It seems that originally, they may have been arranged in a double arc, and later (around 2200 BC) were relocated into a complete circle. They were not worked as well, Strangely the workings on two of these stones show that they had been used as lintels at an earlier point in time, but were re-used as standing stones in the circle. The inner circle contained perhaps 60 stones. Just inside the circle of large stones, a second circle was build (it is number 13 on the drawing). But the asymmetry shows that Stonehenge was first designed for the winter solstice. It works both ways: looking from within the stones along the path, it lines up with the rising sun of the summer solstice. This path lines up with the solstice: people walking towards Stonehenge at mid-winter would have seen the sun set directly behind the monument. The care put into the stone work on the northeastern side shows that Stonehenge was build to be viewed from that direction, and in fact the ancient path towards it runs here. Perhaps the stones on this side fell more easily because they had not been put up with as much care! The outer ring may not even have been complete. The stones on the other side are much less regular, and one of the remaining stones here is much smaller than the others, and is too small to have carried a lintel. Even the lintels were shaped slightly curved, to follow the circle. The stones on the northeast side were well prepared, and the stone surfaces were worked to be flat. That is more than just the workings of time. On the opposite side there is much less left. The ring is most complete on the northeast side. 17 of these stones remain standing (the rest are fallen, broken, and some are completely missing!), and only 6 of the lintels are still in place. This included the ring (number 12 on the image below) of 30 standing stones, linked by the cross bars.
#FRONT MISSION 2 ONTAKESAN UPGRADE#
(Others have suggested that even in the earliest times, the holes were for standing stones rather than wooden poles.)Ī major upgrade followed 400 years later, when the inner area of standing stones was added. There were circles of wooden poles inside the bank: the holes in the chalk are still there. Even at that time, this was a ceremonial site, not a fortification or habitation. At the time the circle must have gleamed white in the landscape, visible from far away. At Stonehenge the ditch where the chalk was dug out was on the outside, an arrangement more commonly found in ancient meeting places or burial grounds. This was a common technique, but normally the ditch was on the inside of the bank. The material for the bank was dug out from the chalk underneath. It started out as a circular bank, which was build between 30 BC and which is still visible in the landscape. Generation after generation shaped it according to the new needs and fashion. Even the Romans adopted the site for their rituals.īut Stonehenge was always a work in progress, and was never finished. Just as China subsumed its invaders, so Stonehenge possessed each new possessor. There were no defensive fortifications: it never needed them.
The site was never inhabited instead people lived some miles away. If it has this effect over us, how much more would the visual power have been when the monument was at its prime? Stonehenge always was a magnet for the imagination. Too many people have tried to carve their initials into the stones: access has had to be limited just for safeguarding. The path takes us around the stones but getting in among the stones is only for the privileged few, and strictly outside of normal opening hours. But the many tourists are captivated, pointing out detail to each other in a variety of languages, or posing for a selfie with the ancient stones. Obviously, the British of 4000 years ago, just as their modern counterparts, did not believe in either building standards or maintenance.
Especially the innermost area is a jumble of fallen stones. Over time (lots of it), many of the stones have fallen and what now remains is an irregular echo of the original. The massive stone ring stands in sharp contrast against the surrounding fields. After 5000 years, Stonehenge still fascinates.
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