We have witnessed the dawn of a new millennium. It is natural to think about the progression of time. In today’s world we take
measures of time , such as clocks and calendars for granted. Thousands of years ago people might have registered the passing
of time by the position of the massive stones circles that abound Britain. The most famous of these prehistoric stone circles is at
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain.
Stonehenge is placed at an ancient crossroads and evolved in three distinct phases. Some people believe that the alignment of
the stones was and is astronomically significant. The entrance to the henge in its initial phase corresponded to the most northerly
rising of the moon. Later the entrance was moved and corresponded with the rising of the sun. But if Stonehenge was an
observatory, that was not its only function. What of the human bones that have been found and what was the ’Stonehenge
Murder’?
Avebury is the site of the largest stone circle of its kind in Europe. It is thought , rather than being a giant observatory, the
Avebury circle was connected with rituals of life and death. Fertility rites and funeral feasts were observed here. The area is
also rich in long and round burial barrows, dating back from c.3700-c 1800 bc. The nearby Salisbury Hill appears to be a huge
barrow, but contains no burials-what was the significance?
The beauty of these entities is both the fact and the mystery. We can see these massive structures commanding the landscape,
just as the local people saw the complete circles thousands of years ago. As archaeological evidence is uncovered and better
understood, so we can understand more about the people who and used these incredible temples. But it is also part of the
delight that we do not know the full story - that some secrets are held in the mists of time.
Stonehenge is really an incredible site. I think that there is a ban of walking among the stones, now. It is a shame, but it was
being abused.