A Criticism of the Stonehenge

The Construction

Stonehenge is one of the many recognizable structures from the ancient times and is said to have existed for over 3000 years now. The monument is said to have been built in various phases of different times from Neolithic period the Bronze and was used for different purposes at these different times. In the middle age, the Stonehenge was thought to have been built by magic. For over three hundred years the stones had been believed to have been constructed by Iron Age Druids and used the site for the purpose of, however, in the 1950s due to the development of carbon dating technology it was established that the site went for more back it times before the existence of druids. The conclusion is of the scene having existed way before the Druids were determined through the study of the human remains on the site. The remains date back to 240BC which is estimated to have been the Neolithic period (History.com Staff).

The discovery, therefore, meant that the Stone Age men built the site. The assumption, on the other hand, leaves a question one that archeologists have not been able to answer. The question is how is it possible that the primitive society could have been able to construct the massive structure no advance technology. The estimated time that would have been taken to build the structure is 30 million working hours (History.com Staff). The construction, therefore, meant that a lot of time was taken to create the structure although all this are just estimations. There is no real time or no written material to back the assumptions. The reason for this being that the societies which constructed the Stonehenge were not advanced. Therefore, this means that they did not have the knowledge of writing to leave behind making know to the construction process and the reasons for the building.

Shreds of evidence have been brought to light by various researchers who speculate that the structure today in place is not the original that was constructed during the Neolithic or Bronze Ages. The one that has gained attention is “Be The Media” a Russian website that presented various photographs and explanations of the photos. The author of this site claimed that it was remodeled from the ground which means that the structure seen today is not the original and that it is a forgery. The photographs presented were those taken between 1954 and 1958 of the site during the remodeling. It would be impossible to refute the evidence because the photos shown show different stages of the construction and there were no cameras during the Neolithic period. The author explains in details how the British military or government built the cult site of the new age (Eddie).

Chronologically, the author presents the photographs. The first of his presentation is an introduction showing a mega stone lifted using a machine. On the image, there are also men working and they seem to be dressed in presentable and modern clothes which would not be available during the Stone Age period. On the second image, the author presents a photo that looks like a ground which has been dug with various holes here and there. On this picture, the stones had been removed entirely leaving the grounds empty. Explaining it, he says that the mega stones were pulled out leaving no trace of the procedure. There follows a brief explanation of the photographs where the author argues by presenting evidence on the pictures (Eddie). One of the pieces of evidence he talks about is the use of Barbed wire on the foundation of the new Stonehenge. The use of the Barbed wire would mean that the new Stonehenge is entirely different from the original one since there was no use of iron or any metallic materials during the time of constructing the original one.

The author goes ahead and displays pictures of the construction process, from laying the foundation to the completion of the structure. A few of the images presented show religious processions taking place at the site where people dressed in robes are seen performing what seems like a ritual. In addition to this, the author presents an argument that during the Second World War, people living in this area were evicted in the pretext of exercise but it was to gain control of the monument. It is also at the same time that the government was keen in purchasing lands around the area and consolidating it (Eddie).

It is clear that the original monument was lost when the new one was reconstructed. It also means even though the material used was still the same, the architectural design that was used was that of the 1950s and not what has been thought to be, the Neolithic period. The monument, therefore, is a forgery and does not have any originality in it at all. As a result, the aesthetic beauty of the monument was lost due to probably wanting to preserve the site a little bit longer. The site is famous for its sophisticated architecture as it is presented as advance design for a Neolithic and Bronze Age. However, the site does not deserve all the acclamations it gets since it is not the original monument. It is only a forgery made to look like the original one to maintain its initial status and prestige among archeologists and historians.

The Functionality

Many theories have tried to explain the use of the original monument. One that was in existence for long was that the structure was used as a religious center for Druids. The theory explains that it was where the Druids worshiped the moon since it was constructed at an angle that predicted the lunar eclipse and other astronomical purposes. The theory was in existence for over 300 years until there was the invention of carbon dating technique which was used to determine that the skeletons found facing the direction of moon dated way beyond the age when the Druids came to exist. A recent study shows that there is little to no connection between druids and the Stonehenge. The research indicated that the druids existed in ancient Wales where they lived way before the writing began (Berry, et al.). Therefore, no recorded history dwelled about these people. As a result, lots of theories rise trying to explain their origin and habitat. The theory was therefore refuted while others were proposed which proved that it was difficult to place a timeline on the structure and its purpose.

A theory that was proposed in early 12th century by Geoffrey one among the first writers of ancient history suggested that the site was built as a memorial for thousands of Britons who were killed by Saxons. In this theory, a wizard by the name Merlin ordered acquisition of magical stone from Ireland where a giant magic stone with healing powers was located (Nix). The suggestion does not give any information on the purpose of the stone since it could not bring back the dead Britons. Its powers as alleged were for healing and not raising the dead.

The other theory that was presented in the 1960s suggested that the Stonehenge was used for astrological purposes. The observatory theory was supported by the fact that the stones aligned in correlation with the sun and the moon. An astronomer by the name Gerald Hawkins suggested that the Stonehenge was used as a computer that would be able to predict the eclipse of the moon and sun. The astronomer found one hundred and sixty-five key points in the monument which strongly correlated with the rising of the sun and moon and their setting (Nix).

In 2008, an archeologist proposed that the Stonehenge was a spot where the sick came to be healed. The theory would relate to that of Geoffrey that suggested that Merlin procured the stones since they had magical healing for the people at that time. Another group of people suggested that the site was built by aliens. The British government has received reports of objects hovering in the area. All these theories try to explain the Stonehenge in vain (Nix).

The theories since time memorial have sought to assign purpose of the Stonehenge. One theory is disputed by another due to lack of sufficient evidence to support it. The emergence of new technologies makes the study of the sight manageable but still the researchers have not been able to identify its purpose. The research will continue and probably will never find a single use of the site. Reason to this being that, every society that used the monument used it for a different function. The functionality that leaves questions is that of healing purpose. If the previous civilizations used the site as a healing point, why is it that the sight is no longer utilized for the same? What happened to the magical power of the stones if it was there during Merlin’s time? The other theory that leaves questions is the one that suggests that the site was used as a computer that predicted astrological occurrences. People in the Stone Age period had started shifting from hunting and gathering to agriculture using stone tools, leaving a question unanswered. Why would the people during that time want to use a massive stone as an astrological observatory? They were just farmers and therefore no connection between astrology and agriculture. Their interests had not developed to knowing about the extraterrestrial objects.

Importance of the Stonehenge

The Stonehenge attracts more than a million visitors every year not because it is a beautiful sanctuary, but because of what is recorded about it. Many history books have assigned various uses as discussed earlier, therefore, attracting people to visit the site. One of the many purposes of the sight today is that it is used as a team building site where people go in groups and with its vast lands it forms an open environment to do some of the activities that help in developing and growing a team (Kinder). The site may however not be the best option; this is because it consists of open land that does not present any challenges that need to be solved in teams. The only challenge it presents is thinking of creative ways to build team cohesion in this environment. There are better options where people get to interact with nature and build teams. The team building sights are purposefully created for team building; therefore, people do not need to come up with the challenges since they are already created. Stonehenge is just a site people try to assign purpose to justify its reservation.

The sight has also been said to be of astrological importance up to date. One question to ask is, what about the current technology. Today’s technology allows researchers and astrologist to observe and study the solar system conveniently and they can make predictions faster than any other form of observation. Therefore, the use of the site as an observatory point does not serve any purpose and can only delay the observations. The purpose of leaving a huge chunk of land around the site empty is another issue. The site restricts the number of visitors to this locality; it also restricts proximity to the circle which leaves. The vast land left unused does not need to be reserved for only a limited number of people are allowed in every visit. The area can be used for other productive activities other than being left lying around.

The Stonehenge is just a collection of huge stones that has a history in being transported from a distant land and brought to where they are now. It is a monument prone to interpretation as there is no record of builders or the purpose of its building. Therefore, it is open to interpretation by anyone who claims to have some evidence. The arguments and controversies are the only things that make the Stonehenge famous, not its beauty or its purpose. The Stonehenge, therefore, is just stones made famous by the mystery surrounding them therefore not relevant at all.