Amesbury

Updated: Sep 16

The world's most famous neolithic monument - Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites 373

What and Why

Stonehenge, the iconic archaeological sarsen-built monument of the United Kingdom, is known more for its unknown. No one can ascertain what exactly this monument is for. In fact many aspects of Stonehenge, such as how it was built and for what purposes it was used, remain subject to intensive debates. We are however certain it is not a random monument due to its precise solar alignment, and there was absolutely no written records or engraving about what exactly it was. Propositions of it being a burial ground, a temple or a calendar continue to be debated in all areas.

After all Stonehenge was built sometime in 3000 BCE where there was no written records. Stonehenge consists of an outer ring of vertical stones, each around 4 m high and 2 m wide, and weighing around 25 tonnes, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones. Inside these are free-standing trilithons, looking like small triumphal arches, although the entire monument is now ruinous due to age. The monument is further surrounded by a number of concentric stone circles plus two small mounds serving as some kind of markers.

Toponymy

The area where Stonehenge is located was referred to as Stanheng, which comes from the Old English words 'stān' meaning 'stone', and 'hencg' meaning 'hinge' or 'hang' with literal meanings.

The town Amesbury, where Stonehenge is administered, has an uncertain etymology. It has been proposed to have derived from the Old English word 'amore-burh' meaning 'fortification frequented by buntings'.

See

Stonehenge

I shall not discuss the history of the Stonehenge as it is firstly ill-defined and subject to debate, and secondly these debates are available aplenty in the public domain. I shall focus on some of the known scientific facts regarding the monument.

Stonehenge original plan (from internet)

The picture above shows the original plan of the Stonehenge after the various fragmented informations and archaeological digs. The site, specifically the great trilithon, plus the encompassing horseshoe arrangement of the other trilithons, the heel stone, the slaughter stone, and the embanked avenue, are aligned precisely to the sunset of the winter solstice and the opposing sunrise of the summer solstice. Due to the discovery of animal bones it has been suggested the site is more devoted for winter and annual winter gatherings were organised within the site.

As the picture above shows, the heel stone is kind of the official entrance into the Stonehenge.

The main part of the Stonehenge are largely sarsen stones and hence transportation by water would have been unlikely due to the immense weight of the stones. It had been conjectured that they could therefore only have been moved using sledges, ropes and an awful lot of manpower, and erected through ropes.

The other circular rim of 56 small stones and holes is called the Aubrey Holes. In particular Q, R, Y and Z holes are probably part of a solar calendar, marking accurately positions corresponding to solstices, equinoxes and eclipses. The exact purpose of the other holes remains a mystery, although the likelihood is that they were originally used to support wooden posts before later being used to bury cremated remains.

The two barrows were originally thought to be some kind of tumulus, similar to our blogged Donore (Dún Uabhair) in Ireland (Irish: Éire). However these mounds seem to have contain no archaeological finds and hence this theory is now dismissed.

The site is probably multifunctional: an astronomical observatory, a burial site, a ceremonial site plus recently a place of spiritual or physical healing. Recently during the 20th century CE, Stonehenge began to revive as a place of religious significance, especially on neopaganism and New Age beliefs, although much of these beliefs are being mocked upon, as they were found largely without historic or cultural backups.

Visitor Centre and Museum

The Stonehenge Visitor Centre is a small visitor centre cum museum that sits at the entrance into the site. The museum is a standard small museum, a bit underwhelming considering the huge expectation of visitors to the Stonehenge.

Eat and Drink

Sunday roast

While I do occasionally complain about the lack of Britishness in British cuisine, one of the things that I do regularly is to do the Sunday roast, which is really of British origin. In a recent popularity poll, British voted unanimously that the Sunday roast's prominence in British culture and was ranked second in a list of things people love about the United Kingdom.

It is no more than a jumbled dish of roasted meat including beef, lamb, chicken, sausages plus accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy, potatoes and various sauce condiments. The origin of it was simply that it was a gathering event after the Sunday church services and is actually common across Europe. The Britishness of this comes from the fact that it is traditional for Anglicans and English Catholics to fast before Sunday services, and hence it is usual to consume a much bigger meal after they break the fast.

Getting There and Around

I took the train from London and arrived at Salisbury station. From there the easiest way is to take a cabbie from there which is just a 10-minute ride. The site is also well served by the local bus or tours. The entrance fee of the Stonehenge is GBP £26. The site will be a good half-day trip. The area is fairly windy as it is quite open.