Alexander Volkov unraveling the mystery of Stonehenge. Stonehenge Mystery Revealed The Blue Stones of Stonehenge

The mystery of Stonehenge is one of the most interesting problems that scientists have yet to solve. The greatest minds have been struggling with this for several centuries, but the solution to this mystery is yet to come.

Stonehenge - the mystery of antiquity

Stonehenge means "Hanging Stones" in Old English.

The complex itself and its surroundings have been under the protection of UNESCO since 1986.

At different times there were different opinions about when and by whose hands this complex was built. In the Middle Ages, its creation was attributed to the Great Magician Merlin, who literally overnight created this structure on the orders of the Celtic king in honor of the victory in the battle with the Saxons.

At the end of the 16th century, by order of King James I, on whom the building he saw made the deepest impression, the architect Inigo Jones took up the study of the monument. The latter drew up a plan for the construction and suggested that since the ancient Druids could hardly have created such a grandiose complex, then most likely it was built by the ancient Romans. In those days, it was believed that only the Romans and Greeks could create anything significant.

Exploring Stonehenge

In 1747, Dr. W.Stukeley first discovered that Stonehenge was built using a magnetic compass and taking into account magnetic declination. He was also the first to mention the orientation of the axis of the monument.

Dr. D. Smith in 1771 suggested that Stonehenge is nothing more than a numerical astrological calendar, and confirmed W. Stukeley's hypothesis about the orientation of the axis of the monument to the sunrise point on the summer solstice.

A certain E. Wansey from Waltshire in 1796 expressed a brilliant idea about the purpose of the complex: the ancient Druids at Stowhenge calculated eclipses and did it very accurately. The 19th century brought with it an abundance of theories, hypotheses and numerous excavations of the complex by a wide variety of lovers of antiquities.

Research in the 19th century.

So in 1812, R.K. Khor excavated the burials in the complex and found the remains of stones left by the builders. A certain G. Brown in the middle of the century made a conclusion about the direction of the flow of water during the "Flood" on the basis of the more destroyed southwestern part of Stonehenge.

And the amateur researcher D. Ternam rejected the hypothesis that the complex was built by the ancient Romans on the grounds that the monument was “mute”, while the Romans decorated their buildings with various kinds of inscriptions in every possible way. Accordingly, Stowhenge, in his opinion, was the creation of the hands of the British.

In the 1870s, who later became a famous scientist, W.M. Flinders Petrie took a plan of Stonehenge with an accuracy of a few centimeters, but he made an erroneous conclusion about the installation of later stones in the building in honor of the alleged burial in Dorian times of the local rulers.

In 1883, researcher W.S. Blackot said that Stonehenge was built by people from Atlantis! And just a year later, T.A. Wise assured that the authorship of the monument belongs to "Buddhist missionaries."

J. Lubbock, the son of the famous astronomer Sir John William Lubbock, most closely to the modern interpretation determined the time of construction of Stonehenge 1500-1000 BC.

In 1963, paleoastronomer J. Hawkins published his first work, which introduced people interested in this issue with numerous discoveries and assumptions made by him on the basis of astronomical and mathematical calculations for which a computer was used.

Stonehenge complex

The Stonehenge complex consists of several rings of earthen ramparts and ditches and gigantic, some reaching up to 8.5 m high, stones.

Archaeologists claim that it was rebuilt three times between the 1st and the middle of the 2nd millennium BC.

As the purpose of this structure, scientists offer a version that Stonehenge served as a kind of "observatory", with which it was possible to determine the days of the solstice and equinox, and, possibly, solar eclipses.

The first period of construction of the complex

The time of construction of the first version of the complex was determined by scientists as approximately 1900 BC, that is, a thousand years later than the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. At first, an annular ditch was dug and two ramparts were poured on both sides of it, not closed from the northeast.

The outer shaft has a diameter of 115 m, and is almost a regular circle, its width is about 2.5 meters and its height is 0.5-0.8 meters. The inner shaft has more impressive dimensions, probably, it was supposed to hide the complex from strangers, its width is 6 m and the height is about 1.8 m. Before entering the ring opposite the ends of the moat, four depressions can be seen, presumably there could have been wooden pillars, but they have not survived to our times. On the same line with the end of the inner shaft, two more depressions are visible, but we also cannot know what was there.

Even during this period, "Aubrey holes" were arranged. This name was given to those found by John Aubrey, a famous archaeologist and historian of the second half of the 17th century, located in a ring of pits filled with crushed chalk.

56 holes are placed in a circle with a diameter of 87.80 m along the inner shaft. They have different sizes: from 60 cm to 120 cm long, from 80 cm to 180 cm wide, but they are clearly located at an equal distance from each other - 4.8 m.

In further research, the role of these "holes" was of great importance for understanding the functions of the entire structure.

heel stone

A huge Heel Stone is installed 30 meters from the ring in the southeast direction from the axis of the entrance. This name was given to the main stone of the Aubrey complex. There is a version that the archaeologist noticed a recess resembling a heel print on the stone and called it "Friar's Heelstone" - "the heel of a running monk", but it is more likely that the historian wrote down the name from the local language. The Celts mentioned the name "sun" stone, which remained from the ancient Britons, and the Celtic word "haol" - "sun" - is similar in sound to the English "heel" - "heel".

The size of the stone is 6 meters by 2.4 meters by 2.1 meters, its weight is about 35 tons, it consists of sandstone called "sarsen", such rocks can be found somewhere 30-35 kilometers from the monument. This stone is the only one of all the stones of the complex that does not bear signs of artificial processing. Observations have shown that on the day of the summer solstice, the Sun rises exactly above the Heel Stone. In addition to the ditches we mentioned, traces of holes and this stone, nothing from Stonehenge has survived to this day.

Second period

Further construction of Stonehenge continued by about 1750 BC. e. It was during this period that the first ensemble of megaliths was installed, which consists of 82 blue stones weighing up to 5 tons each. The stones are arranged in two circles at a distance of about 1.8 meters from each other. The same builders widened the passage between the ends of the moat and built an alley 12 meters wide from the entrance, bordered on both sides by ramparts and ditches. This road stretched almost 3 km from the complex and went to the river Avon.

The bluestones themselves have raised many questions. Their geological composition is unusual for this area, and it was at first thought that the stones were brought by water on rafts, and then by drag on rollers, from the Preselli Mountains in South Wales. But modern geologists, being able to accurately determine the geological characteristics of the stones, deny this version and argue that the stones do not come from one deposit, but from different ones. So we can only guess how such a number of similar stones from different places could be available to the builders of the complex.

The third stage of the construction of Stonehenge

A century later, construction began on the third phase of Stonehenge.

Five triliths were installed in the center of the horseshoe complex, this is the name given to the figure of two vertical stones, on top of which lies a horizontal one. The height of such "gates" reached from 6 to 7 m. Among these stones there is one that weighs about 50 tons, and is considered the largest of the processed not only in this building, but throughout Britain. The accuracy of mounting the structure is truly amazing - the distance between the vertical supports in the "gates" does not exceed 30 cm.

The triliths were surrounded by a colonnade of 30 vertical stones, each weighing up to 25 tons, they were covered with horizontal slabs. This ring was called "sarsen". For the strength of the bundle of stones in the masonry, the principle of the lock was applied (a nest in one stone and a spike in another).

In places of support, the vertical stones are slightly concave, and the horizontal crossbars are slightly convex and create the appearance of fallen and slightly bent. The open part of the mentioned horseshoe was turned to the south-east and the axis coincided with the axis of the entrance. The improved Stonehenge was still focused on the Heel Stone, which, apparently, remained the main one in this truly grandiose structure.

Completion of construction

Construction was completed around 1600 BC. e. Researchers do not find an understanding of the purpose of the stone called the scaffold. This sarsen, 6.3 meters long, went into the ground for almost its entire length along the uppermost edge. Paleoastronomer J. Hawkins suggested that the builders deliberately pushed the stone into the pit so that it did not block the view of the Heel Stone.

The purpose of the stone complex

Back in the 18th century historian W.Stukeley suggested that the Stonehenge complex is somehow connected with the Sun. This opinion of the researcher was led by the direction of the main line of the entire structure, it is clearly oriented to the northeast, from where the Sun rises at the time of the summer solstice. And in 1771, Dr. John Smith developed the hypothesis of W. Stukeley. He carefully measured all the stones of the complex and concluded that Stonehenge is not only a temple of the Sun, but also a calendar.

Astronomical observations carried out at Stonehenge and a detailed analysis of the location of the stone "visors" made it possible to assume with a high degree of probability that Stonehenge was a giant observatory built by ancient people to track the movement of the Sun and Moon. It was with the help of this complex that it was possible to determine the day of the summer solstice, when the Sun rose in the northeast as close as possible to the north point. From this event, it was possible to start counting the time for the coming year until the Sun again rises exactly above the Heel Stone, marking the end of the annual cycle.

Probably, this significant moment was accompanied by some kind of solemn ritual. But to determine only one Day of the summer solstice, it would be too difficult to erect such a grandiose complex. And researchers continued to look for other additional features and functions of Stonehenge.

First of all, they drew attention to the structure of the triliths: the distance between the vertical stones was so small that it actually formed a narrow loophole with a very limited angle of view, and each time the “ray” of sight, passing through the trilith, fell into a certain opening of the outer colonnade.

So studies have shown that through one of the triliths, a view of the sunrise on the day of the winter solstice opens up, and the other two triliths allow you to observe the sunsets on the days of the summer and winter solstices. Two more triliths were used for lunar observations. In combination with the openings of the outer colonnade, the observations were more accurate and perfect. Since the Moon moves along the zodiac constellations either above the line of the ecliptic or below (the so-called “high and low Moon”), it was possible to observe the setting of the Moon, which was as far as possible from the ecliptic to the north and south, through one trilith, but through different arches of the colonnade. On the days when the Moon crosses the line of the ecliptic, there may be cases of a lunar or solar eclipse.

Stonehenge - astronomical observatory

D. Hawkins, already mentioned by us, suggested that the purpose of Stowhenge was also to monitor the approach of the Moon to the ecliptic and predict solar and lunar eclipses, warning about these events in advance. Research by D. Hawkins showed that 2000 BC. e. eclipses of the Moon and the Sun occurred during the rising of the winter moon over the Heel Stone, and in addition, lunar eclipses could occur in the fall. But each time this event corresponded to the coincidence of the moon's rising point with a certain stone of the outer circle. The interval of these coincidences is 18 years, three cycles is almost 56 years, that is how many “Aubrey holes” exist!

Over the solution of the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids, mankind has been struggling for more than one millennium. However, the ancient peoples had a very prosaic idea about them, for example, the inhabitants of Babylon believed that the pyramids served as observatories.

Researchers attribute a similar purpose to another ancient megalith (“a structure of huge stones”) of the planet - Stonehenge. This grandiose building is located 130 km from London on the Salisbury Plain of southern England.

What is Stonehenge?

The entire structure consists of four large stone circles. The outer circle - thirty dug vertically hewn stones, about 5.5 meters high, on top of them lie flat stone slabs. The ring composition closes, its diameter is 29.5 meters.

The second circle is made up of single stones - much smaller ones. They are called menhirs.

Around the central stone, the “altar”, there are also 19 single vertically dug stones. This fourth circle is not closed and resembles a horseshoe. An interesting third circle is located in the form of a horseshoe.

It consists of 5 groups of stones, the so-called triliths.

Vertical slabs 6–7 meters high, very closely spaced at a distance of 30 cm from each other and covered by a horizontal slab. Weigh vertical plates - 40 tons. Our ancestors surrounded all this grandiose structure with two earthen ramparts and an annular moat. Along the inner shaft there are 56 holes filled with chalk in a circle. The ramparts also marked the "alley", going to the north-east of the circle. At the end of this "alley", about thirty meters from the entrance, a real giant (6-meter stone weighing 35 tons) was installed - the Heel Stone.

And in the 18th century, the orientation of Stonehenge to the solstice was discovered, which means that the druids would have built it ... Alas, but this is not at all the case! There is no need to equate our knowledge of the 21st century with the events that took place 5000 years ago, and it’s absolutely not worth attributing Stonehenge to the druids - this is just a beautiful legend, and has nothing to do with the druids ... The Celts, otherwise the druids, appeared in Britain somewhere in 500 BC when Stonehenge has been around for a long time! But that's what Stonehenge is similar to that ancient sky map that existed 4000 years ago, astronomer D. Hawkins proved in 1965. And already in 1998, the results of computer research shocked many scientists! Well, of course, who would not be surprised - after all, Stonehenge turned out to be an absolutely accurate model of our solar system in cross section! So our ancestors used their "observatory" and created their own calendar of lunar and solar eclipses, calculated the day of the summer solstice, sowing days and harvesting days.

It was also assumed that Stonehenge was built by those who built the Egyptian pyramids, i.e.

- aliens ... And soon the first 10 buildings of a huge, by those standards, settlement of 1000 houses were excavated by archaeologists. The buildings were stone, or made of clay and wood with traces of hearths and flint tools scattered everywhere ... Scientists were even more surprised when it turned out that discos were organized in Stonehenge! Of course, as it turned out, there was someone to organize these discos, but for what purpose?! Maybe in this way people treated their ailments, maybe in this way the dead, to the music and dances, were escorted to another world ... However, another question torments scientists - how, nevertheless, the ancients, with their primitive tools, were able to build Stonehenge? Who helped them, then who are these mysterious helpers? Aliens, or giants, in which our ancestors believed... More...

Exploring Stonehenge

According to archaeological research, this incredible stone complex in Wiltshire (Wiltshire, England) was built in the period from 3000 to 2000 BC. Radiocarbon dating done in 2008 showed that the first bluish (blue) stones were set in a large circle around this area before 3000 BC, subsequent megaliths were set inside the great circle between 2400 and 2200 BC.

Scientists suggest that even before 3000 BC, Stonehenge became the burial place of the ashes of especially revered people, whose cremation took place in all parts of Britain. The first bluish (blue) megaliths were installed at the burial site of the ashes.

STONEHENGE But according to radiocarbon analysis, the construction of Stonehenge dates back to the III millennium BC. e., and the arrival of the Indo-Europeans in these parts, according to the conditional and vague sign of the “Bronze Age”, is dated to the 2nd millennium. And the Hallstadt culture of the “Iron Age”, which has

4. Stonehenge-98 Astronomers confidently intervene in the "foreign" science - archeology. In the 1990s, startling discoveries were made by Robert Bauval, Robert Gantenbrink (a specialist in robotics) regarding the location and orientation of the famous Egyptian pyramids and

This building is in a field located 13 kilometers from the small village of Salisbury.

"Stone fence" - this is how the name Stonehenge is translated. London is located 130 kilometers to the southwest. The territory belongs to the administrative district of Wiltshire. It consists of a circle around which there are 56 small burial "holes" of Aubrey (named after a 17th century explorer). The most famous version is that lunar eclipses could be calculated from them. Later they began to bury the cremated remains of people. In Europe, wood has always been associated with life, and stone with death.

In the center is the so-called altar (a six-ton green sandstone monolith). In the northeast - a seven-meter Heel Stone. There is also the Block Stone, so named for the color of the iron oxides protruding on it. The next two rings are made up of large hard blocks of blue color (siliceous sandstone). The construction is completed by an annular colonnade with horizontal slabs lying on top.

In general, Stonehenge is a structure of 82 five-ton megaliths, 30 stone blocks, weighing 25 tons each, and 5 huge so-called triliths, stones weighing up to 50 tons. Stacked stone blocks form arches that once served as a flawless indicator of the cardinal directions. Until recently, scientists assumed that this monument was built in 3100 BC by the tribes living in the British Isles to observe the Sun and Moon. But the latest data of modern science force us to reconsider many of the conclusions of researchers.

Back in the 20s of the last century, the famous geologist X. Thomas established. that the stones for the construction of the complex were delivered from the quarries. which were located more than 300 kilometers from the construction site. Needless to say, transporting the giant blocks of stone required incredible effort. At the end of 1994, University of Wales professor David Bowen used the latest method to determine the age of Stonehenge. It turned out that it is 140,000 years old. Why did the ancient people need to make great efforts to cut down, complex transportation, processing of the strongest blocks and their incredible accuracy in installing them in a strict order? There is no answer to this question yet.

Renowned astronomer Fred Hoyle. having studied all the geometric features of Stonehenge, he determined that the creators of this structure knew the exact orbital period of the moon and the duration of the solar year. According to the conclusions of other researchers, the holes located inside the circle formed by stone blocks exactly indicate the trajectory of the Pole of the World 12-30 thousand years ago! In 1998, astronomers recreated the original appearance of Stonehenge using a computer and conducted various studies.

Their findings were shocking to many. It turns out that this ancient monolith is not only a solar and lunar calendar, as previously thought, but also an accurate cross-sectional model of the solar system. According to this model, the solar system consists not of nine, but of twelve planets, two of which are beyond the orbit of Pluto (the last of the nine planets known today), and one between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where the asteroid belt is now located. In principle, this model confirms the assumptions of modern astronomical science and is fully consistent with the ideas of many ancient peoples, who also believed that the number of planets in our solar system is twelve.

A feature of all ancient megaliths is their unusually high seismic resistance. Studies have shown that during their construction, special platforms were used to soften or completely extinguish tremors. Most of all ancient structures were erected on such platforms. In addition, such foundations practically do not give “soil shrinkage”, which inevitably occurs in modern construction.

1. People stare at Stonehenge

Not a single prehistoric monument in Europe attracts such close attention as Stonehenge - this pile of stones reared up by some kind of superhuman effort. For four and a half thousand years now, they have been silently looking at the surrounding plain - the more verbose are the explanations of historians seeking to understand why “Ossa was piled on Pelion”, erecting this “rock garden”, and the more eloquent are the fantasies of lovers of “secrets of the ages”. Stonehenge is considered one of the most mysterious monuments of Europe, it is the most famous monument of its ancient past.

He still amazes and delights everyone who has ever seen him. The stone rings of Stonehenge have been asking us riddles for centuries. There are many myths, legends and hypotheses around these stones. How did you manage to build this grandiose structure? For what? What rituals were performed here? What holidays were held? Who came here? Who finally owned Stonehenge?

What were the Stonehenge stones? A majestic stage, where rituals and festivities, bequeathed by the fathers, were played out in the open air? Or was it a cemetery that attracted the attention of everyone who lived nearby, and each stone is a tombstone? Or do we have a stone calendar worked out with almost the same thoroughness as the monuments of Egypt? Not a single papyrus scroll or even a single wall inscription will lead to the right answer.

Stonehenge is one of the oldest structures in Europe. Its history is estimated more than 4 thousand years. In 1986, this archaeological wonder was officially recognized as one of the most valuable monuments of mankind, thanks to which it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Translated from English Stonehenge - "stone fence" or "stone circle". The construction is a complex of huge stones-menhirs, built in the form of rings, and really resembles several rows of fences. In the center rises a giant altar made of a 6-ton stone block. Around it is a complex system of ramparts, mounds, vertically and horizontally standing slabs.

The monumentality of this ancient building is amazing. Some stones reach a weight of 50 tons and rise 4 meters above ground level. No less grandiose boulders are laid flat on top of them. Scientists believe that Stonehenge was erected in the New Stone Age. The first phase of construction supposedly began in the 3rd-4th millennium BC. e.

Scientists are still arguing about how such a colossal structure could have been erected by people who had neither transport nor even primitive construction equipment. But multi-ton stone blocks were collected in one place from different parts of the British Isles.

The megalithic structure is located in the southwest of Great Britain in the county of Wiltshire, 130 km southwest of London and 13 km from Salisbury. It is on the fields of the Salisbury Plain that most often appear drawings, the origin and meaning of which are still unknown.

Stonehenge means "hanging stones". The ancient inhabitants of the British Isles called it the "Dance of the Giants". The creator was considered the sage and wizard Merlin, adviser to King Arthur. King Arthur himself, according to legend, was the leader of the Britons in the 5th and 6th centuries. However, no evidence of its existence has yet been found.

The process of placing stones in the ground Another Stonehenge Mystery- was very laborious and dangerous. First they dug huge holes. Three walls of the pit were made sheer, and the fourth - with a slope of 45 degrees. Before installing the stone, the walls of the hole were lined with wooden stakes. The stone easily glided over them and did not shower the ground. Further, the workers placed the giant vertically, with the help of ropes and ropes. At the same time, other workers filled up the free space so that the stone would not accidentally collapse. In the end, the stone was left alone and waited until the soil compacted and sagged. Researchers have calculated that the construction of Stonehenge must have taken more than three hundred years of work and at least one thousand workers.

Why was this unique complex built - the third secret of Stonehenge? Stone blocks, archaeologists put forward many different versions. Some claim that Stonehenge served as the center of a solar cult. Others believe that this structure was created for observing astronomical phenomena. The most convincing hypothesis connecting the appearance of Stonehenge with the cult of the dead with the veneration of the luminary. On the day of the summer solstice, a crowd of people gathers at the huge building to watch the sunrise over the Heel Stone. This spectacle is truly impressive. Through the lilac fog, above the top of the Heel Stone, a bright sunbeam breaks through. According to astronomers, such rays forced the observer to look at certain parts of the sky and set directions where the expected phenomena could occur.

1 - Altar stone, a six-ton monolith of green mica sandstone from Wales 2-3 - burial mounds without graves 4 - a fallen stone 4.9 meters long (Slaughter Stone - scaffold) 5 - Heel Stone (Heel Stone) 6 - two of the original four vertically standing stones (on the plan of the early 19th century, their position is indicated differently) 7 - ditch (ditch) 8 - inner rampart 9 - outer rampart 10 - avenue, that is, a parallel pair of ditches and ramparts leading 3 km to the Avon River; now these shafts are hardly distinguishable 11 - a ring of 30 pits, the so-called. Y wells; in the 1930s, the holes were marked with round posts, which are now removed. 12 - a ring of 30 holes, the so-called. Hole Z 13 - circle of 56 holes known as Aubrey holes 14 - small south entrance

According to legend, Merlin himself had a hand in the construction of the megalith, who brought stones from southwestern Wales, famous for its accumulation of sacred springs. The origin of the huge Heel Stone is connected with another legend. They say that once the devil saw a monk hiding among the stones. Before the unfortunate man could escape, the devil launched a huge boulder at him, which crushed his heel. However, scientists are of a different opinion. So, in the Renaissance, architect I. Jones suggested that Stonehenge was built by the ancient Romans. In the 19th century, it was decided that there was a place of power for the druids, thanks to which they could perform serious rituals by combining their communal forces with the forces of nature - it was believed that the megalith was located at the intersection of energy lines.

The English writer and historian Tom Brooks, as a result of his many years of research, concluded that Stonehenge was part of a giant navigation system consisting of isosceles triangles, the top of each of which pointed to the next point. In our time, some historians put forward the theory that Stonehenge is the tomb of Boadicea, a certain pagan queen. In any case, everyone agrees on the presence of some deep meaning that the ancient architects endowed their work with. After all, it was obviously not in vain that in the 18th century the natives broke off pieces from the megalith and carried it with them as an amulet.

Until recently, scientists assumed that this monument was built in the second millennium BC by the tribes living in the British Isles to observe the Sun and Moon. But the latest data of modern science force us to reconsider many of the conclusions of researchers. Archaeologists now agree that this architectural monument was built in three stages between 2300 and 1900. BC. And recent studies of this territory have shown that people lived here as early as 7200 BC, long before the creation of Stonehenge (before that, it was believed that there was no one here before 3600).

Back in the 20s of the last century, the famous geologist X. Thomas established. that the stones for the construction of the complex were delivered from quarries, which were located more than 300 kilometers from the construction site! Needless to say, transporting the giant blocks of stone required incredible effort. At the end of 1994, University of Wales professor David Bowen used the latest method to determine the age of Stonehenge. It turned out that it is 140,000 years old. Why did the ancient people need to make great efforts to cut down, complex transportation, processing of the strongest blocks and their incredible accuracy in installing them in a strict order? There is no answer to this question yet. Renowned astronomer Fred Hoyle. having studied all the geometric features of Stonehenge, he determined that the creators of this structure knew the exact orbital period of the moon and the duration of the solar year. According to the conclusions of other researchers, the holes located inside the circle formed by stone blocks exactly indicate the trajectory of the Pole of the World 12-30 thousand years ago!

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Undoubtedly, the great national symbol of Great Britain, symbolizing mystery, strength and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some believe it was a temple made to worship ancient deities. Others claim that it was a sacred place for the burial of high-ranking citizens of ancient societies.

While we cannot say with complete certainty what this structure was built for, we can say that it was built for something important. Only something very significant for ancient people would be worth the effort and investment that it took to build Stonehenge. The stones we see today represent Stonehenge in ruins. Many of the original stones have fallen or been removed by previous generations to build a house or repair roads. Significant damage was also caused as a result of constant contact with visitors. Since 1978, you can not come close to him.

Building a henge

At one time, the construction of Stonehenge was an impressive technical feat requiring time and an enormous amount of manual labor. In its first phase, Stonehenge was a large earthen fortification called the Henge, built approximately 5,000 years ago. It is believed that the ditch was dug with tools made from red deer antlers and possibly wood. Modern experiments have shown that these tools were most useful for earth digging and moving.

The blue stones of Stonehenge

Around 2000 BC the first stone circle (which is currently the inner circle) was created, consisting of small blue stones. The stones used in that first circle are believed to be from the Prescelly Mountains, some 240 miles away, in southwest Wales. Each blue stone weighs up to 4 tons, and a total of 80 pieces were used. Given the distance they had to cover, there was a serious transportation problem. Modern theories suggest that the stones were hauled on rollers and sleds from the inner mountains to the headwaters of Milford Haven. There they were loaded onto rafts, barges or boats and sailed along the south coast of Wales, then up the rivers Avon and Frome to a point near modern Frome in Somerset. From this point, again in theory, the stones were hauled overland to a location near Warminster in Wiltshire, about 6 miles away. From there, they returned to the water, where they slowly descended the course of the River Villiers to Salisbury, thence up the Salisbury Avon to West Amesbury, where it was 2 miles to the site of Stonehenge.

Construction of the outer ring

The giant Sarsen boulders that form the outer circle weighed 50 tons each. Transporting them from the Marlborough Hills, some 20 miles to the north, is an even bigger problem than moving the bluestones. For most of the route, traffic was relatively easy, but at the steepest part of the route, Redhorn Hill, modern research has shown that at least 600 men would have been needed just to push every stone past this obstacle.

Who built Stonehenge?

The question of who built Stonehenge remains largely unanswered to this day. The construction of the monument has been attributed to many ancient peoples over the years, but the most fascinating and enduring theory has attributed it to the Druids. This erroneous theory was first voiced about three centuries ago by the antiquary and writer John Aubrey.

Julius Caesar and other Roman writers spoke of the Celtic clergy flourishing during their first conquest (55 BC). By this time, however, the stones had already stood for 2,000 years and were probably already in a shattered state. In addition, the Druids worshiped in forest temples and there was no need for stone structures. The best guess is that the Stonehenge area was started by the late Neolithic people (approximately 3000 BC) and advanced by the people of the new age that was emerging at this time. These "new" people began to use metal tools and live in a more communal way than their ancestors. Some think they may have been immigrants from the continent, but this claim is not supported by archaeological evidence. It is likely that they were indigenous people doing the same things in new ways.

Legend of Stonehenge

The legend of King Arthur provides another story for the construction of Stonehenge. It is said by the twelfth century author, Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his History of the Kings of Great Britain, that Merlin brought the stones to Salisbury Plain from Ireland. Sometime in the fifth century, there was a massacre of 300 British nobles by the treacherous Saxon leader, Hengest. Geoffrey tells us that the High King, Aurelius Ambrosius, wanted to create a fitting memorial to the slain men. Merlin suggested an expedition to Ireland in order to transplant the Giant's Ring to Great Britain. According to Geoffrey Monmouth, the Giant's Ring stones were originally brought from Africa to Ireland by giants (who else, but giants could do the job?). The stones were located on the "Mount Killeros" and were used as a place for performing rituals and for healing. Led by King Ather and Merlin, the expedition arrived at a place in Ireland. The British, none of whom were giants, apparently failed to move the huge stones. At that moment, Merlin realized that only his magical abilities could help. So they were dismantled and sent to Great Britain, where they were set up in a large circle around the mass grave of the murdered nobles. History says that Aurelius, Ather and Arthur's successor, Constantine, were also buried there in their time.

Modern Stonehenge

Set in a vast plain surrounded by hundreds of round mounds or burial mounds, the grounds of Stonehenge are truly impressive, especially as you get closer. Some people see it as a place steeped in magic and mystery, some as a place where legends from the past can be imagined, and others consider it a sacred place. But, regardless of what point of view you came from, and what was the true purpose of its construction, it must be treated in the same way as the ancients - as a place of honor.

Our time has not been generally kind to Stonehenge, despite the lip service, about preserving heritage sites. There is a major highway running no more than 100 yards from the rocks, and a commercial circus built around it, complete with parking lots, gift shops and ice cream stands.

English Heritage is committed to correcting these errors, and in the coming years, we may be able to see Stonehenge in the setting in which it was originally created. Despite all its decline and the encroachment of the modern world, Stonehenge is today an awe-inspiring sight and no route around the UK should miss it.

The gigantic structure of Stonehenge is a stone mystery in the very center of Europe, as one of the researchers Dr. Umlmore Trever called this amazing monument. This is an ancient structure located in England. Archaeologists now agree that this architectural monument was erected in three stages between 3500 and 1100 years. BC. Stonehenge I was a circular moat with two halls and may have served as a cemetery.

Circling along the outer rampart are 56 small Aubrey funerary holes, named after John Aubrey, who first described them in the 17th century. To the northeast of the entrance to the ring stood a huge, seven-meter Heel Stone. During the construction of Stonehenge II, an earthen alley was laid between the Heel Stone and the entrance. Two rings of 80 huge blue stone blocks were erected, which were probably delivered 320 km from South Wales.

At the final stage of construction, the megaliths were rearranged. The blue stones were replaced by a ring colonnade of 30 triliths, each of which consisted of two vertical stones and a horizontal slab resting on them. A horseshoe of five separate triliths was installed inside the ring.

Their findings were shocking to many. It turns out that this ancient monolith is not only a solar and lunar calendar, as previously thought, but also an accurate cross-sectional model of the solar system. According to this model, the solar system consists not of nine, but of twelve planets, two of which are located beyond the orbit of Pluto (the last of the nine planets known today), and one between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where the asteroid belt is now located. In principle, this model confirms the assumptions of modern astronomical science and is fully consistent with the ideas of many ancient peoples, who also believed that the number of planets in our solar system is twelve.

Scientists do not yet know who and why erected a grandiose astronomical observatory in the center of Ireland during the Stone Age. But after careful research, it became clear that it was simply unreasonable to attribute the construction of this huge "megalith" to the ancient tribes of the Druids who lived in Ireland at that time. One thing is certain, whoever the ancient builders were, they possessed tremendous knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, geology and architecture. And if we take into account that grandiose monuments and structures in prehistoric times were erected almost all over the world, then we can conclude that we, modern people, know practically nothing about our own history.

In the meantime, scientists are studying this ancient monument, Stonehenge continues to live its life in folklore. According to local legend, giant blue stones have healing powers, they appeared on this earth thanks to the magician Merlin, a sorcerer at the court of King Arthur, who transferred them from Ireland. The mystery of Stonehenge .. The origin of the huge Heel Stone is associated with another legend. They say that once the devil saw a monk hiding among the stones. Before the unfortunate man could escape, the devil launched a huge boulder at him, which crushed his heel. For a long time, the ruins of Stonehenge were associated with the priestly cult of the ancient Celtic Druids, although experts deny this connection.

Since all the same, this mystery has not been solved ... we can only admire the beauty of this incomprehensible structure ....

stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the oldest mysteries of our planet. Its history spans more than four millennia; it is the oldest archaeological site on earth. It is located in England, 130 km from London. Since 1986 it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stonehenge is a complex of circular and arched structures, consisting of giant menhirs. Menhirs are called monolithic stone pillars, processed with primitive tools and installed vertically. Smaller single menhirs are found in different parts of the globe. And only here they are collected in a large complex and have a strictly defined location.

For many centuries, researchers have tried to understand what this giant megalithic monument is, what pattern the location of the stones is subject to, and what they could serve. Only in the middle of the last century, the eminent English professor of astronomy, Gerald Hawkins, was able to shed light on this mystery. He has been researching the Stonehenge phenomenon for many years, using the latest electronic computers and the most modern technologies. As a result, he managed to prove that this stone complex is nothing more than a real giant astronomical observatory created by ancient civilizations.

The stone pillars are arranged in such a way that, according to their position, one can accurately calculate solar and lunar eclipses, draw up a lunar and solar calendar, determine the days of the solstice and equinox, the time and point of sunrise and sunset of the sun and moon on any day, and also make many other astronomical calculations. .

Many scholars have questioned and criticized Hawkins' hunch. The main argument against him was the fact that when calculating with the help of menhirs, an error of one degree was allowed, which is a lot for astronomy. However, a little later it was found that due to various cataclysms over the course of four thousand years, the earth's axis just shifted by one degree. Consequently, at the time of the creation of Stonehenge, its stones were set with amazing accuracy.

Archaeological excavations near Stonehenge have shown that it was visited by representatives of the greatest civilizations of antiquity, such as Greece, Egypt, China. This is evidenced by the found household items, weapons and jewelry, typical for these countries. All this gives reason to believe that Stonehenge was not just an observatory, but the world's largest astronomical center of that time.

However, it still remains a mystery - who was the creator and creator of this observatory. Modern Stonehenge local buildings had nothing to do with it, they were primitive dwellings that did not represent any architectural value. While Stonehenge itself is a brilliant creation not only in its purpose, but also in beauty.

Therefore, there is a hypothesis that it has an extraterrestrial origin. Thousands of years ago, the Earth was visited by representatives of a highly developed civilization. Perhaps they did not build Stonehenge with their own hands. Most likely, they simply taught the locals how to build an observatory, without sufficiently advanced technology, using primitive means. This mystery of Stonehenge has not yet been solved. But the unquenchable interest in him gives hope that light will soon be shed over her.

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