15 little-known facts about Stonehenge - Europe's stone enigma

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Stonehenge is a giant stone puzzle in the heart of Europe. Today, very little is known about its origin, purpose and history. The secret also remains how ordinary people could calculate and build such a whopper. In our review 15 facts about one of the most mysterious monuments in Europe.

1. The construction of Stonehenge lasted 1500 years

Despite the fact that there is still debate about who and why Stonehenge was built, scientists have a clear idea of when it was built. The oldest elements of the megalithic structure date back to 3000 BC. (then they started digging 2 meter ditches to form the outer features of the structure). The stones began to be installed around 2500 BC, and finally Stonehenge acquired its modern appearance around 1500 BC.

2. There are special terms for discussing this kind of monuments

There are two main types of stones in Stonehenge. The large vertical stones and stones of the arches are composed of sarsen, a type of sandstone that is common in the region. Smaller stones are known as "blue stones". So they were named because they acquire a bluish tint when wetted. The giant three arches, thanks to which Stonehenge became famous, are called triliths.

3. Some of the stones of Stonehenge were delivered from afar

When it came time to choose stones for construction, Stonehenge's Neolithic builders did not like the local stones. Some relatively small blue stones (which can weigh up to four tons) were imported from the Preseli Mountains in Wales. How giant stones were delivered over 250 km - no one knows.

4 Stonehenge was originally a graveyard

Although the original purpose of Stonehenge's construction is still shrouded in mystery, anthropologists can confidently say that in the period before the appearance of the first large stones, the monument served as a resting place for the remains. There are currently known burials of at least 64 Neolithic people at Stonehenge.

5. The remains continued to be buried at Stonehenge and later

Most of the remains found at Stonehenge were ash. However, in 1923, archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a decapitated Anglo-Saxon man, dating from the 7th century AD. Since the man was executed, it can be assumed that he was a criminal, but his burial at Stonehenge led archaeologists to believe that he may have belonged to the royal dynasty.

6. Rumors about the purpose of Stonehenge are often completely ridiculous

Stonehenge's dark past has spawned countless theories about the site's original use. Theories range from a Druidic temple or observatory to a ceremonial coronation site for Danish kings. More far-fetched theories suggest that Stonehenge is a model of the solar system built by ancient aliens.

7. The first written mention of Stonehenge dates back to the 12th century

Historian and explorer Henry Huntington is believed to have made the first written mention of Stonehenge in the following passage, which dates from 1130: “Stanange, where stones of amazing size are set in the manner of doorways … and no one can understand how such huge boulders were able to lift, and why it was done."

8. In the Middle Ages, people believed that Stonehenge was created by the sorcerer Merlin

In the absence of any more convincing theories about the creation of Stonehenge, the medieval British believed in the hypothesis put forward by cleric historian Geoffrey Monmouth. He claimed that the mysterious monument was the work of the legendary sorcerer Merlin.

9. Popular myth: Stonehenge was created by the devil

Witchcraft was not the only supernatural explanation for the appearance of the melalytic monument. The mystery surrounding the transportation of the blue stone from Wales to Wiltshire has given rise to another paranormal explanation: the stones were supplied by the devil simply out of mischief.

10. Alco-ceremony of neo-druids

In 1905, a group of 700 people, allegedly members of the Ancient Druid Order, organized a supposedly religious ceremony at Stonehenge, in which alcohol poured in rivers. Modern print media gleefully ridiculed this event.

11. Visitors are not allowed to climb stones

The ban appeared only in 1977, when the fact of significant erosion of stones due to their contact with people was established. And even at the beginning of the 20th century, tourists were given chisels to make it easier for them to chop off a souvenir for themselves.

12. Charles Darwin made interesting discoveries while studying earthworms at Stonehenge

In old age, Charles Darwin became interested in earthworms. One of the sections of his works is devoted to the research of the renowned naturalist at Stonehenge. In 1870, Darwin studied earthworms and stated that as a result of the activity of these animals, large stones gradually sink into the ground.

13. Stonehenge was previously full circle

Recently, restorers noticed strange dents in the peat around Stonehenge. Scientists have suggested that these are traces of stones that once closed the ring of the monument, and sank into the ground over the centuries.

14. An ordinary British citizen owned Stonehenge for three years

Stonehenge has been the legal property of the British state for most of the last century, but would never have fallen into the hands of the government if it hadn't been for the charity of Cecil Chubb. In 1915, the millionaire bought Stonehenge as a gift to his wife for £ 6,600. His wife, however, did not like the gift and three years later Chubb presented Stonehenge to the state on the condition that the monument will be kept intact and open to visitors.

15. In the fall of 2015, you can bet on Stonehenge

To mark the centenary of Chubb's landmark purchase, an interactive reconstruction of the 1915 auction entitled "Sale of the Century" is underway. All bets will go towards the reconstruction of the monument.

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