Stonehenge
is surely Britain's greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery,
power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, 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.
While
we can't say with any degree of certainty what it was for, we can say
that it wasn't constructed for any casual purpose. Only something
very important to the ancients would have been worth the effort and
investment that it took to construct Stonehenge.
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.
Construction
of the Henge
In
its day, the construction of Stonehenge was an impressive engineering
feat, requiring commitment, time and vast amounts of manual labor. In
its first phase, Stonehenge was a large earthwork; a bank and ditch
arrangement called a henge, constructed approximately 5,000 years
ago. It is believed that the ditch was dug with tools made from the
antlers of red deer and, possibly, wood. The underlying chalk was
loosened with picks and shoveled with the shoulderblades of cattle.
It was then loaded into baskets and carried away. Modern experiments
have shown that these tools were more than equal to the great task of
earth digging and moving.
The
Bluestones
About
2,000 BC, the first stone circle (which is now the inner circle),
comprised of small bluestones, was set up, but abandoned before
completion. The stones used in that first circle are believed to be
from the Prescelly Mountains, located roughly 240 miles away, at the
southwestern tip of Wales. The bluestones weigh up to 4 tons each and
about 80 stones were used, in all. Given the distance they had to
travel, this presented quite a transportation problem.
Modern
theories speculate that the stones were dragged by roller and sledge
from the inland mountains to the headwaters of Milford Haven. There
they were loaded onto rafts, barges or boats and sailed along the
south coast of Wales, then up the Rivers Avon and Frome to a point
near present-day Frome in Somerset. From this point, so the theory
goes, the stones were hauled overland, again, to a place near
Warminster in Wiltshire, approximately 6 miles away. From there, it's
back into the pool for a slow float down the River Wylye to
Salisbury, then up the Salisbury Avon to West Amesbury, leaving only
a short 2 mile drag from West Amesbury to the Stonehenge site.
Construction
of the Outer Ring
The
giant sarsen stones (which form the outer circle), weigh as much as
50 tons each. To transport them from the Marlborough Downs, roughly
20 miles to the north, is a problem of even greater magnitude than
that of moving the bluestones. Most of the way, the going is
relatively easy, but at the steepest part of the route, at Redhorn
Hill, modern work studies estimate that at least 600 men would have
been needed just to get each stone past this obstacle.
Once
on site, a sarsen stone was prepared to accommodate stone lintels
along its top surface. It was then dragged until the end was over the
opening of the hole. Great levers were inserted under the stone and
it was raised until gravity made it slide into the hole. At this
point, the stone stood on about a 30° angle from the ground. Ropes
were attached to the top and teams of men pulled from the other side
to raise it into the full upright position. It was secured by filling
the hole at its base with small, round packing stones. At this point,
the lintels were lowered into place and secured vertically by mortice
and tenon joints and horizontally by tongue and groove joints.
Stonehenge was probably finally completed around 1500 BC.
Who
Built Stonehenge?
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.
As
Legend Has It
The
legend of King Arthur provides another story of the construction of
Stonehenge. It is told by the twelfth century writer, Geoffrey of
Monmouth, in his History of the Kings of Britain that Merlin brought
the stones to the Salisbury Plain from Ireland. Sometime in the fifth
century, there had been a massacre of 300 British noblemen by the
treacherous Saxon leader, Hengest. Geoffrey tells us that the high
king, Aurelius Ambrosius, wanted to create a fitting memorial to the
slain men. Merlin suggested an expedition to Ireland for the purpose
of transplanting the Giant's Ring stone circle to Britain. According
to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the stones of the Giant's Ring were
originally brought from Africa to Ireland by giants (who else but
giants could handle the job?). The stones were located on "Mount
Killaraus" and were used as a site for performing rituals and
for healing. Led by King Uther and Merlin, the expedition arrived at
the spot in Ireland. The Britons, none of whom were giants,
apparently, were unsuccessful in their attempts to move the great
stones. At this point, Merlin realized that only his magic arts would
turn the trick. So, they were dismantled and shipped back to Britain
where they were set up (see illus. at right) as they had been before,
in a great circle, around the mass grave of the murdered noblemen.
The story goes on to tell that Aurelius, Uther and Arthur's
successor, Constantine were also buried there in their time*.
Present
Day Stonehenge
Situated
in a vast plain, surrounded by hundreds of round barrows, or burial
mounds, the Stonehenge site is truly impressive, and all the more so,
the closer you approach. It is a place where much human effort was
expended for a purpose we can only guess at. Some people see it as a
place steeped in magic and mystery, some as a place where their
imaginations of the past can be fired and others hold it to be a
sacred place. But whatever viewpoint is brought to it and whatever
its original purpose was, it should be treated as the ancients
treated it, as a place of honor .
The
modern age has not been altogether kind to Stonehenge, despite the
lip service it pays to the preservation of heritage sites. There is a
major highway running no more than 100 yards away from the stones,
and a commercial circus has sprung up around it, complete with
parking lots, gift shops and ice cream stands. The organization,
English Heritage, is committed to righting these wrongs, and in the
coming years, we may get to see Stonehenge in the setting for which
it was originally created. Despite all its dilapidation and the
encroachment of the modern world, Stonehenge, today, is an
awe-inspiring sight, and no travel itinerary around Britain should
omit it.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario