Stonehenge gets its name form the old English word Stan, meaning stone and hencg, meaning hinge, because the stone lintels that lie on top of the stones are hinged on the upright stones. Another possible version comes from the word hang, indicating an implement of torture or death, like the design of medieval gallows.
The Building Of Stonehenge
Historians believe Stonehenge was built sometime between 3000 and 2500BC and construction is believed to have been carried out in three stages. The first stage of construction was carried out by the Neolithic natives Britons, who dug a ditch seven feet deep and twenty feet wide. Following this, they then built a steep bank circle in which, fifty six further holes were dug out. The first stage was completed by erecting two large stones marking the entrance to the circle, one of which is still standing today. The ominous name given to this stone is The Slaughter Stone.
The Next Stages Of Construction
The next stage consisted of constructing eight upright sarsen stone trilithon, topped with a curved stone hinged into place. This structure was then surrounded by bluestones, dragged two hundred and fifty miles from the Welsh mountains. These stones were then placed in the centre of the structure in a perfect circle. This was followed by another circle of blue stones on the outside of the structure. The last stage was to encase the entire structure with more of the huge sarsen stone trilithons. These stones are seven feet tall and each weigh around forty to fifty tons.
Deterioration of Stonehenge
Although Stonehenge was completed around 2100 BC, modifications continued to take place until around 1600BC. From that point on it remained untouched but, over the following four thousand years, it would slowly deteriorate and some of the stones would weather away or fall to the ground, leaving the ruins of the great structure that are still on the ancient site today.
Stonehenge Through The Years
It wasn’t until the late 1870’s that the first pilgrimages began to the site to witness the midsummer sunrise. Druid practices were recorded in 1905 as the Order of the Ancient Druids began enacting ceremonies. The site was becoming symbolic in Druidism despite historians highlighting the differences between the Iron Age druidism and the much older Stonehenge. New Age philosophy and Neopaganism were also becoming connected to the site. It was possible for visitors to walk amongst the stones when the monument was first opened to the public. However, serious erosion of the stones had a great impact and in 1977, the stones were roped off and visitors are still not allowed to touch them today, although they can be viewed at a relatively close distance.
The Summer Solstice
Stonehenge has long been associated with the Summer Solstice but it wasn’t until the early 1970’s that Travellers frequented the site on an annual basis. It was in 1972 when the site became a free festival and, in the early eighties, pop bands began performing free of charge. This enabled people who could not afford festivals like Glastonbury the opportunity to enjoy a celebration, with the festival culminating in the midsummer sunrise. The free festival ended in 1985 after a huge confrontation with festival goers and police. The English Heritage had won a court order to ban the free festival at Stonehenge and to grant an exclusion zone four miles from the stones. Many festival goers didn’t know about the ruling and arrived in their droves, along with others who wanted to defy the law and celebrate.
This inevitably led to a violent outcome as revellers, who were part of a Peace Convoy, clashed with police. Following the violence, revellers claimed the police has attacked them, using truncheons to smash vehicle windows, beating people and using sledgehammers to damage the interior of vehicles and coaches. Many of the vehicles tried to escape through Beanfield, but were pursued and arrested by police. This became known as The Battle of Beanfield. Since 1985, no further festivals have been held at the site.
Stonehenge Today
The monument is still managed by English Heritage. In 1986 it was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites and is also a legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. In 2002, a public vote was held to find the seven wonders of Britain and the monument was named as part of the seven. Its mysterious background makes Stonehenge a truly mystical place.
Source: Stonehenge: Mysteries of the stones and landscape, Stonehenge: The story so far and internet information
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