Why Was Stonehenge Built?

_Elsa_

‘Theories run the gamut, casting Stonehenge as anything from an ancient healing center to an alien landing site.

‘Although it’s one of the world’s most famous monuments, the prehistoric stone circle known as Stonehenge remains shrouded in mystery. Built on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, Stonehenge was constructed in several stages between 3000 and 1500 B.C., spanning the Neolithic Period to the Bronze Age. 

Its massive scale suggests that Stonehenge was vitally important to the ancient peoples who built it, but the monument’s purpose has been the subject of widespread speculation for centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many believed Stonehenge was a Druid temple, built by those ancient Celtic pagans as a center for their religious worship. Though more recent scholars have concluded that Stonehenge likely predated the Druids by some 2,000 years, modern-day Druidic societies still see it as a pilgrimage destination.

One enduring hypothesis for Stonehenge’s purpose comes from the initial observation, first made by 18th-century scholars, that the monument’s entrance faces the rising sun on the day of the summer solstice. For many, this orientation suggests that ancient astronomers may have used Stonehenge as a kind of solar calendar to track the movement of the sun and moon and mark the changing seasons. 

New excavations in recent years, however, have unearthed a different theory based on hundreds of human bones found at the site, dating across 1,000 years and showing signs of cremation before burial. The presence of these remains suggests that Stonehenge could have served as an ancient burial ground as well as a ceremonial complex and temple of the dead.’ (Source) 

‘The monument's mysterious past has spawned countless tales and theories. According to folklore, Stonehenge was created by Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend, who magically transported the massive stones from Ireland, where giants had assembled them. Another legend says invading Danes put the stones up, and another theory says they were the ruins of a Roman temple. Modern-day interpretations are no less colorful: some argue that Stonehenge is a spacecraft landing area for aliens. 

Holy Site or Scientific Observatory? - Modern debate over the monument's meaning has two main camps: those who see it as a holy site, and others who believe it represents a scientific observatory. Both camps base their theories on the site's celestial influence, with alignments to the sun and moon taken as evidence of rituals linked to the changing seasons and the summer and winter solstices. Alternatively, alignments identified particularly with stars point to a megalithic calendar used for working out dates or to reflect or predict astronomical events such as solar eclipses.’ (Source)

“Are you tired?” asks the man. “Would you like to rest for a bit?”

Jean-Luc is too excited to hear more so he tells the man that he’s fine.

Let’s continue - Other theories

Start at the beginning – Jean-Luc time travels to the Stonehenge