Friday, 20 December 2024

Stonehenge's Origins: A Unifying Monument for Ancient Britons - PR

Recent archaeological research, building on two prior studies, points to a fascinating possibility about Stonehenge: it may have been reconstructed in England between 2620 and 2480 BC to serve as a unifying symbol for ancient Britons amidst the arrival of newcomers from Europe. This new study, detailed in Archaeology International, sheds light not only on the monument's purpose but also on the monumental task of transporting a 6 tonne stone over a staggering distance of 435 miles (700 kilometers) from its original location.

  
The research draws intriguing parallels between Stonehenge, situated on England's Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, and similar stone circles in Scotland. These similarities suggest a greater degree of connectivity between these ancient societies than previously imagined, painting a picture of a well-networked Neolithic world where cultural exchanges could have influenced monumental architecture across Britain. This connectivity could imply shared rituals, beliefs, or social structures that transcended geographical boundaries, offering a new lens through which we view the interactions among ancient peoples.
 
“These new insights have significantly expanded our understanding as to what the original purpose of Stonehenge might have been. It shows that this site on Salisbury Plain was important to the people not just living nearby, but across Britain, so much so that they brought massive monoliths across sometimes hundreds of miles to this one location.” - Mike Parker Pearson

Paper in Archaeology International in 2025 - https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ai/issue/602/info/

8 comments:

  1. The northern line of the sun shall be the end of the year, and it shall be called the last day of the old year, saith Jehovih

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  2. And with the setting of the sun on that day, thou shalt be purged of all animosity and claims against every man, woman and child, in all the world.

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  3. For which reason the old year’s day shall be named, the Most Holy Sabbath Day. Behold, it is in ac-cord with His heavenly kingdoms.

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  4. the four days which are added, and are not separated from their position, according to the whole reckoning of the year. And these serve on the four days that are not counted in the reckoning of the year.

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  5. The Religion of the Ancients did. They had 4 sacred days, which were the 2 solstices and the 2 equi-noxes. Each year ended on a sacred day. The Most Holy Sabbath Day was the winter solstice. With the setting of the sun on the winter solstice people were purged from animosity and claims against oth-ers.

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  6. The largest blessings would come on the Most Holy Sabbath Day.
    That is when the northeast gate opens on the winter solstice.

    It happens during the sunset of the winter solstice. The setting sun would shine through the large trilithon stones, passing over the alter stone, casting both a shadow and a light. The shadow is seen around the shinning heel stone so that it is framed in darkness.

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  7. The new structure would of had equinox pointers on the top of the inside lintels. The shadow of the pointers would pierce into the station stone during an equinox..

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  8. The east line passing though the center of the alter stone is the corresponding solstice sunset and sun-rise. It has the maximum angle during the sixth month of the year.
    The rotation of the earth around the sun is shown by the red lines. The position of the sun moving is shown on the top of the circle of sarsen stones for the months and at nighttime the measuring of the Zodiac.
    The sun would go out 6 months and then return 6 months. The middle point between the angle made by solstices are the two equinoxes. This angle and geometry are still used in symbolism today

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