Strange Goings On At Stonehenge

[Steel Tiger]

No, I'm not talking about those saddo neo-druids and their bogus ceremonies.

People have been buried at Stonehenge for a long time apparently. What has generally thought to have been some sort of observatory now appears to have had a wider ritual purpose.

England's famous Stonehenge monument was used as a burial site from its inception around 3,000 BC until well after the massive stones were erected there around 2,500 BC, scientists said Thursday.
Archaeologists previously believed that people had been buried at Stonehenge only between 2,700 and 2,600 BC, before the large stones, known as sarsens, were put in place.
The new dates, estimated using the latest in carbon dating research, provide strong clues that the original purpose of the ancient monument was as a cemetery, and that it was used as a burial site for more than 500 years.
"It's now clear that burials were a major component of Stonehenge in all its main stages," said Mike Parker Pearson, archaeology professor at the University of Sheffield in England, who worked with National Geographic Society on the study.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/30/2261008.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/31/2261257.htm

 

[Sukerkin]

I'm too tired to go into detail on this now but it has become apparent recently that Stonehendge and Woodhendge were linked as a passage for the dead (via the river) and that the stones' alignment was deliberate to orchestrate cermonial sight and sound as well as Summer and Winter Solstice alignments. It is even speculated that the inner 'Welsh' stones were there to represent specific people of importance.

 

[SageGhost83]

No, I'm not talking about those saddo neo-druids and their bogus ceremonies.

People have been buried at Stonehenge for a long time apparently. What has generally thought to have been some sort of observatory now appears to have had a wider ritual purpose.



http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/30/2261008.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/31/2261257.htm

So it is a graveyard? Very interesting. The gate to the afterlife, that makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[Steel Tiger]

52 cremation interments is a lot. This, combined with the village remains discoveries, clearly shows that the region was much more heavily utilised than it current appearance might suggest.

It also gives more context for a population to move enormous stones so far. What it suggests to me is that the site is for persons of great importance. Of course it needs to be examined within the context of the entire region, taking into account places like Woodhenge and Avebury.

 

[MA-Caver]

Well the actual creation of the monument is a mystery in-of-by-itself. Not only how they managed to drag those stones to their destination but in erecting them as well.
I recall seeing a video of one man who attempted one theoretical reconstruction of the monument using levers and such ... but there's no guarantee that his way was the way they did it.

Long time ago I read I think it was a "Heavy Metal" magazine where one illustrated story (no dialog) showed a huge space ship above earth, then getting knocked out of orbit by a meteor or something and they crash land... the remains of the ship (all occupants killed of course) eventually eroded away to become the monuments of Stonehenge. Kinda neat twist on the possible origins.

Hey, maybe the bodies they're finding are the bodies of the dead crew of the ship?? :uhyeah:

 

[tshadowchaser]

Being a passage site to the underworld or after life is a interesting possibility.

 

[Steel Tiger]

An interesting new piece of information.

ARCHAEOLOGY:
Early Stonehenge Pilgrims Came From Afar, With Cattle in Tow
Michael Balter

Isotopic studies of teeth from six cattle found at a nearby earthen henge, coming on the heels of new dates for human remains at Stonehenge, are fueling ongoing debates about whether the 5000-year-old monument served chiefly as a "place of the dead" or whether its stones were valued for their healing properties.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/320/5884/1704

 

[stickarts]

I have also read that it is very possible that a small population actually lived there. Many references have been made regarding the alignment of the stones in coordination with the soltice.

 

[exile]

Well the actual creation of the monument is a mystery in-of-by-itself. Not only how they managed to drag those stones to their destination but in erecting them as well.
I recall seeing a video of one man who attempted one theoretical reconstruction of the monument using levers and such ... but there's no guarantee that his way was the way they did it.

The methods used were probably virtually exactly the same as the known methods by which the Easter Island statues were erected. Rollers, winches and predug pits were the methods used there, as described by early explorers; Thor Hyerdahl reported these same methods in use in the 20th century. Ingenious, but well within the technology of the Iron/Bronze age inhabitants of the area. Similar technologies were used in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and by the Romans, for large scale construction projects. There's an interesting discussion of some of the details here.