Stonehenge
The
original purpose of Stonehenge is unclear, but some have speculated
that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities.
It has been called an astronomical observatory for marking significant
events on the prehistoric calendar. Others claim that it was a sacred
site for the burial of high-ranking citizens from the societies of
long ago. The stones we see today represent Stonehenge in ruin. Many
of the original stones have fallen or been removed by previous generations
for home construction or road repair. There has been serious damage
to some of the smaller bluestones resulting from close visitor contact
(prohibited since 1978) and the prehistoric carvings on the larger
sarsen stones show signs of significant wear.
The question of who built Stonehenge is largely unanswered, even
today. The monument's construction has been attributed to many ancient
peoples throughout the years, but the most captivating and enduring
attribution has been to the Druids. This erroneous connection was
first made around 3 centuries ago by the antiquary, John Aubrey. Julius
Caesar and other Roman writers told of a Celtic priesthood who flourished
around the time of their first conquest (55 BC). By this time, though,
the stones had been standing for 2,000 years, and were, perhaps, already
in a ruined condition. Besides, the Druids worshipped in forest temples
and had no need for stone structures.
The best guess seems to be that the Stonehenge site was begun by
the people of the late Neolithic period (around 3000 BC) and carried
forward by people from a new economy which was arising at this time.
These "new" people, called Beaker Folk because of their
use of pottery drinking vessels, began to use metal implements and
to live in a more communal fashion than their ancestors. Some think
that they may have been immigrants from the continent, but that contention
is not supported by archaeological evidence. It is likely that they
were indigenous people doing the same old things in new ways.
How far from the Lamb?
20 minutes by car |
| Opening Times |
Mon-Fri |
| 16 Mar-31 May |
9.30am - 6pm |
| 1 Jun-31 Aug |
9am - 7pm |
| 1 Sep-15 Oct |
9.30am - 6pm |
| 16 Oct-15 Mar |
9.30am - 4pm |
| 24-26 Dec and 1 Jan |
Closed |
