Revealing the Past: Stonehenge

DID YOU KNOW? On October 28, 1914 Dr. Jonas Salk was born in New York City. Revealing the Past: Stonehenge Who built Stonehenge, the majestic and enigmatic prehistoric monuments on the Salisbury plains in southern England? One legend states that the devil bought the stones from an old woman and used his magical powers to transport them to England. Another has it that dancing giants were magically turned into the stones. Early scientists guessed that the standing stones were the site of rituals held by Druids. Unfortunately, the stones had been standing for nearly 3,000 years when the Celts arrived. Modern archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was constructed in three phases over 25 generations. Around 3000 BC, the so-called Heel Stone was erected outside of a circular ditch. During the second construction stage around 2150 BC, an avenue was built and two crescent-shaped rows of standing stones were erected in the center of the circle. Around 2000 BC, a circle of sandstone pillars topped by lintels replaced earlier stones, and five trilithons--pairs of upright stones connected by a horizontal stone--were built in a horseshoe shape. One of the many mysteries of Stonehenge is how the huge upright stones were dragged to Stonehenge from where geologists say they must have stood originally, about 14 miles away. The most popular theory holds that they were carried on rafts from the Welsh shore. The greatest mystery of the site, however, concerns its purpose. Early archaeologists believed that Stonehenge was a temple. Some believed it was dedicated to sun worship. Recent theorists argue that Stonehenge was an astronomical "computer" used to predict solar and lunar alignments. Four "station" stones are believed to predict sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset. Yet another theory is that the site was important for its sexual symbolism. The many questions Stonehenge raises are really an indication of how much we have left to learn about life in early Britain.