The Magic Stone Circle

Stonehenge is the most remarkable stone circle in Europe. It stands on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, South England. Its stones were put there in pre-historic times – about 2500-1500 BC. Stonehenge consists of two concentric circles of blue stones, surrounded by a ditch and two banks. Microscopic examination of the stones has shown that they come from south-west Wales, about 135 miles from Stonehenge.

The building of Stonehenge must have taken many years to complete. The most difficult operations in transporting and raising the stones could have needed about 1500 men. It`s unlikely that the local region of Salisbury Plain could have provided all these people.

It`s almost certain that such hard work might have needed the co-operation of different tribes from other areas. There must have been a central and wide-ranging authority, though its nature remains hidden in mystery.

There have been many different theories about the original use of Stonehenge. Modern methods of investigation have extended our knowledge, but no one is certain why it was built.

One of the theories is that the Beaker people, who once lived in this area, could have used it as a place of Neolithic worship and burial. This is proved by the large number of ceremonial objects of Neolithic type which were found in the ditch and its banks.

Some people thought that the Druids might have used Stonehenge as a temple. The Druids were a Celtic religious group who, people believe, might have practiced bloody human sacrifices.

In recent years many suggestions have been made about the possible use of Stonehenge as an astronomical observatory. The arrangement of the stones might have recorded the movements of the rising and the setting sun and the moon along the horizon and could have predicted eclipses. This is not to say, however, that the people must have worshipped the sun and the moon. Most Christian churches, after all, point to the rising sun in the equinoxes.

Some people believe that the great stone circle was used to store terrestrial energy. This special kind of power traveled through mysterious channels across Britain.

Alongside the theories there are also local legends, as well. One is about the Heel stone or Friar`s Heel. It tells about a friar who was not afraid to speak to the devil while he was building Stonehenge. The devil threw the stone at the friar and hit him on the heel, but didn`t do him any harm.

We shall never know what religious beliefs Stonehenge represents, or what forms of worship or ceremonies took place within it. These are questions, like many others about the pre-historic past, for which there are no real answers, either because it is a complete mystery or because it is not there.