Analysis of Stonehenge

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The Neolithic period involved some truly astonishing works of architecture. These centered on various different forms. One of these forms was a Menhir, which are single stones that are either slightly shaped or not shaped at all. (Adams 26) They are usually upright in structure and in the ground (Adams 26). The structure is usually erected individually, in clusters, or in rows (Adams 26). Another type were dolmens, which are chambers or enclosures that consist of two of more vertical stones that support another large single stone (Adams 27). The final structure (which will be the focus of this essay) is a cromlech. These are structures that contain groups of menhirs that form circles or semicircles (Adams 27). One of the most famous Neolithic cromlechs was Stonehenge, located in Salisbury Plane, England. It was constructed between c. 2800-1500 B.C.E. The purpose of this structure is up to very much debate, and a clear consensus has been widely up to interpretation. There are many different views of what Stonehenge was actually constructed for. One view is that it is contains an astronomical significance. Astronomers have come and measured, then computed sophisticated representations of the movements of the sun and moon and perhaps, even, mechanisms for the prediction of eclipses (Gregg 4 of 10). This was especially proposed by Gerald S. Hawkins, who was a British-born astronomer. He introduced a theory that the monuments could have been used as a calculator to predict eclipses, but was more importantly a threefold purpose. First was to “…serve as a solar and lunar observatory for calendrical purposes, to legitimate priestly power (especially by predicting eclipses), and to advance intellectual curiosity about heavens,” (Ray 241). This theory has since been disproved, as he overestimated the number of solar and lunar alignments. There have,

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