Stonehenge: It Makes You Think

Stonehenge is one of those places that never ceases to amaze you. Four thousand years ago, the people from the Neolithic times built Stonehenge high on what is now the Salisbury Plain which is in Wiltshire, England. From what now remains of Stonehenge we can think about what it was used for, but, sadly, there is not enough left of it to know for certain why it was constructed. All types of scientists have continued to give ideas on what Stonehenge was actually used for, but there is only one thing we know for sure: what Stonehenge looks like today.

Some people have suggested that Stonehenge was used as a way to tell when the seasons would change. On the summer solstice, you will be able to see the rising sun (usually you can't see it on other days), and it will appear to balance on one of the main stones in Stonehenge. This stone, the heel stone, lies in the Avenue, a wide laneway that reaches the northeast corner of of Stonehenge. As the sun rises it will slowly move up the rock, casting a shadow straight into the heart of the horseshoe created by 5 pairs of tall standing stones, the Sarsen Stone Trilithons (two upright stones with another stone slab lying across it). A couple days after this the sun will rise again but to the right of the stone. The same thing will happen at the winter solstice except in the opposite direction, but it certainly marks a change of season.

Another mystery about Stonehenge is the bluestones. These are apparently from the Presli Mountains, about 385 km away from the Stonehenge site. It would be quite a feat in those days to move those stones, which way about 4 tonnes, all the way from the mountains to where Stonehenge lies today. Some people think that these stones were rolled down to the edge of the river Avon (Bristol) then put on raft and carried to Stonehenge. Another theory suggests that the people of the time already had quite a bit of experience in moving large heavy objects, so it may not have been that hard to them to transport these stones. One other theory says that the bluestones may have been already in the vicinity of Stonehenge due to glaciation (glaciers move rocks with them as they advance, as the ice recedes the rocks are left behind).

Recently though, an archaeological dig may help to solve the mystery of the bluestones and of what Stonehenge was used for. The dig is uncovering some of the areas where the bluestones were originally in. Archaeologists think that the bluestones may have been transported there because the ancient people thought that the bluestones had healing powers. That would certainly explain why those people would take the trouble to transport those heavy rocks to Stonehenge!

Stonehenge is truly mysterious, and a source of thought for thinkers.