80 Blocks Of Blue Stone example essay topic

Stonehenge, located in England has been a wonder of the world for years and years to come. Its mystery is baffling and can be seen as inconceivable. For over 5,000 years it has stood silently in its current position. It has been excavated, x-rated, measured, and surveyed.

Even though so much has been discovered about this wonder, such as its age and the way it was constructed, its real purpose still remains a mystery. No other place has generated so many theories as to its purpose than the great standing stones of Stonehenge. (web) The semi nomadic peoples that populated the Salisbury Plain began to build what is now known as Stonehenge around 3500 BC. Originally this stone structure was a circular ditch with 56 holes forming a ring around the perimeter. The first stone place in it was the Heel stone. (web) About 200 years later, 80 blocks of blue stone were taken from a quarry nearly 200 miles away in the Prescelly Mountains. (web) These stones were stood up forming two circles joined together. At some point in time this original structure of the site was dismantled and the blue stones were moved with in the circle. The gigantic stones were installed at this time also.

Some of these stones weigh as much as 26 tons and it is still a mystery as to how a supposed primitive people moved them to a location 200 miles away. (web) The construction of the site is also a complete mystery. There are carefully carved lintels that are placed on top of upright stone blocks, which are held in place by ball and socket use. The constructions of these have become known as, "trilithons". (web) The final block added to the site was the alter block, which is a large block of green sandstone from South Wales. It was placed in front of one of the trilithons. (web) Over the years, each new generation has tended to these monuments. Seeing as nothing last more than a few decades in this day in age, it is completing awing to imagine the fact that a people maintained this structure for almost 2 millennia. (web) The most pondered question of this great Stonehenge is the question of its use.

What was it built? Nothing can be certain, but there are definitely well educated theories. For instance, Gerald Hawkins' theory. He was an astronomer of the 1960's and he used a computer to provide concrete evidence that Stonehenge was used to observe the heavens. He observed that the placement of certain stones lined up precisely with certain events, such as Solstices and Equinoxes. (web) He also stated that Stonehenge was used as a kind of computer to predict eclipses and track heavenly bodies across the sky. All the alignments proven by Hawkins are obviously no accident, but it still cannot be certainly concluded that this was Stonehenge purpose. (web) There are many great wonders of the world of course.

Though, Stonehenge has such a provocative, mysterious charm to it. It sits there in England, motionless, a mere pile of stones, yet an amazing and intriguing sight to the people of our time. We can never know for sure if this wonder was as amazing to the people of its time as it is to us, but it can be most likely concluded.

Bibliography

Kagan, Donald. Oz ment, Steven. Turner, Frank M. The Western Heritage. c. 1998 web Hampshire Times.
July 6, 1977.