Stonehenge (stōn`hĕnj'), group of standing stones on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, S England. Preeminent among megalithic monuments megalithic monument [Gr.,=large stone], in archaeology, a construction involving one or several roughly hewn stone slabs of great size; it is usually of prehistoric antiquity.
..... Click the link for more information. in the British Isles, it is similar to an older and larger monument at Avebury Avebury , village, Wiltshire, S central England. The village, with a medieval church and Elizabethan manor house, lies within

Avebury Circle, a Neolithic circular group of upright stones that is older and larger than Stonehenge but not so well preserved.
..... Click the link for more information. . The great prehistoric structure is enclosed within a circular ditch 300 ft (91 m) in diameter, with a bank on the inner side, and is approached by a broad roadway called the Avenue. Within the circular trench the stones are arranged in four series: The outermost is a circle of sandstones about 13.5 ft (4.1 m) high connected by lintels; the second is a circle of bluestone menhirs menhir [Breton,=long stone], in archaeology, name given to the single standing stones of Western Europe, and by extension to those of other lands. Their size varies and their shape is rough and squared, tapering toward the top. See megalithic monuments.
..... Click the link for more information. ; the third is horseshoe shaped; the innermost, ovoid. Within the ovoid lies the Altar Stone. The Heelstone is a great upright stone in the Avenue, northeast of the circle.

It was at one time widely believed that Stonehenge was a druid temple, but this is contradicted by the fact that the druids druids , priests of ancient Celtic Britain, Ireland, and Gaul and probably of all ancient Celtic peoples, known to have existed at least since the 3d cent. BC.
..... Click the link for more information. probably did not arrive in Britain until c.250 B.C. In 1963 the American astronomer Gerald Hawkins theorized that Stonehenge was used as a huge astronomical instrument that could accurately measure solar and lunar movements as well as eclipses. Hawkins used a computer to test his calculations and found definite correlations between his figures and the solar and lunar positions in 1500 B.C. (However, as a result of the development of calibration curves for radiocarbon dates, Stonehenge is now believed to have been built in several stages between c.3000 and c.1500 B.C., with the main construction completed before 2000 B.C.) Some archaeologists objected to Hawkins's theory on the basis that the eclipse prediction system he proposed was much too complex for the Early Bronze Age society of England.

Most archaeologists agree, however, that Stonehenge was used to observe the motions of the moon as well as the sun. Research by the archaeologist Alexander Thom, based on the careful mapping of hundreds of megalithic sites, indicates that the megalithic ritual circles were built with a high degree of accuracy, requiring considerable mathematical and geometric sophistication.

Bibliography

See G. S. Hawkins, Stonehenge Decoded (1965); H. Harrison and L. E. Stover, Stonehenge (1972); A. Thom, Megalithic Sites in Britain (1967) and Megalithic Lunar Observations (1973).

Stonehenge

Monumental circular arrangement of standing stones built in prehistoric times and located near Salisbury, Wiltshire, Eng. The stones are believed to have been put in place in three main phases c. 3100–c. 1550 BC. The reasons for the building of Stonehenge are unknown, but it is believed to have been a place of worship and ritual. Many theories have been advanced as to its specific purpose (e.g., for the prediction of eclipses), but none has been proved. Stones erected during the second phase of construction (c. 2100 BC) were aligned with the sunrise at the summer solstice, suggesting some ritual connection with that event.

Stonehenge

a prehistoric ruin in S England, in Wiltshire on Salisbury Plain: constructed over the period of roughly 3000--1600 bc; one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe; believed to have had religious and astronomical purposes

Stonehenge

A megalithic, prehistoric monument near Salisbury, England, in Wiltshire; the most imposing megalithic monument in existence.

Stonehenge

huge monoliths with lintels in Wiltshire, England, have long confounded modern man as to purpose. [Br. Hist.: Wallechinsky, 442]

See : Mystery

Stonehenge

prehistoric group of huge standing stones arranged in a circle 300 feet in diameter. [Br. Hist.: NCE, 2682]

See : Wonders, Architectural

one of the largest among megalithic constructions, located in Great Britain, near Salisbury. It consists of three structures erected on one site at different times.

The first structure (1900–1700 B.C.) is a circular embankment with a ditch 97.5 m in diameter. On the inside of the embankment there are pits, some containing cremated human remains. The second structure (1700–1550 B.C.), which is enclosed within the first, has an earthen road leading to it and consists of two concentric circles of stones (38 pairs) standing upright. The third structure (1500–1400 B.C.) consists of hewn stones as high as 8.5 m and weighing up to 28 tons, set upright into the ground. Stone slabs were laid on top of these uprights, forming a closed circle 30 m in diameter. Within the circle are five trilithons (two stones surmounted by a stone slab); these surround the so-called Altar Stone, which lies flat on the ground.

Stonehenge is undoubtedly an ancient temple, possibly connected with sun worship and symbolizing the heavenly sphere. Some scientists, like G. Hawkins, believe that Stonehenge was also an ancient astronomical observatory.

REFERENCES

Atkinson, R. J. Stonehenge. [Harmondsworth, I960.]
Hawkins, G., and J. White. Razgadka tainy Stounkhendzha. Moscow, 1973. (Translated from English.)

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No references found			Images of Stone Hedge, the Pyramids, the Coliseum, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building flash on the screen to the thumping 2001: A Space Odyssey score, before a rendering of the Dynamic Architecture building appears, with units switching positions like a rectangular rubix cube. World's First Spinning Skyscraper to Have Plaza Launch by Lysandra Ohrstrom / The New York Observer This production, starring Neil Dudgeon as Nat, returns the story to its original setting, with its small fields and stone hedges. tv & radio by Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England)			stomodaeum stomp on stone Stone Age stone bolt Stone Borers Stone Bramble stone bubble stone cabin stone canal Stone Casting stone cell Stone Cells stone chip stone coal Stone County Stone Curlew stone drain stone dust stone facing Stone Fish Stone Flies stone fruit Stone Fruits Virus stone gobber Stone hedge stone ice Stone Image stone knives and bearskins Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge stone lantern stone marten stone masonry Masonry stone medallion Stone Mountain Memorial Stone Mountain State Park Stone of Scone stone polygon Stone Polygons stone ring stone sand stone slate Stone State Park stone tool industry Stone Town Stone's representation theorem Stone's theorem Stone, Barton Warren Stone, Charles A. Stone, Edward Durell Stone, Harlan Fiske			Stone eater Stone Edge Order Manager Stone Effect Moulded Monuments Ltd. Stone ender stone facing stone facing Stone falcon Stone Federation Great Britain Stone fern Stone fish Stone fish Stone fish Stone Flies stone fly stone fruit stone fruit stone fruits stone fruits Stone Fruits Virus Stone Gate Stone-Gators Stone Glass Works stone gobber Stone grig Stone hammer Stone hawk stone heart stone heart stone heart stone heart stone heart syndrome Stone hedge Stone Henge Stone Henge stone ice Stone Image Stone jar stone knives and bearskins Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge stone lantern stone life face stone lily Stone lingam Stone lugger Stone Man Disease Stone man syndrome stone marten stone marten stone martens stone martens Stone mason stone masonry Masonry Stone massage Stone mastic asphalt Stone Matrix Asphalt stone me! stone me! stone me! Stone Meadows Neighborhood Association stone medallion stone mimicry plant

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Stonehenge

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Stonehenge
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