Most people have seen pictures or heard of Stonehenge, an ancient monument on the Salisbury Plain in England. Personally, while I had seen references to Stonehenge in the media, I never actually knew what it was for, or what people thought it was for. It has been difficult for historians to find a definitive answer, as the building of Stonehenge is estimated to have begun over 5,000 years ago, and spanned over the course of about 1,500 years. Historians are fairly certain that Stonehenge was used as a burial site at some point, and many believe Stonehenge was crucial to the ceremonies and/or religion of the people who built it. However, in the 1960’s, astronomer Gerald Hawkins suggested a different possible purpose of Stonehenge: astronomy.
It was always somewhat accepted that if you stand at the center of Stonehenge on June 21st (the day of the summer solstice), you will see a cluster of stones lined up perfectly with where the solstice Sun rises. Hawkins not only confirmed this alignment, but suggested a number of other alignments, and asserted that the arrangement of Stonehenge may have been used to predict eclipses as well. While this theory has excited many people, and may be true, some argue that the people building Stonehenge would not have had the knowledge or data necessary to make so many astronomical predictions. What do you think? Was Hawkins reaching? Do you think the builders of Stonehenge were conscious of the astronomy at play in their arrangements, or do you think the alignments are due to coincidence?
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3 responses to “Blog Post 2 – What was Stonehenge really for?”
This blog provides an interesting perspective into Stonehenge. I also really like the picture you included! While there are various theories as to what it was used for, I think it is important to acknowledge that it could have been used for multiple purposes. I believe that this was built to align with the summer solstice sunrise and the winter solstice sunset. It makes sense that it was originally used as a burial site and then this purpose changed. After being a burial site, I think it became a ritual site connected to astronomy. I could see this serving as a way to link humans with the celestial realm. It could have been a way to honor powers greater than humans.
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Thank you for your comment! I definitely agree that there were probably multiple uses for Stonehenge; and given the connection that many cultures have or had between death, religion, and astronomy, it makes sense to me that they would have used Stonehenge for both astronomical and religious purposes.
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That is very interesting to know that Stonehenge was built in the past. How did they make it without construction tools, and how was it a tool to track the moon’s movement? It is a mysterious thing. Even looking at information and readings about this, I am still mind-blown. Some people think it is a coincidence because they believe it was primarily built for religious reasons and the construction was just a byproduct of these reasons. But I think otherwise; they must have specific knowledge that most people didn’t have during that time.
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