Stonehenge is a famous man-made monument that has stood for over 5000 years. It consists of 80 stones that weigh about 9 tonne each. There have been many theories that have real evidence, but no one actually knows the Stonehenge’s purpose. This makes the Stonehenge structure one of the most fascinating monuments on Earth.
Why Stonehenge could be a place of healing
Archaeologists have dug up an unusual amount of skeleton bones. Every single bone showed a sign of serious illness and injury. These Archaeologists have analysed the bones and found that most of them came from foreign countries. That means that there must have been a significant reason for the Stonehenge to be built. Archaeologist Timothy Darnell said that the amount of injured skulls could mean that the Stonehenge could have been a temple as well as a healing place. Another reason Stonehenge could be a sanctuary for the sick is because people have uncovered shards of bluestone rocks fairly deep underground. Geoffrey Wainwright says that this is because people thought that carrying around this rock would keep you well and healthy. He explains that London was trying to copy the Lourdes, which is a French shrine that is meant to be a token of good health.
Why Stonehenge could be a cemetery
Centuries before people started to think about hauling huge sarsen stones into place, one of the world’s most famous monuments may have begun as an ancient burial site for royal family. More than fifty thousand bones from over sixty-three people were found buried underneath Stonehenge. The bones have been excavated by the professional Archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson. He has worked at this site for over two decades and says that the earliest burials were made long before the stone monument was. He claims that the bluestone circle inside the Stonehenge is devoted to these dead bodies. This special excavation team have discovered that the oldest bones date back 3500 BC and the newest 2900 BC. They calculated the average life span of a human back in the pre historic ages and discovered that the dead people’s lives calculated together added up to 600 years reasonably. They also found that children and women have been buried at the site. There is an equal number of children, women and men which suggests that the Royal family being buried there is true. The only problem is that archaeologists have found that the bones all showed signs of disease or plague. This means that either it suggests that Stonehenge was a place of healing or that the royalty each died of the same disease.
Why Stonehenge could be a calendar
Stonehenge could most definitely be a calendar. The stones were set up in such a structure so that the sun and moon shine through the structure on special dates. The monument marks the summer and winter solstices.