Somewhere around 5000 years ago, for a reason lost in time, the people of Stonehenge built a massive circular mound and ditch on Salisbury Plain.
This was a very simple people who used Ox shoulder blades for shovels and Antlers for picks. There were very few of them. At that time the whole population of England was
well under one million. It must have cost the people of Stonehenge dearly in both their labour, time and wealth to build such a structure.
But Stonehenge, its position and its influence had an importance that made all the sweat and labour worthwhile.
Over thousands of years, with many embellishments and changes, it became an icon of mystical importance.
It has been part of the bedrock of human spiritual identity ever since.
The large Sarsen Stones date back "only" 3000 years.
This place was ancient before the time of Christ.
(photo by Sonja Mildner.saurkraut at stock.xchng).
As the people of Stonehenge laboured with their simple tools the world was in a state of flux. Around this time the far away
and brilliant ( and ultimately tragic ) Mayan civilisation was beginning. The Mayan Year Zero corresponds to 3113 BC.
Ancient Egyptian builders were planning the first pyramids. In India the Hindu religion also has two year zero's in the same
time frame. All over the world different peoples had reached a tipping point in their development.
What triggered this tipping point is unknown. Maybe it was due to the World cooling down from a period known as the Holocean maximum.
Or maybe the number of people has reached a crucial level. Possibly it was due to a number of factors all meeting
convergence at once. But whatever it was, the people of Stonehenge started to dig.
The most likely practical purpose for Stonehenge is as a giant astronomical calender.
At a basic level it would have allowed the ancients to calculate the time of year. At a spiritual level
it would have collated and displayed the majesty of the heavens. Stonehenge has been torn down and
rebuilt many times but it always seems to have kept its astronomical purpose.
Sunset Over Stonehenge. (photo by mottie33 at stock.xchng)
A thousand years passed. Then with mysterious and elusive genuis, the keepers of Stonehenge shipped over 40 5-ton BlueStone
slabs from Wales to their Place of Importance. Today these stones are grey with age but when polished they come to a
dark shiny blue-black colour that sparkles with small impurities. They would have been wonderful and inspiring sight to
those who came worship or marvel at the heavens as revealed by Stonehenge and its keepers
The circle of Stonehenge. Was this simply a Stone Circle?
Or did the stones act as huge lentils for a wooden cathedral?
(photo by mailsparky at stock.xchng).
A thousand years after the arrival of the Blue-Stones, massive 50 ton Sarsen stones were brought to Stonehenge from over 20 miles away.
These are the big megaliths that make up the main circle at Stonehenge. Nobody really knows how this was done.
Many hypotheses have been tested to solve the mystery but the usual outcome is defeat. Today, it seems, that some people struggle to cope with the idea that these
ancient people were actually rather clever. We probably under-estimate the capabilities of these ancients by a considerable measure.
After all, even with the blue stones a thousand years earlier, shipping them from what was essentially a foreign country would have
involved diplomacy and negotiation, let alone significant engineering skills. Every generation has its geniuses who, in a
vibrant society are allowed to address the practical problems of the day. The people of Stonehenge were no different. The Stones are
perhaps as much a tribute to their society as to their considerable engineering skills.
As Stonehenge began, so did the Great Mayan Civilisation in Central America.
They too built massive stone structures. Their culture survived until the 16th century but much has been lost and now
their history is shrouded in mystery. One of their main cities was at Chichen Itza
Information on the Mayan civilisation and the nearby modern holiday resort of Cancun can be found here:
Cancun and its Mayan Heritage
Closer to Stonehenge and probably within its sphere of influence was the Bronze age trading port
at Hengistbury Head in nearby Dorset.
Although a place of significant beauty, Hengistbury Head has been seriously damaged by ruthless mineral
exploitation on the 19th century. Although damaged, it is a place of significant archeological and historic importance and well worth a visit.
Stonehenge from GoogleEarth. The true shape of Stonehenge from above.
