientific literature to refer to megalithic monuments of the Neolithic and Bronze ages. Stonehenge are Megaliths. Megaliths are single large stones, or a group of “standing stones” usually arranged in a circular or semi-circular formation, and that archaeologists believe were religious temples or monuments. The word, “megalith” itself has Greek origins: “mega” meaning “great” and “lithos” meaning “stone.” Certain megalith sites, and there are thousands of them all around the world, were also known burial sites. England seems to have the greatest concentration of megaliths that carry names like Avebury, the Hurlers, the Merry Maidens, and the Rollright Stones. The most famous of these is, Stonehenge.
Stonehenge stands on the open land of Salisbury Plain two miles west of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, in Southern England. It is not a single structure but consists of a series of earth, timber, and stone structures that were revised and re-modeled over a period of more than 1400 years. In the 1940s and 1950s, Richard Atkinson proposed that construction occurred in three phases. This sequence has recently been revised in Archaeological Report (10) published by English Heritage. Stonehenge: Phase I (2950-2900 BCE).
The earliest portion of the complex dates to approximately 2950-2900 BCE (Middle Neolithic). It is comprised a circular bank, ditch, and counterscarp bank of about 330 feet in diameter. Just inside the earth bank is a circle of the 56 Aubrey holes that held wooden posts.Phase II After 2900 BCE and for approximately the next 500 years (until 2400 BCE), post holes indicate timber settings in the centre of the monument and at the north-eastern entrance. The Aubrey Holes no longer held posts but were partially filled. The numerous post holes indicate timber structures but no clear patterns or configurations are discernible that would suggest their shape, form, or function. The monument underwent a complicated sequence of settings of large stones. The first stone setting comprised a series of Bluestones placed in what are known as the Q and R Holes. These were subsequently dismantled and a circle of Sarsens and a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of Trilithons erected. The Sarsen Circle, about 108 feet (33 meters) in diameter, was originally comprised of 30 neatly trimmed upright sandstone blocks of which only 17 are now standing. The stones are evenly spaced approximately 1.0 to 1.4 meters apart, and stand on average 13 feet (4 meters) above the ground. They are about 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide and 3 feet (1 meter) thick and taper towards the top. They originally supported Sarsen lintels forming a continuous circle around the top. Each lintel block has been shaped to the curve of the circle. The average length of the rectangular lintels is 3.2 meters (10' 6"). The lintels were fitted end-to end using tongue-and-groove joints, and fitted on top of the standing sarsen with mortise and tenon joints. The Sarsen Circle with its lintels is perhaps the most remarkable feature of Stonehenge in terms of design, precision stonework, and engineering Sarsen stones are hard-grained sandstone with siliceous cement. They were probably brought to the site from the Marlborough Downs, about 30 kilometers to the north of Stonehenge. The Trilithons are ten upright stones arranged as five freestanding pairs each with a single horizontal lintel. They were erected within the Sarsen Circle in the form of a horseshoe with the open side facing north-east towards the main entrance of the monument. They were arranged symmetrically and graded in height; the tallest is in the central position. Only three of the five Trilithons are now complete with their lintels. The other two both have only one standing stone with the second stone and lintel lying on the ground. In front of them can be seen two of the upright bluestones, which originally formed an oval inside the horseshoe of Trilithons. Bluestones may have been added next but were subsequently removed. The earliest portion of the complex dates to approximately 2950-2900 BCE (Middle Neolithic). It is comprised a circular bank, ditch, and counterscarp bank of about 330 feet in diameter. Just inside the earth bank is a circle of the 56 Aubrey holes that held wooden posts.Phase II After 2900 BCE and for approximately the next 500 years (until 2400 BCE), post holes indicate timber settings in the centre of the monument and at the north-eastern entrance. The Aubrey Holes no longer held posts but were partially filled. The numerous post holes indicate timber structures but no clear patterns or configurations are discernible that would suggest their shape, form, or function. The monument underwent a complicated sequence of settings of large stones. The first stone setting comprised a series of Bluestones placed in what are known as the Q and R Holes. These were subsequently dismantled and a circle of Sarsens and a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of Trilithons erected. The Sarsen Circle, about 108 feet (33 meters) in diameter, was originally comprised of 30 neatly trimmed upright sandstone blocks of which only 17 are now standing. The stones are evenly spaced approximately 1.0 to 1.4 meters apart, and stand on average 13 feet (4 meters) above the ground. They are about 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide and 3 feet (1 meter) thick and taper towards the top. They originally supported Sarsen lintels forming a continuous circle around the top. Each lintel block has been shaped to the curve of the circle. The average length of the rectangular lintels is 3.2 meters (10' 6"). The lintels were fitted end-to end using tongue-and-groove joints, and fitted on top of the standing sarsen with mortise and tenon joints. The Sarsen Circle with its lintels is perhaps the most remarkable feature of Stonehenge in terms of design, precision stonework, and engineering Sarsen stones are hard-grained sandstone with siliceous cement. They were probably brought to the site from the Marlborough Downs, about 30 kilometers to the north of Stonehenge. The Trilithons are ten upright stones arranged as five freestanding pairs each with a single horizontal lintel. They were erected within the Sarsen Circle in the form of a horseshoe with the open side facing north-east towards the main entrance of the monument. They were arranged symmetrically and graded in height; the tallest is in the central position. Only three of the five Trilithons are now complete with their lintels. The other two both have only one standing stone with the second stone and lintel lying on the ground. In front of them can be seen two of the upright bluestones, which originally formed an oval inside the horseshoe of Trilithons. Bluestones may have been added next but were subsequently removed.
Source: Indiana University
Definition: A henge is the term given to a large prehistoric earthwork, usually but not always circular, whether of stones, wood, or earth. Stonehenge was the Saxon name for the famous monument on the Salisbury plain, and the "henge" part is Old English for "hang," not earthwork. Nonetheless, the term henge is in wide use in both popular and scientific literature to refer to megalithic monuments of the Neolithic and Bronze ages. Stonehenge are Megaliths. Megaliths are single large stones, or a group of “standing stones” usually arranged in a circular or semi-circular formation, and that archaeologists believe were religious temples or monuments. The word, “megalith” itself has Greek origins: “mega” meaning “great” and “lithos” meaning “stone.” Certain megalith sites, and there are thousands of them all around the world, were also known burial sites. England seems to have the greatest concentration of megaliths that carry names like Avebury, the Hurlers, the Merry Maidens, and the Rollright Stones. The most famous of these is, Stonehenge.
Stonehenge stands on the open land of Salisbury Plain two miles west of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, in Southern England. It is not a single structure but consists of a series of earth, timber, and stone structures that were revised and re-modeled over a period of more than 1400 years. In the 1940s and 1950s, Richard Atkinson proposed that construction occurred in three phases. This sequence has recently been revised in Archaeological Report (10) published by English Heritage. Stonehenge: Phase I (2950-2900 BCE).
The earliest portion of the complex dates to approximately 2950-2900 BCE (Middle Neolithic). It is comprised a circular bank, ditch, and counterscarp bank of about 330 feet in diameter. Just inside the earth bank is a circle of the 56 Aubrey holes that held wooden posts.Phase II After 2900 BCE and for approximately the next 500 years (until 2400 BCE), post holes indicate timber settings in the centre of the monument and at the north-eastern entrance. The Aubrey Holes no longer held posts but were partially filled. The numerous post holes indicate timber structures but no clear patterns or configurations are discernible that would suggest their shape, form, or function. The monument underwent a complicated sequence of settings of large stones. The first stone setting comprised a series of Bluestones placed in what are known as the Q and R Holes. These were subsequently dismantled and a circle of Sarsens and a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of Trilithons erected. The Sarsen Circle, about 108 feet (33 meters) in diameter, was originally comprised of 30 neatly trimmed upright sandstone blocks of which only 17 are now standing. The stones are evenly spaced approximately 1.0 to 1.4 meters apart, and stand on average 13 feet (4 meters) above the ground. They are about 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide and 3 feet (1 meter) thick and taper towards the top. They originally supported Sarsen lintels forming a continuous circle around the top. Each lintel block has been shaped to the curve of the circle. The average length of the rectangular lintels is 3.2 meters (10' 6"). The lintels were fitted end-to end using tongue-and-groove joints, and fitted on top of the standing sarsen with mortise and tenon joints. The Sarsen Circle with its lintels is perhaps the most remarkable feature of Stonehenge in terms of design, precision stonework, and engineering Sarsen stones are hard-grained sandstone with siliceous cement. They were probably brought to the site from the Marlborough Downs, about 30 kilometers to the north of Stonehenge. The Trilithons are ten upright stones arranged as five freestanding pairs each with a single horizontal lintel. They were erected within the Sarsen Circle in the form of a horseshoe with the open side facing north-east towards the main entrance of the monument. They were arranged symmetrically and graded in height; the tallest is in the central position. Only three of the five Trilithons are now complete with their lintels. The other two both have only one standing stone with the second stone and lintel lying on the ground. In front of them can be seen two of the upright bluestones, which originally formed an oval inside the horseshoe of Trilithons. Bluestones may have been added next but were subsequently removed. The earliest portion of the complex dates to approximately 2950-2900 BCE (Middle Neolithic). It is comprised a circular bank, ditch, and counterscarp bank of about 330 feet in diameter. Just inside the earth bank is a circle of the 56 Aubrey holes that held wooden posts.Phase II After 2900 BCE and for approximately the next 500 years (until 2400 BCE), post holes indicate timber settings in the centre of the monument and at the north-eastern entrance. The Aubrey Holes no longer held posts but were partially filled. The numerous post holes indicate timber structures but no clear patterns or configurations are discernible that would suggest their shape, form, or function. The monument underwent a complicated sequence of settings of large stones. The first stone setting comprised a series of Bluestones placed in what are known as the Q and R Holes. These were subsequently dismantled and a circle of Sarsens and a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of Trilithons erected. The Sarsen Circle, about 108 feet (33 meters) in diameter, was originally comprised of 30 neatly trimmed upright sandstone blocks of which only 17 are now standing. The stones are evenly spaced approximately 1.0 to 1.4 meters apart, and stand on average 13 feet (4 meters) above the ground. They are about 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide and 3 feet (1 meter) thick and taper towards the top. They originally supported Sarsen lintels forming a continuous circle around the top. Each lintel block has been shaped to the curve of the circle. The average length of the rectangular lintels is 3.2 meters (10' 6"). The lintels were fitted end-to end using tongue-and-groove joints, and fitted on top of the standing sarsen with mortise and tenon joints. The Sarsen Circle with its lintels is perhaps the most remarkable feature of Stonehenge in terms of design, precision stonework, and engineering Sarsen stones are hard-grained sandstone with siliceous cement. They were probably brought to the site from the Marlborough Downs, about 30 kilometers to the north of Stonehenge. The Trilithons are ten upright stones arranged as five freestanding pairs each with a single horizontal lintel. They were erected within the Sarsen Circle in the form of a horseshoe with the open side facing north-east towards the main entrance of the monument. They were arranged symmetrically and graded in height; the tallest is in the central position. Only three of the five Trilithons are now complete with their lintels. The other two both have only one standing stone with the second stone and lintel lying on the ground. In front of them can be seen two of the upright bluestones, which originally formed an oval inside the horseshoe of Trilithons. Bluestones may have been added next but were subsequently removed.
Source: Indiana University