Stone Henge

The symbolism behind the stones is clear; they are not only murder weapons, but the first tools ever made by men were made of stone, which denote the savage and violent customs of ancestors.

In this set of materials, the reading passage describes three theories about the function of the carved stone balls artifact; dating from the Neolithic period, while the listening passage challenges these theories.

L.G. Everist creates monuments with enduring elegance. Our monuments are made from Quartzite, one of the world’s most beautiful and strongest stones. Perfectly formed “moons” occasionally appear in the stone. Legend has it that these moons are spots where spirits have touched the stone and left their mark; thus, each piece is unique and has nature’s own fingerprint.

Thesis Statement: The Stonehenge is a complex work of art; as it has been built over different periods of time representing wide range of ideas and thoughts. It is a monument that encapsulates the identity of a collective society of an era. It portrays the belief and value system, status, faith, relationship with the supreme being (god), and technological knowledge of the citizens of a society that is associated with the making of the Stonehenge. The large span of time and ambiguity of the society related to the Stonehenge has made most archeological surveys uncertain and thus, creating a mystery about, why was a monument containing, just stones weighing thousands of tones, in a relatively isolated area built? What was the motivations and purpose behind building it? And, how all these elements give an account of the civilization existing around the area.

The Carnac stones were used for burial purposes, as well as being used for shrines of sorts. The possible people that could have built them are likely a Neolithic people from around 4500 BC. These stones are monumental for their size and their mysterious appearance. The fact that the people that could have built them shrouds them in even more mystery than they are now. The exact people that did build them is still unknown, but that is another history mystery for another time. These stones help us truly appreciate what the older times have created for us to look at in

Typically when we think of henges we think of stonehenge. Interestingly enough, there are many henges across Europe. For example, woodhenge is the remains of a complex timber structure. West Kenner Long Barrow is the largest chambered tomb in Europe. Sillburry Hill is the largest mound in Europe and is so large that it is thought to have taken 500 men working every day for 10 years to complete this structure. Aveburry which is one of the largest henges may have been a grand cermonial site. Lastly, Stanton Drew which is second in size to Aveburry is 100 meters across. Through research with a mangetometer, wood posts were placed in a circle which may have been used for blood

Paleolithic, Neolithic, Greek and Roman art movements have seen many changes through the course of their time. These periods, have produced many tremendous famous works of art. Paleolithic art was one of the earliest and most natural form of art which they shown by painting in the caves. The paintings in the cave were very interesting to look at and caught my eye every time I looked at the paintings. Each of the paintings in the caves were somewhat different. I personally think they were painting inside the caves because they were trying to chase food, which caused them to not stay in one place at a time. As the time went on, the Neolithic age saw construction of monument structures. They noticed the structures since the people of Neolithic age became settled unlike the Paleolithic ages people who were out chasing for food. I strongly believe the Greek and Roman ages are very well known, unlike the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages. “Humanity, reason, and nature were central preoccupations of the Greek mind, together formulating their attitude toward life” (Rathus 296). When you are looking at their art you can see all the unique crazy designs and very skillful drawings which

No place has generated so much speculation and wild theories as the standing stones of Stonehenge. After traveling for miles through the rolling hills and plains of the English countryside the sight of this unusual structure made me gasp. A walk around it only provoked more strange feelings. There's a sense that this is something very important. For over 5000 years it has stood silent vigil over the

Although Stonehenge and the Pyramids are both marvels of the ancient world, the differ from each other in many ways. While the construction for both began around the same time period – construction for Stonehenge began around 3100 BCE (Dr. Senta German) while the pyramids began around 2580 BCE (The Great Pyramid of Giza) – the time spent building Stonehenge far exceeded the time spent building the Pyramids. Unlike the Pyramids, Stonehenge was built in three phases. The first phase of construction began “when a great circular ditch about six feet deep was dug with a bank of dirt within it about 360 feet in diameter, with a large entrance to the northeast and a smaller one to the south” (Dr. Senta German). Within this ditch, known as a henge, were 56 pits, known as Aubrey holes filled with either upright bluestones or upright wooden beams, whose original purpose is unknown. The second phase began approximately 100-200 years later and involved a circle of upright wooden posts in the center of this henge. More upright posts were also erected near the northeast and southern entrances. During this phase, the site of Stonehenge was used for burials; “at least 25 of the Aubrey holes were emptied and reused to hold cremation burials and another 30 cremation burial pits were dug into the ditch of the henge and in the eastern portion within the henge enclosure” (Dr. Senta German). During the third and final stage, occurring 400-500 years later, Stonehenge was completely remodeled. The central wooden beams from stage two

The “who’s,” “how’s,” and “why’s” behind this majestic monument are based on many (usually conflicting) myths, guesstimates, and theories. As a result, we have no definite answers for the probing questions about Stonehenge’s existence. However, each theory grants the Neolithic monument its character and mystique, as well as society’s best guesses as to its true origin and purpose. Therefore, I shall proceed to discuss both the fantastical and probable theories behind the mystery of Stonehenge.

FIRST STAGE: Built in around 3000 BC, the first variation of Stonehenge (known as the earthwork enclosure) consisted of the Aubrey holes (fifty-six chalk pits, approximately one metre wide) and a ditch. Inside the

Over a span of 2,000 years, monuments have been added to Stonehenge. While most are buried today, they are still visible and well preserved. Stonehenge’s features include the Aubrey Holes, 350 burial mounds, Cursus, Woodhenge, Durrington Walls Henge, Stonehenge Avenue, and West Amesbury Henge. The Aubrey Holes were the first monuments in Stonehenge, built around 3,000 BCE. The Aubrey Holes were 56 pits inside of a circular enclosure formed by a bank and a ditch. Its main purpose was to store cremated ashes of dead bodies. After the Aubrey Holes were made, bluestones and sarsens were dragged from long distances to construct the circular stone monument. The 350 burial mounds were long barrows meant to cremate and bury the dead. The Cursus, built from 3600 to 3400 BCE, were two long earthwork enclosures. Both Woodhenge and Durrington Walls Henge were timber circle monuments built in 2,300 and 2,500 BCE, respectively. Stonehenge Avenue was an ancient road that lead to Stonehenge monument and was built from 2,500 to 1,700 BCE. Finally, West Amesbury Henge was a stone circle monument built in 2,400

If the rocks were ever repainted in the past, it is unknown as the weather would have wiped off all remnants of other possible hues. The stone circles are built from two types of rock. The massive sarsens, a sandstone and smaller igneous rocks, known as the bluestones. The sarsen stones are from Marlborough, U.K., 30 kilometers north of Stonehenge while the bluestones are from the Preseli Hills in north Pembrokeshire, Wales. The stones helped to transform the layout of the monument so that it was aligned on the sunrise on the longest day of the year; and sunset on the shortest day.

To drag the sarsen stones, weighing up to 45 tons, or the weight of six elephants, from Marlborough Downs 30 kilometers to the south of Stonehenge would have been quite a accomplishment. The bluestones, in contrast, were about four tons but are believed to have come from a much farther place like the Preseli Mountains nearly 385 kilometres away from Stonehenge. Popular theory suggests the stones were rolled to the Welsh shore, carried on raft around the coast and into the River Avon, at Bristol. Other prehistorians do not believe they were carried that far. These bluestones came from the same Preseli Mountains, but glaciation brought the bluestones to the area surrounding Stonehenge during the last glacier period in history, the period was called the Plyoscene period, it was 650,000 years ago. Out of the other 1,300 stone circle in Britain, Ireland and Brittany, France, most are made of local stone brought no more than seven or eight kilometers. If humans were to have carried these stones all the way from these mountains, they would have only taken the good stones. The bluestones found on Stonehenge are a mix of good, bad, and medium rock. Good bluestones were found in the vicinity of Stonehenge thousands of years before the monument was

The first tools developed during the Paleolithic Era were made from chipped stones, wood and bone, and "nets from plant fibers and animal sinew" (Holt, Rinehart, & Wilson, n.d.: 2). The Neolithic Era brought forth greater specialization. People began to make chisels, drills, and saws to address specific needs and also polished stones to create sharper and more defined points (Holt, Rinehart, & Wilson, n.d.: 2). Language scholars trace the development of the first forms of systematized language to this era: "The crucial evolutionary development that led to the burst in creativity in the Neolithic was the emergence of human language as a method for integrating across cognitive modules" (MacWhinney 2005: 383). During this era, the use of stones began to have a utilitarian purpose in a manner that showed more sophisticated thinking.