Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

It's generally accepted that the stone for Stonehenge came from Pembrokeshire (in fact, I think analysis has shown it could only have come from there). This is 200 miles from Stonehenge, but we don't know if the stone was transported all the way by man (quite an undertaking) or whether it was moved by glaciers during an ice age and dumped near the site.

I can scarcely imagine stones that big being transported 200 miles. How advanced were people back then?

Come to think of it, how long ago was it?

[boldie]

It's generally accepted that the stone for Stonehenge came from Pembrokeshire (in fact, I think analysis has shown it could only have come from there). This is 200 miles from Stonehenge, but we don't know if the stone was transported all the way by man (quite an undertaking) or whether it was moved by glaciers during an ice age and dumped near the site.

I can scarcely imagine stones that big being transported 200 miles. How advanced were people back then?

Come to think of it, how long ago was it?

But people could build pyramids as well..

[gatso]

are there anymore bits of the same stone close to Stonehenge?

if not then you've gotta assume that people moved them as it's somewhat unlikely that a glacier dropped off exactly the right number of stones to make Stonehenge and in exactly the right shapes and sizes.

[RED-DOG]

It's generally accepted that the stone for Stonehenge came from Pembrokeshire (in fact, I think analysis has shown it could only have come from there). This is 200 miles from Stonehenge, but we don't know if the stone was transported all the way by man (quite an undertaking) or whether it was moved by glaciers during an ice age and dumped near the site.

I can scarcely imagine stones that big being transported 200 miles. How advanced were people back then?

Come to think of it, how long ago was it?

But people could build pyramids as well..

Not in this country they couldn't. 

[boldie]

It's generally accepted that the stone for Stonehenge came from Pembrokeshire (in fact, I think analysis has shown it could only have come from there). This is 200 miles from Stonehenge, but we don't know if the stone was transported all the way by man (quite an undertaking) or whether it was moved by glaciers during an ice age and dumped near the site.

I can scarcely imagine stones that big being transported 200 miles. How advanced were people back then?

Come to think of it, how long ago was it?

But people could build pyramids as well..

Not in this country they couldn't. 

sigh..All I meant to say was that they were probably advanced enough to move a couple of big rocks.

[MANTIS01]

Posted by: RED-DOG

Mantis's story is fascinating, I'm going to research it a bit if I can.

Yeah, I do think this is philosophically brilliant. I mean 5,000 years later the wood is gone just like the people who built it, and yet the stones remain, so their spirit is still present. Pretty deep pre-historic thinking from where i'm standing.

Even though the logic is advanced the tools they could use were rudimentary. They dug out the foundations using deer antlers, rolled the 45 ton stones along on logs, before smoothing them all down by hand. Andrew's right about the stones, some are from Pembrokeshire, up to 200 miles away, so I reckon stone-dragging duty must have been a right barrel of laughs. Good job there was no t.v. because this must have taken forever.

Which brings me on to an alternative theory about the farmer's stone fence posts. His wife nagged.

[gatso]

Posted by: RED-DOG

Why, when wood was so plentiful would someone bother to cut a huge piece of stone

Reminded me of a peach of a programme about Stonehenge that was aired for the first time on National Geographic the other night. Prof. Mike Parker Pearson who works out of Sheffield University has researched the area and put forward some fascinating new theories. His evidence suggests there were two henges in existence at the time, one made of stone and one made of wood. The woodhenge was a house of the living where marriages etc were conducted and the stonehenge was a house of the dead where elite members of the community were buried. He believes the materials used were symbolic, wood is temporary and will eventually rot and decay just like life, but stone will last forever and symbolises eternal life in the spirit world. Up till now people thought stonehenge was either a calender or a temple to worship the sun.

Now these stones weigh around 45 tons each and were transported across 20 miles of undulating country around 5,000 years ago. Quite a task when simpler alternatives were available. People seem to bother to do things right if it matters enough to them.

I saw a different prog on this the other day. woodhenge is just down the road from stonehenge, the places where the wooden poles stood are now marked by small stones.

the prog suggested that stonehenge was built to be used during the winter solstice and woodhenge for the summer so all the hippies that show up at stonehenge in june are actually in the wrong place.

there's speculation over whether the wooden pillars held a roof, kinda hard to tell after all this time

[Nakor]

Also was a sea henge on the North Norfolk coast.

Holme Henge was found in the sea on the North Norfolk coast.

Caused quite a stir at the time and the pagans flocked to see it.  English Heritage then turned up with chainsaw and hacked off a corner to carbon date the structure.  Upon deciding it was 4000 years old they though best to did it up and submerge it in tanks at a local Heritage site to preserve it.

Holme is one of the best beech's in the country and it was quite a spectacle to see the sea withdraw and unveil this amazing structure (The centre column was a huge upturned oak) - now it rots in tanks and looks like pieces of submerged wood - a beautiful site ruined by do gooders.

[boldie]

I just wanted to say a quick "Thank you" to you, Mr. Red. Since your "look at things properly" post a while ago I started to have a look around the house before going to bed...not to spy on the neighbours or anything ...honest guv But just to have a nice quiet moment. Spotted loads and loads of small birds in the trees next to our house (plenty of cover for them at the moment)..active little buggers they are and fly faster than any bird I've seen in a while, diving all over the place evading other birds (Big feckin' rooks in the area) and catching their food...amazing to watch, very cool.
Tsirpy little feckers as well...which is slightly annoying but OK....I can life with that.

I probably would have noticed them if you hadn't said anything but I wouldn't have seen them..if that makes any sense.

So thanks, Mr Red.

[RED-DOG]

I saw a different prog on this the other day. woodhenge is just down the road from stonehenge, the places where the wooden poles stood are now marked by small stones.

It's a little ironic that the woodhenge site is marked by stones.

[AndrewT]

I saw a different prog on this the other day. woodhenge is just down the road from stonehenge, the places where the wooden poles stood are now marked by small stones.

It's a little ironic that the woodhenge site is marked by stones.

Not only that but the Rolling Stones contain Wood.

[RED-DOG]

Also was a sea henge on the North Norfolk coast.

Holme Henge was found in the sea on the North Norfolk coast.

Caused quite a stir at the time and the pagans flocked to see it.  English Heritage then turned up with chainsaw and hacked off a corner to carbon date the structure.  Upon deciding it was 4000 years old they though best to did it up and submerge it in tanks at a local Heritage site to preserve it.

Holme is one of the best beech's in the country and it was quite a spectacle to see the sea withdraw and unveil this amazing structure (The centre column was a huge upturned oak) - now it rots in tanks and looks like pieces of submerged wood - a beautiful site ruined by do gooders.

Sea Henge. I thought this was a wind up until I googled it. Are there any more "Henges" ?

[RED-DOG]

I saw a different prog on this the other day. woodhenge is just down the road from stonehenge, the places where the wooden poles stood are now marked by small stones.

It's a little ironic that the woodhenge site is marked by stones.

Not only that but the Rolling Stones contain Wood.

 

[kinboshi]

There's also Henge & Bracket.  From what I've heard, they can be found in Luton.

[Jon MW]

... - now it rots in tanks and looks like pieces of submerged wood - a beautiful site ruined by do gooders.

I suspect they're doing what they did to the Mary Rose which is like injecting it with plastic to preserve it but is a lot more complicated (you can tell how much attention I was paying to the Mary Rose tour commentary).