History has seen its fair share of great architectural works, from the Roman Colosseum and the Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt, to the more modernized Casa Batlló of Barcelona and the Empire State Building of New York. These pinnacles of architecture helped define their societies with their exterior beauty and their underlying meaning. But, there is one monument in particular that to this day, that has still not been fully understood in regards to its origin and meaning. This monument is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world. This site is Stonehenge. This monument nestled in the Salisbury Plain of England, has captivated historians and archaeologists alike due to its mysterious past. Many have speculated on its true meaning
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This can be seen in the very stones that make up Stonehenge. Along with the large sarsen stones that make up Stonehenge, there are also smaller stones that are called bluestones. These bluestones were not native in England but they were native in the adjoining country of Wales. This is explored in Rodney Castleden’s book “The Making of Stonehenge” when he addresses geologist H.H. Thomas’s tests on the bluestones. As the book states, “He discovered that the Stonehenge bluestones are not one type of rock but several types of rock, which means that they must have come from different places… Thomas traced these three rock types to the Preseli Hills in south-west Wales and found that there was just one area, between the summits of Carnmenyn and Foel Trigan, where all three can be picked out of natural rock outcrops within the space of a square mile (2.6 sp. km)” (Castleden 104). This means, these bluestones were hauled far from their native land, just to be brought to Stonehenge. This arduous was done because of the holy and mystical powers associated with bluestone. After these bluestones were put into place at Stonehenge, many people from ancient Britain and beyond traveled to Stonehenge to find pain relief from their wounds. William Underhill addresses this in his article titled, “Putting Stonehenge In Its Place” when he states how the remains of one of the dead at Stonehenge was injured and was not native to the surrounding area. As the article states; “Studies of the skeleton, dubbed the Amesbury Archer for the archery gear that accompanied his remains, showed he had lost one knee, and infection had entered his bones. And intriguingly, analyses of his tooth chemistry revealed a blend of strontium isotopes that suggested his original home was far away in the Alps… the Amesbury Archer was one of a stream of visitors hoping to find relief at Stonehenge.”. This is a perfect example of
This can be seen in the very stones that make up Stonehenge. Along with the large sarsen stones that make up Stonehenge, there are also smaller stones that are called bluestones. These bluestones were not native in England but they were native in the adjoining country of Wales. This is explored in Rodney Castleden’s book “The Making of Stonehenge” when he addresses geologist H.H. Thomas’s tests on the bluestones. As the book states, “He discovered that the Stonehenge bluestones are not one type of rock but several types of rock, which means that they must have come from different places… Thomas traced these three rock types to the Preseli Hills in south-west Wales and found that there was just one area, between the summits of Carnmenyn and Foel Trigan, where all three can be picked out of natural rock outcrops within the space of a square mile (2.6 sp. km)” (Castleden 104). This means, these bluestones were hauled far from their native land, just to be brought to Stonehenge. This arduous was done because of the holy and mystical powers associated with bluestone. After these bluestones were put into place at Stonehenge, many people from ancient Britain and beyond traveled to Stonehenge to find pain relief from their wounds. William Underhill addresses this in his article titled, “Putting Stonehenge In Its Place” when he states how the remains of one of the dead at Stonehenge was injured and was not native to the surrounding area. As the article states; “Studies of the skeleton, dubbed the Amesbury Archer for the archery gear that accompanied his remains, showed he had lost one knee, and infection had entered his bones. And intriguingly, analyses of his tooth chemistry revealed a blend of strontium isotopes that suggested his original home was far away in the Alps… the Amesbury Archer was one of a stream of visitors hoping to find relief at Stonehenge.”. This is a perfect example of