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The Ancient Mystical Place Called Stonehenge
During my last trip to Europe, I had the opportunity to visit Stonehenge. As I approached the area, it became clear to me that it was a circle of huge stones. It was almost summer time; I remember it was a very nice warm day to walk through the ancient stones. Almost every tourist who travels to England visits this ancient, mystical place, which is considered one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world. The stones were huge. Our tour guide said that the square stones weigh approximately five tons each, stand eighteen feet high, and are three feet thick. It was amazing to see them up close.Something that I really asked myself was how the ancient people could have been ingenious enough to arrange the stones as upright pillars, then connect the stones overhead, and place them altogether to form a circle. It was a great feeling to admire the magnificent stones up close.
The sound of our tour guide's voice brought me back to our tour group. He was explaining that nobody knew about the exact origin of the stones, but most scientists agreed that it dates from the time of the Druids, the first people in England. It was really strange. As, I walked around the stones, I noticed how isolated they were; there was nothing else standing around them, no community or anything. Were they also isolated in ancient times? If so, why had the ancient people constructed them that way? And why did they place them far away from any community? If only I could really travel back in time and find out! My thoughts were interrupted by our tour guide's voice. He was telling us that there were many different theories about why Stonehenge was created. He said that some people believe that Stonehenge was an astronomical calendar because it was built in a circular design; they think it might represent the passing of time. He said that other people have a different theory. From Stonehenge, you can admire a spectacular sunrise and sunset, so they think that the ancient people might have built Stonehenge in order to be able to identify the four seasons of the year and know exactly when to plant or harvest their crops. He also told us about a third theory; some people think that Stonehenge was a sanctuary where the ancient people met their gods. No one knows for sure which of these theories is true. There is just not enough evidence to know for sure why it was built. Standing in the middle of Stonehenge was an incredible experience. When you start wondering how those ancient people were able to move these massive stones with prehistoric tools like an ax of bronze, you really doubt it was possible. At that time, people didn't have many tools or know much about science. Our tour guide told us that before scientists developed their theories, many people thought aliens might have created the place. Because it is so big and the stones are so heavy, they didn't think it was possible for humans to have cut and arranged the stones. After he finished telling us the theory of aliens building Stonehenge, I felt even more intrigued about that place. For several minutes, I tried to imagine a huge multi-colored spacecraft landing just there under my feet, full of green extraterrestials with happy faces, pleased because they had created it. This unreal situation that I imagined made me feel anxious and a little afraid, but excited. My fantasy about the aliens was shortlived because my tour guide came back and finished the tour by telling us where the ancient people probably found the stones and how they might have transported them such a long distance without any wheels. He said that the stones probably came from Wales, about 300 miles away. Some scientists think they were rolled over wood supports down to the ocean and put onto barges that transported them down a river which passed very close to the Stonehenge site. After my tour around this mysterious place, I was full of questions without answers, but taking a trip back in time and imagining beings from another planet building Stonehenge was fun. I left that awesome place with the feeling that many people had been here before me, each with a different understanding of the place, but each wondering about something great and unknown that took place there a long ago in the past. It was an unforgettable experience.
Return to: Places We Visited | Issue 17 | Home Page
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Photo:
Claris Works