Stonehenge Great Trilithons
There are problems with Stonehenge
not just the age old problems of interpreting Europe's
best known ancient site, but modern problems of security
and overwhelming visitor numbers. These mean that, at the time
of writing, access to the Stonehenge themselves is forbidden.
|
|
Visitors must keep outside a fence that draws a wide circle
around the monument. There's an inadequate interpretive center,
and the whole site is cut across by two fast, noisy roads. All
these difficulties are soon to be addressed, but, at present,
the ambience is not ideal.
None of this, however, should dissuade you from making a pilgrimage
to this astonishing structure, whose impact
must strike anyone with an ounce of imagination. The
doorwaylike silhouettes of Stonehenges great
trilithons, outlined against the sky, are as challenging
to the intellect as they have ever been, still provoking questions
of when, how, and why.
The "when" of this prehistoric monument has
been reasonably accurately pinned down. In about 2950 B.C. a
circular bank was constructed and around 400 years later a double
circle of 80 bluestones dolerite stones carried
from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales,
some of them up to ten feet high was erected
inside the bank. Later the blue stones were rearranged, and
sarsen ("saracen" or alien) stones from the
Marlborough Downs were put up instead, much as they
stand today, in the form of trilithons pairs of upright stones
14 feet high, joined together by a third laid on top like the
lintel of a doorway and held in place with a mortise and tenon
joint.
An outer ring of 25 of these was set up, enclosing an inner
horseshoe shape of five more trilithons. Later on, some of the
dismantled Stonehenge bluestones were erected again between
the outer and inner trilithons, and the largest blue stone these
days known as the Altar Stone was placed at
the center of the horseshoe. After about 1600
B.C., no further alterations were carried out. As for how
Bronze Age men managed to transport, shape, and erect
such enormous stones in particular the bluestones,
which traveled 200 miles tremendous organization and disposition
of manpower would have been needed. But if the imperative was
strong enough, Bronze Age leaders did wield enough authority,
and the necessary technology of rafts, rollers, and levers was
advanced enough to carry out what must have been decades worth
of planning and effort.
Which begs the question "why?" Once all the
New Age theories have been set aside, all that is known for
sure is that on Midsummer's Day (June 21) the
sun, when viewed from the Altar Stone in the center of the Stonehenge structure,
is seen to rise directly over the Heel Stone, 256 feet away
at the far end of what now remains of an earth work avenue.
This ancient site may have, been some kind of observatory
for seasonal timekeeping; but whether that
was its only function. No one can say.
Reference:
Extract from "The National Geographic Traveler - Great Britain" written by Christopher Somerville.
|
|
|
