Stonehenge Research Paper

Let us begin by going back to a time before the Great Wall, The Great Pyramids, and even Stonehenge. A time that could not even fathom the thought of metal tools and tall buildings. This time is the Neolithic period between 3180-2500 BCE and the location is the west coast of the mainland of Orkney in Scotland. There you will find the ancient ruins of Skara Brae. During the winter of 1850 a massive storm hit the coast of Orkney. A combination of fierce winds and high tides stipped the top layer of soil from the ground to reveal the outline of an old building. Intrigued by the outlines the local laird, William Watt of Skill, started excavating the site too see what he could find. In 1868 the site was abandoned for unknown reasons and in later

Ancient technology wouldn't have been able to transport the stones of Stonehenge which weigh up to 25 tonnes. In 3100, approximately the beginning of the Stonehenge’s construction, the wheel hadn't been invented yet and moving heavy stones would have been impossible. Methods that have been theorised to build Stonehenge, include pulling the stones across land, however this method wouldn’t have been effective as there was no one strong enough to pull such heavy stones. Furthermore, some stones are believed to originally come from Wales. Stonehenge was built on a hill creating even more of a challenge to this already unattainable task . Humans would not have been able to construct Stonehenge, this evidence further proves the existence of aliens.

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.

Stonehenge was built during three distinct periods. Each took centuries to built, its unknown why each stage ended abruptly

The Parthenon was an amazing and expensive achievement of ancient Greece. Although it is mostly in ruins today, there is enough knowledge about its construction to allow others to recreate the structure. The Parthenon is often constructed not only to honor the ancient Greeks, but also to honor the culture and place where it is recreated. Although the Parthenon’s influence is tremendous throughout the western world, it is generally only faithfully represented in part- the nearest representations found during my research include the Walhalla and the Nashville Parthenon. This paper focuses mostly on the original building’s history and its influence on American architecture, with a short discussion on a site in Germany. Research was conducted through the use of our course’s textbook, our consortium library, and educational websites. After my research was concluded, I became particularly fascinated with the golden ratio, which is debated to have been used during the construction of the Parthenon. I would like to research this in future work.

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

It is believed to have been built by people from all over Great Britain, based on archaeologists’ analysis of cows’ teeth found near Stonehenge. It is likely that these people travelled to the area specifically to work on the project (Feder 308). Construction on Stonehenge began about 5,000 years ago and was not completed until about 1,500 years later. Stonehenge was built in stages; the first step being to excavate a ditch (Feder 305). Once the ditch was perfectly circular, stones were carried in and arranged. To get some stones on top of others, it is believed a scaffolding and lever system was devised to raise the top stones high enough to be place over the others (Feder 306). The building of Stonehenge involved complicated planning and execution as far as designing it and engineering ways to move the large stones. This is evidence of social complexity because the people responsible were advanced enough to design and create this. Stonehenge also shows evidence of social complexity because elaborate burials suggest it was a place of ritual significance (Feder 308). The Amesbury Archer is the name given to the remains of a man found in what Feder describes as “the most impressive of the graves,” due to his adornment with “gold jewelry, copper knives, and flint tools” (Feder 308-309). Based on analysis of the Amesbury Archer man’s wounded leg and the isotopes in his teeth, archeologists believe Stonehenge may have been a

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

One of the most well-known components of the Parthenon are the enormously beautiful and important marble sculptures that were placed in the pediment of the monument. These marbles are shrouded in controversy as to whom they belong: Greece or Britain. These marble sculptures were removed between 1801 and 1812 in order to protect them from possible destruction caused by the war between the Grecians and the Venetians, taken to Britain for refuge by the Earl of Elgin, and sold to the British Museum to be displayed. John Henry Merryman discusses his view on the issue of the ownership of marbles by presenting two main points and the validity of both sides. One aspect of his examination revolves around the legality of the removal of these sculptures.

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.

Located in Wiltshire England, Stonehenge is a World Heritage site consisting of 4,500 year-old stones with some reaching heights up to 4.5m (15ft). Ever since the Middle Ages, the site has been one of the greatest mysteries in Europe being subject to multiple speculations and theories.

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

Architecture: Very few architectural structures from this period have survived (none from before); the most famous is Stonehenge, constructed using the post and lintel system and thought to be something like a sundial.

After looking at the Ziggurat’s, Pyramids, and Stonehenge it is truly astonishing that all of these architectural masterpieces were created thousands of years ago. Stonehenge looks to be just a couple of rocks standing up but after looking a closer look, their actually beautiful pieces of rocks, with tongue and grooves carved into the rocks so they would fit together perfectly. The outer facing parts of the rocks were rough but the inward facing rocks were smooth, further proving that there was real effort put into Stonehenge. The Ziggurats were massive structures made of mud bricks placed in a prosperous area of Mesopotamia. These mud bricks were extremely strong, often sun baked and pieced together to create the massive

Stonehenge was a stone structure established a long time ago by civilizations before the Druid age. More than 4,000 years ago, the people of the Neolithic period supposedly decided to build a massive monument using earth, timber and eventually, stones.They placed it high on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England about 137 kilometres southwest of London. The purpose to build Stonehenge still remains a mystery. Stonehenge could have been a temple, an astronomical calendar, or a guide to the heavens. Stonehenge acts as a prehistoric timepiece, allowing us to speculate on what it would have been like during the Neolithic Period, and who could have built this megalithic wonder.