Stone Henge

Discussion in 'Architecture & Engineering' started by fishtail, Jul 3, 2007.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    25,817
    I thought they were continually digging at them to keep the white showing? They haven't found anything then?
    hmmm, maybe they could focus on a lost one that no body cares about and dig the hell outta that one.
     
  2. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    25,817
    And I have heard that Druids used Stonehenge and other monolithic places. But is there proof of that? Did they have writings?
     
  4. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. guthrie paradox generator Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,089
    IIRC, you get the white by clearing away the top layer of soil and plants, because there is chalk underneath, but they do not need to keep digging in the way you imply.
     
  6. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    25,817
    in what way that I imply??
    They have to keep digging at them or they will be lost to nature. It gets over grown and lost.
     
  8. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    11,888
  9. guthrie paradox generator Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,089
    CLearing away the top inch or two of material or plants is not, in my book, the same as digging many feet down to see if there is any hidden treasure.
     
  10. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    11,888
    It's chalk - people tend not to bury stuff in chalk.
    Especially in strips a foot or so wide.
     
  11. Klippymitch Thinker Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    699
    So where did the stones that make up the stonehenge come from? and how far did they move them?
     
  12. Anti-Flag Pun intended Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    3,714
    The blue stones came from Wales. As for how they got there; could have been deposited in periods of glaciation, or alternatively transported by boat(there is a river nearby with a trackway leading up to the henge).
    Other stones came from slightly nearer but I forget where.
     
  13. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    11,888
  14. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    25,817
  15. fishtail Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    915
  16. Anti-Flag Pun intended Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    3,714
    Actually it says another earlier team tried something similar with a heavier block and succeeded in transporting it and floating it. So it's clearly possible. What it says failed in this attempt was the design of the raft, and then the project was abandoned due to lack of funds. I'm sure the people who built stonehenge suffered the same trial and error problems and a new raft could easily be designed, and for them funding isn't an issue.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    I'm more inclined to believe they were transported due to them all sharing the same source, the composition of the rocks can easily be matched up to a source as they're as unique as DNA.
    It's an interesting link and theory though. I suspect once we find out why other henges were built we'll learn more of an insight into this one.
     
  17. guthrie paradox generator Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,089
    The best theory as to why henges of various kinds were built is to do with astronomical observations of sunset/ sunrise. That there were variations in and additions to different circles and henges over time does not affect this conclusion. After all, if you just want to worship, a football stadium or barn will do just as well as a gothic cathedral. Yet we have cathedrals.
     
  18. fishtail Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    915

    Populations have increased over time, and at least people had wheels and iron tools to build cathederals.
    Why would people bother to drag huge lumps of stone hundreds of miles
    just to build an observatory, when they could build from a plentiful supply
    of wood, (there was a wood henge), it makes no sence, it would take a huge chunk of peoples lives that could have been used for personal needs.
     
  19. guthrie paradox generator Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,089
    But they did the same thing for Cathedrals- many using specific stone from many miles away, even from across the sea. You are forgetting the probably importance of religion and how it was tied in with the timing of the seasons and their food crops. You will not be surprised to know that the earliest observatories were made of wood. However it seems likely that over time, partly as a matter of status displays, partly as greater decoration for their gods, etc, they would have upgraded the observatories using stones.

    Personal needs? What are they?
     
  20. fishtail Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    915
    These people would have to be fed and clothed have shelter, i doubt any one could work at moving a great lump of rock and feel like going hunting gathering afterwards, say it took a team of 100 men to haul the rock, then
    another 100 to find food and water for them, then you would need people cutting down trees for the rollers ,clearing obstructions.
    It would take years to move one lump of rock to the site, and may be the people doing the work would not gain any advantage from their work, their
    children or grand children may be.
     
  21. Klippymitch Thinker Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    699
    Maybe they made rope out of hemp tied it around the rock, Probably tied some brushing around the rock to cushion it and than tie the ropes to some cattle?
     
  22. guthrie paradox generator Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,089
    You doubt?
    Well, thats it settled then.
    But if you argue that they were hunter gatherers, then consider that the last modern ones, in Africa spent only a few hours a day actually meeting their survival needs, leaving plenty of time for doing other stuff.

    In reality, the people who built stonehenge and other places would have been farmers. Farming was spreading across Europe by 5,000BC, and was widespread in Scotland by 3,500BC. By this stage they were already building long cairns, many metres long and 2 or 3 tall, out of lots of small rocks. By the time of Stonehenge, there is no reason at all that the local farmers couldn't have spent a great deal of time working on moving rocks.
     
  23. iceaura Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    30,994
    There's a guy somewhere who is building a duplicate of stonehenge basically by himself - it's not taking him that long. A few months, once he has the rocks more or less lined up, in his spare time. Clever use of leverage, balance, etc.

    These rocks probably didn't take as much work to move as people nowdays assume. Stone age people were very ingenious with their stones.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page