Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
prehistoric peoples. There are several hundred burial mounds within a three-mile radius
of Stonehenge—some likely belonging to kings or chieftains. Some of the human remains
are of people from far away, and others show signs of injuries—evidence that Stonehenge
may have been used as a place of
medicine
or healing.
Whatever its original purpose, Stonehenge still functions as a celestial
calendar.
As
the sun rises on the summer solstice (June 21), the “heel stone”—the one set apart from
the rest, near the road—lines up with the sun and the altar at the center of the stone circle.
A study of more than 300 similar circles in Britain found that each was designed to cal-
culate the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, and to predict eclipses in order to help
early societies know when to plant, harvest, and party. Even in modern times, as the sum-
mer solstice sun sets in just the right slot at Stonehenge, pagans boogie.
Some believe that Stonehenge is built at the precise point where six
“ley lines”
in-
tersect. Ley lines are theoretical lines of magnetic or spiritual power that crisscross the
globe. Belief in the power of these lines has gone in and out of fashion over time. They are
believed to have been very important to prehistoric peoples, but then were largely ignored
until the early 20th century, when the English writer Alfred Watkins popularized them (to
the scorn of serious scientists). More recently, the concept has been embraced by the New
Age movement. Without realizing it, you follow these ley lines all the time: Many of Eng-
land's modern highways, following prehistoric paths, and churches, built over prehistoric
monuments, are located where ley lines intersect. If you're a skeptic, ask one of the guides
at Stonehenge to explain the mystique of this paranormal tradition that continued for cen-
turies; it's creepy and convincing.
Notice that two of the stones (facing the entry passageway) are blemished. At the base
of one monolith, it looks like someone has pulled back the stone to reveal a concrete skel-
eton. This is a clumsy
repair job
to fix damage done long ago by souvenir seekers, who
actually rented hammers and chisels to take home a piece of Stonehenge. Look to the right
of the repaired stone: The back of another stone is missing the same thin layer of protect-
ive lichen that covers the others. The lichen—and some of the stone itself—was sandblas-
ted off to remove graffiti. (No wonder they've got Stonehenge roped off now.) The repairs
were intentionally done in a different color, so as not to appear like the original stone.
Stonehenge's builders used two different types of stone. The tall, stout monoliths and
lintels are sandstone blocks called
sarsen stones.
Most of the monoliths weigh about 25
tons (the largest is 45 tons), and the lintels are about 7 tons apiece. These sarsen stones
were brought from “only” 20 miles away. The shorter stones in the middle, called
blue-
stones,
came from the south coast of Wales—240 miles away (close if you're taking a
train, but far if you're packing a megalith). Imagine the logistical puzzle of floating six-
ton stones across Wales' Severn Estuary and up the River Avon, then rolling them on logs
about 20 miles to this position...an impressive feat, even in our era of skyscrapers. We
