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Stonehenge theory essay
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Stonehenge theory essay
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Stonehenge
Research paper for ARC 1701 History of Architecture I
Valencia Community College summer semester, 2010
Summarry:
Stonehenge catches my attention because of the mystery that it has to it. All the theories about how it was built, why it was built, and for who it was built have not been proven to this day. And that’s what catches my attention the most, the mystery of how this primitive people were able to move this big stones from such far distance, and how they were able to aligned them almost perfectly for an unknown purpose.
Stonehenge, called the most photographed site in the world, draws nearly a million visitors a year, almost half of them from the united states (Wendy Mass 9) After Stonehenge has mystified an impressed generation of visitors and scholars who traveled to Salisbury plain in Wiltshire, England, 80 miles west of London, to marvel at the wonder of this ruin (Wendy Mass 8) but why is this ruin so magnificent? What draws so many people to it? Is it because the question of who built it and how it was built still lingers in the minds of many today. These questions have kept the mystery of Stonehenge alive for thousands of years, and the combined investigative efforts of historians, geologists, engineers, archaeologists, astronomers, chemists, and philosophers have continued to uncover more questions than answers (Wendy Mass 8)
The name Stonehenge is believed to have been derived from words that mean either “circle of stones,” “hanging stones,” or “stone hinges.” (Wendy Mass 8) it was originally called stanhenge; stan, which means stone in OLD English, and henge, which means “to hang.” There are several theories as to t...
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...re considered pagan and not Christian. In medieval times the stones were stolen by stonemasons and peasants to make bridges and houses. In the early 14th century the stones were pulled down because at that time the stone circles were associated with witches. Until recently people were allowed to touch the stones and even climb on them, the public order act of 1986 passed a new trespassing ban limiting the number of people who could legally walk in a procession, ensuring that the guards make sure the stones are not been maltreated.
References
Mass, Wendy. 1998. Lucent Books, Inc., San Diego, California
http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/blavatsky/123/stonecon.html
http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/stonehenge.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/science/30stonehenge.html
The Parthenon embraces its beauty in human history , however , it imprisons its misuse and abuse in addition. In Christopher Hitchens’s , “The Lovely Stones” , he builds an argument to persuade the audience that the original Parthenon Sculptures should be returned to Greece . Christopher Hitchens uses negative diction , cultural references , and the rhetorical appeal , logos , to strengthen his argument .
The content of this project is based on the largest and most complete megalithic structure in Europe, The Stonehenge. It resides in center of the southern England; on the wide spread Salisbury Plains. It is said to be old approximately four thousand years, and it is even considered older than the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Standing there over such a long time, it has been the subject of research and mystery in general, for a really long time. Dozens of notable scientists, emperors and others expressed their admiration and interest through different means of explorations and excavations. There have been various theories on how it was built, and what the purpose of it was, and some of them are really intriguing and interesting such. Some thought it was built as a solar-lunar calendar, some said that it had medical purposes for the giants that had built it, it was considered a ceremonial place, temple of veneration, a portal and lastly but not less important, there were some associations of Stonehenge to the aliens. The two specific theories on the Stonehenge’s importance will be discussed and summarized in this essay. First theory comes from an astronomical stand point interpreted by Mr. Chris Witcombe, and the second theory might sound unusual when said the Stonehenge represents the human vulva, and this theory is interpreted by Anthony Perks(PhD) and Darlene Bailey(BA).
There is an ongoing debate on whether the Parthenon Marbles, now located in London, England, should be returned to their original homeland of Athens, Greece. The marbles were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin from 1801-1812 and transported to England. They were sold to the British government in 1816 and put in the British Museum where they have been for the last 200 years. I believe that the marbles should now be returned to Greece, not only because of the method and circumstances surrounding their removal, but because they are original pieces of the oldest and most symbolic structure in Greek history that epitomizes the pinnacle of Ancient Classical Greece and the beginning of western democracy through artistic ingenuity.
Jackson states, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys (564).” This seems like innocent play until the stones’ true purpose becomes unveiled at the end of the story. Jackson creates suspense through the children and the rock piling.
in the uneducated minds of popular culture from tie seventeenth century to the present. It
Stonehenge is located in Southern England on what is known as the Salisbury Plain. The structure looks different than it once did, however. Today, Stonehenge suffers the effects of time and pernicious acts by people. Originally, in the years after completion, the structure was made up of “several concentric circles of megaliths, very large stones.” (5) Stonehenge consists a circular layout of approximately one hundred megaliths. On the tops of them another flat stone was placed to make a continuous ring of horizontal stones. These structures are known as trilithons.
We humans are curious and it is even obvious when we are children that we want to know more about things we don’t understand. This is one of the reasons for the popularity of Stonehenge, usually referred to as Britain’s greatest national icon. We are fascinated with Stonehenge because we really don’t know for sure who built them and why they were built though different theories have been raised. One day the answers to questions we have about Stonehenge may be answered but it may not decline our fascination with the site because it is an impressive feat of engineering from ancient times.
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
Ashmawy, A.(2000). Stonehenge. Retrieved October 28, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/ Forgotten/ stonehenge.html
Behind every great structure in the world, there are the people who made them, and who took the time and effort to design them. Those who made Stonehenge succeeded in creating an incredibly complex and mysterious structure that lived on long after its creators were dead. The many aspects of Stonehenge and the processes by which it was built reveal much about the intelligence and sophistication of the civilizations that designed and built the monument, despite the fact that it is difficult to find out who exactly these people were. They have left very little evidence behind with which we could get a better idea of their everyday lives, their culture, their surroundings, and their affairs with other peoples. The technology and wisdom that are inevitably required in constructing such a monument show that these prehistoric peoples had had more expertise than expected.
Forklore tells this story: On a day very long ago, the fairies were celebrating the arrival of spring in the mountains. They danced and sang, with great happiness in their hearts. Until an elf arrived with very sad news. He told the fae that Christ had been crucified. All joy fled from the fae . . . and they wept in mourning. As they cried, their tears hit the ground, forming the cross-shaped stones. When they left the mountain, the stone remained behind. Early European settlers in the Appalachian Mountains claim that the stones were angel tears that fell to earth when Christ was crucified. Ergo, the stones were called Faith Crosses. The Cherokee legend is that the cross shaped stones were tears of the Cherokee, who wept when forced to leave their land and homes (on the Trail of Tears). Because of its shape, people who lived in the mountains believed staurolite provided protection from witchcraft, disease, and accidents. The Cherokee saw the stone as representing the elements: earth, air, water and fire; it helped restore the balance of life. Like other stones, staurolite has had it’s time with great people in history. It was said that the stone was used in the crusades, and aided Richard the Lionheart to heal. Pocahontas gifted a fairy stone to Captain John Smith, as a token of friendship. Thomas Edison, Charles
Stonehenge was built in several different phases beginning with the large white circle, 330 feet in diameter, surrounded by an eight foot-high embankment and a ring of fifty-six pits now referred to as the Aubrey Holes.(Stokstad, p.53; Hoyle) In a subsequent building phase, thirty huge pillars of stone were erected and capped by stone lintels in the central Sarsen Circle, which is 106 feet in diameter.(Stokstad, p.54) This circle is so named because the stone of which the pillars and lintels were made was sarsen. Within the Sarsen Circle were an incomplete ring and a horsesho...
The building of this famous Roman structure is still a mystery to us today. However, the excavation of this site has helped archeologist better understand the structure itself and the way it was built. Along with this, it has helped us understand Roman culture and history more than we had before. The Colosseum is an extremely important part of Roman history and has shaped ancient Roman culture into what it is known as today.
...e as a sacrifice or just for food (Balter, 2014). This means people would have traveled potentially long distances to reach these special events. Rituals at Stonehenge, Durrington Walls, and Woodhenge were likely a huge deal at this time, big enough to attract people all over the region. The people of Late Neolithic Britain were kinship based people who highly revered the dead and honored them with building great structures. These structures remain today and researchers constantly discover new things and ask new questions about them. The solstitial alignments of Stonehenge, Woodhenge, and Durrington Walls made them each a huge part of a ritual that was significant for the peoples’ culture. It shows their advances in knowledge of the rising and setting sun, and they used those events to create magnificent structures that attract the awe of thousands of people today.
Windsor Castle is one of England’s most dominant structures. The castle was built around 1070 by William the Conqueror. It stands about 21 miles west of London in a parameter town called Windsor. Edward III rebuilt the castle around 1344, but many kings have contributed their own share to the enormous structure. The castle is located above the Thames river. It surrounds a park called Little Park, which joins the Great Park south of Windsor. Home Park connects the castle on the north, east, and south side; while Great Park is south of Home Park. Within the castle walls there is a spectacular artificial lake called Virginia Water (http://www.interlog.com/~lontours/windsor.html).