Credit: Flickr/etrusia_uk
Evidence that people made healing pilgrimages to Stonehenge also comes from human remains found in the area, most spectacularly from the richest Neolithic grave ever found in the British Isles. It belonged to the 'Amesbury Archer' – a man between 35 and 45 years old who was buried about eight km from Stonehenge between 2400 and 2200 BC with nearly 100 possessions, including an impressive collection of flint arrowheads, copper knives and gold earrings.
The bones of the Amesbury Archer tell a story of a sick, injured traveller coming to Stonehenge from as far away as the Swiss or German Alps. The Archer's kneebones were infected and he suffered from an abscessed tooth so nasty that it had destroyed part of his jawbone. He would have been desperate for relief, says Wessex Archaeology's Jacqueline McKinley.
Less than five metres from where the Amesbury Archer was buried, archaeologists discovered another set of human remains, these of a younger man perhaps 20 to 25 years old (see photo above right). Bone abnormalities shared by both men suggest they could have been related – a father aided by his son, perhaps. Had they come to Stonehenge together in search of its healing powers?
Remarkably, although Stonehenge is one of the most famous monuments in the world, definitive data about it are scarce. In part, this is because of the reluctance of English Heritage, the site's custodian, to permit excavations. Current chronologies are based largely on excavations done in the 1920s, buttressed by work done in the 1950s and '60s. "But none of these excavations were particularly well recorded," says Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology and one of the few people to have led excavations at Stonehenge in recent decades. "We are still unsure of the detail of the chronology and nature of the various structures that once stood on the site."
To strengthen their case for Stonehenge as a prehistoric Lourdes, Darvill and Wainwright needed to establish that chronology with greater certainty. Had the bluestones been erected by the time the Amesbury Archer made his pilgrimage to the megaliths? Establishing the timing of Stonehenge's construction could also shed light on what made this site so special: with so many henges across Britain, why was this one chosen to receive the benedictions of the bluestones? Such questions could be answered only by excavating Stonehenge itself.
Darvill and Wainwright were well placed for such a project. Wainwright had been English Heritage's chief archaeologist for several years. In 2005, Darvill had worked with the organisation on a plan for research at the monument – Stonehenge World Heritage Site: An Archaeological Research Framework – which made the case for smallscale, targeted excavations.
Following these guidelines, Darvill and Wainwright requested official permission for the archaeological equivalent of keyhole surgery in order to study part of the first bluestone setting on the site. As Darvill recalls, "Getting this excavation on the road took a lot of preparation and planning, but finally we got there and the formal permissions arrived with a couple of weeks to spare."
And so, under an overcast sky and the watchful eye of English Heritage personnel and media representatives from around the world, Darvill and Wainwright's team began digging in March 2008. Over the previous weekend, the team had set up a temporary building that would serve as a base for operations and marked out the plot to be excavated. Next to the site's parking lot a newly erected marquee broadcast a live video feed of the action – and offered a selection of souvenir T-shirts, one of which read, "Stonehenge Rocks".
"We were anxious about making the right recommendation – it was the first dig within the stone circle for more than 40 years, and Stonehenge was treated badly by archaeologists in the 20th century," said Amanda Chadburn, who serves as inspector of ancient monuments at English Heritage. "My main feeling, however, was, 'This is great!'."
The trench that Darvill and Wainwright marked out for the excavation was surprisingly small: just 2.4 m wide by 3.4 m long, and from 60 cm to 1.8 m deep in the southeastern sector of the stone circle.
But the trench, wedged between a towering sarsen stone and two bluestones, was far from a random choice. In fact, a portion of it overlapped with the excavation carried out by archaeologist Richard Atkinson and colleagues in 1964 that had partially revealed one of the original bluestone sockets and gave reason to believe that another socket would be nearby. In addition, Bournemouth University researchers had conducted a ground-penetrating radar survey, providing further assurance that this would be a productive spot.
stonehenge
I have read many articles about this subject, just like this one 4 pages long of guessing only to read at the end no one knows for sure.
Stonehenge article
I liked the article and enjoy reading ideas about what may or may not have happened. As the authors say, it is a great mystery that will probably never be solved by mortals. That makes it even more interesting!
honestly,
Nobody knows for sure because it's the process of learning. Even if they actually "knew" what was there & why, it would be an opinnion based on the interpretation of evidence, the interpretation we have now is undoubtedly different than that of the site designers, because they interpreted the world only based on what they knew. We're actually learning from our ancestors. If we already knew what was there, no one would dig!
Stonehenge Astronomical Observatory
Stonehenge had a number of phases of construction and change, so it is likely that there were several different purposes, spread over many centuries.
At the sarsen phase, I have a theory that it was an astronomical observatory.
Watch "Stonehenge Astronomical Observatory" on YouTube.
Kind regards
Hugo Jenks
Stonehenge's many use's unproven
It seems unbelievable that professionals could come up with a theory of a "healing site" for these ancient stones,
As those men would have had more sense to carry small stones for healing rather than dragging huge monoliths hundreds of miles across the countryside, or instead to organise the population to visit the Preselli mountains to be healed. Professor Thom, in his "Stonehenge Decoded" postulated that Stonehenge's alignment to lunar, solar and stellar events is far more plausable, than using an entire population to move these stones for healing. So much for pseudo theories, and their authors.
Astronomical Observatory ?! NO!!!
The title of the book you quote says it all :Stonehenge "Decoded". Astral alignments are an easy out, as pretty much any two points on land can be made to align to something interesting in the heavens. Using your argument, why work so incredibly hard for decades, to simply plot the motions of stars, planets and the moon, when something much simpler can be constructed ? Why ensure the cap stones are carved perfectly to be both parallel to a flat horizon (even though they are placed on an uneven plain) if this were a pointer to the sky ? No,only religion or faith in healing/miracles as we call them would have enough 'force' to drive people to sacrifice so much time and effort to build this incredible monument.
Unravelling Stone Henge
It has been pointed out by many people, the astronomical alignments of Stone Henge. I think we would be foolish to deny that fact. A solid unmoving platform was essential for comparing variations in and the cycles of celestial bodies. Stonehenge was certainly this. Graduated markings on a number of perimeter stones along with 'sighting knobs' on some of the capping stones, clearly show that these stones were used for measuring.
The one place where accurate celestial observations is essential for survival, is at sea - that is to ensure a safe and accurate passage to one's destination - especially after a passage across an ocean ie; the Atlantic. This would have been the main driving force behind the erection of these stones. As Prof Barry Fell described in America BC, the culture of Eastern America was essentially the same as the culture of coastal Europe. There is a mini Stone Henge in Vermont, along with Dolmens, Menhirs and Menatols almost identical to ones in Ireland and Brittany (Armorica).
The widespread evidence of Ogham script in Eastern America - once thought to only be used by Irish monks appears to have a much deeper history, that almost certainly predates the Phoenician alphabet. The serpent mounds of Vermont and Delaware, similar to the one at Avebury, England (John Michell), also suggests a common link in culture. East/West facing Chambers (tabernacles) for viewing the summer and winter solstices were also common in Eastern America, often the walls were covered in Ogham writing, once again suggesting a connection to the ancient Indo/European Sun Worshipping culture.
The rings making up many Irish and Welsh petroglyphs are also believed to be maps of islands, the rings denote the number of days sail between islands such as the Azores. (Dr Reinoud M. de Jonge, Jay S Wakefield) This style of Petroglyph is also seen in America - especially amongst Anasazi petroglyphs.
When considering the extent and origin of this megalithic seafaring culture, we must also take into consideration what the DNA of these people is showing us. It shows that the people of Ireland, Wales, Brittany and the Basques show their mysterious absence from the rest of the European population between 13,000 and 6,000 years ago (Prof Jones). Could this suggest that the East coast of America was their interim home for this period? Anasazi and Welsh legends are surprisingly similar. Not only this, but the Native American chiefs of Dakota and Delaware teach; that the Age of the Red Heads ended 6,000 years ago. An uncanny correlation with the DNA evidence of their return to Europe.
I am not denying that Stone Henge was a spiritual place that may have been used for healing - or even for human sacrifice. I am sure that it was. The Wizards/Druids of that time were the scientists/shamans/and politicians all rolled into one package - often used for manipulating the masses through fear, magical healing or through the apparent control of the heavens (such as the prediction of eclipses).
Peter Marsh, www.polynesian-prehistory.com
healing at Stonehenge
August 2009 - I recently took an Evan Evan bus tour out of London. We stopped at Windsor Castle and Bath before arriving at Stonehenge late in the day - around 5 PM Mid way on the bus ride, my back started aching - a result of pulling an overstuffed suitcase from Florida, thru Atlanta, onto Cambridge, and return to London. I regretted I had no Aleve or aspirin with me. What the heck just an aching back. Joining the other tourists for our allotted hour at Stonehenge, I circled the henge taking pictures every so many yards, always waiting until the horizon was cleared of tourists, on the other side of the circle. I finished the circle just in time to board the bus. It was only on the ride back did I notice my aching back no longer ached. I had no knowledge of supposed healing properties of the monument. Hey, it worked for me.