History Of Stonehenge

Stonehenge's origin is prehistoric, essentially stating that its development exceeds all of modern civilization.

Historians and archaeologists alike estimate that Stonehenge was built during the Neolithic Age of civilization. It is also estimated that it took over a thousand years to develop and construct this area. This estimation means that the civilization of that time period continued this construction well past those that originally designed the monument.  At this time, there were limited monuments of this caliber build without the wheel, so it is deemed one of the most magnificent monuments of its time period and also within England.

Initial Thoughts

Stonehenge has always had a mystical presence and civilizations since its construction has viewed this area to be different from any other part of England. Before historians and scientists began to study Stonehenge, Middle Age civilizations believed that Stonehenge was created by magic and placed there by Celtic Druids.  Its massive presence and unbelievable construction intimidated these civilizations because there was no monument like it throughout England. It was a sacred and magical place to these people. These civilizations believed this monument to be massive and extraordinary, so its construction has always been questionable and a mystery. More modern civilizations did not diminish its mystical powers, but they found it to be a pagan monument as Christianity came to the West. Most cultures still made all attempts to avoid the area for hundreds of years.

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Prior to the use of carbon dating, historians estimated Stonehenge to be a product of the Iron Age and constructed by pagan Druids. These Druids were influential in the development of early civilization in England and the time period would have proven how the monument was built. Based upon the bones found at the site and layout of the stones, it appears mystical in the eyes of those studying magic and the numerous bodies buried within the grounds. The mass amount of bodies within the grounds suggested that some type of sacrifice or rituals were embraced in this area. Seventeenth-century historians were on to something, but later discoveries would show their inaccuracies.

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Carbon-Dating

Again, Stonehenge was under the scope, but this time, newly developed science would provide solid answers. Once this method was introduced and applied to the bones found at Stonehenge, scientists could not believe their own discoveries. These bones pre-dated original theories of Druids and the Iron Age. They were actually older from the Stone Age. Although this predated Celtic Druids, historians still believed that Stonehenge was developed for a specific purpose or purposes.

Further review of the remains found at Stonehenge suggested that they were sacrificial because they were often women or young children. Considering the beliefs of the Stone Age, sacrificial theories are accepted theories.

Other information and theories suggest that Stonehenge may have some celestial significance. Considering the fact that the remains all faced a single direction towards the sunset and moonrise. If someone is standing at Stonehenge at night, the stones are clearly aligned with the moon, encouraging the theory of celestial influence.