The Stonehenge

 Stonehenge is a building built during the Bronze Age and Neolithic . It lies adjacent to Amesbury in Wiltshire , England , about 13 kilometers northwest of Salisbury . As one of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is a circle of upright stones located within an earthen wall. Stonehenge comes from the words Stone and Henge. Stone means stone, while Henge means circle. Archaeologists define a henge as a circular earthen wall with a ditch in it. By the early 20th century, most of the stones were no longer standing upright. This is probably due to the large number of tourists who climbed Stonehenge around the 19th century because of their great curiosity. Since then, three stages of renovation have been carried out to straighten tilted or overturned stones, and to carefully return the stones to their original places.

Yet, the formation of the stone was built miraculously that folktale was made. The Heel Stone is also known by the local community as Friar’s Heel . There is a folk tale of uncertain origin earlier than the seventeenth century, telling the origin of the name of this stone. Some opinions claim Friar ‘s Heel is a renaming of “Freya’s He-ol”, after the German god Freya, the Welsh word for track. A simpler explanation is because the stone is heeled or inclined.

Stonehenge is also associated with the legend of King Arthur . Geoffrey of Monmouth said that the sorcerer Merlin had arranged for Stonehenge to be removed from Ireland , where it had been built on Mount Killaraus by giants who had brought the stones from Africa . After he erected the stone near Amesbury, Geoffrey recounted how Uther Pendragon , later Constantine III , was interred within the stone circle. In his essay, Historia Regum Britanniae , Geoffrey mixes English legend and fantasy in many places; It is interesting that he associates Ambrosius Aurelianus with this prehistoric monument, based on evidence of the similar name between Ambrosius and Amesbury.

Regardless of the folktale, this monument was suspected that made for various uses. The first serious attempt to understand the monument was made around 1740 by William Stukeley . Stukeley stated that the site was built by the Druids , but his most important contribution was to take quantifiable images of the location of Stonehenge so as to support a more precise analysis of the site’s form and significance. From the results of this work he showed that the henge and its stones were arranged in a certain shape for astronomical purposes .Some other researchers argue that Stonehenge is an ancient observatory. Whatever the religion, Stonehenge was designed to predict eclipses, solstices, the time for the sun to pass the equator and other important events related to the calendar and the sun and contemporary religion.

Many predict that machines were needed in the construction of Stonehenge. The process of bringing bluestones from Wales by human power required a lot of rope, wood and manpower. In an archaeological experiment, experimental archeology or experimental archeology in 2001, a stone was moved from Wales to Stonehenge via the most possible land and sea routes. Volunteers pulled him on a surfboard while on land. But when it was moved aboard a replica of a prehistoric ship, the ship sank in the Bristol Channel .The process of erecting the stone at the Stonehenge location is also a matter of debate. Supporting stones were placed to make the stone stand, and a group of people pulled the large stone using ropes. For capping stones, it is possible to use wooden poles that are stacked and lifted slowly, so that the pile of poles is at the same height as the upright stone, and can be easily moved onto the upright stone. This proves that the people who built Stonehenge were people who had intelligence and knowledge of the science of construction using wood and stone skillfully.

In conclusion, Stonehenge stands as one of the most iconic and enigmatic archaeological sites in the world. Its massive stone circles, erected thousands of years ago, continue to inspire wonder and fascination. While scholars have proposed various theories about its purpose, ranging from a celestial observatory to a religious or ceremonial site, the true significance of Stonehenge remains shrouded in mystery. As ongoing research and new technologies shed light on its origins and function, Stonehenge continues to capture the imagination of people worldwide, serving as a testament to the ingenuity and cultural significance of ancient civilizations.