StonehengeNews

Super moon spectacle will light up skies tonight at Stonehenge (but there’s no need to worry about a rise in lunacy)

19 03 2011

Tonight’s event will be the closest full moon in almost 20 years

Keep your fingers crossed for clear skies tonight – a full moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset.

The natural phenomenon happens when the full Moon coincides with when it travels closest to Earth on its orbit.

‘The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993,’ said Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC.

Full Moons vary in size because of the elliptical (or oval) shape of the Moon’s orbit. At its furthest point (the apogee) it is around 252,731miles away from us, but it is only around 226,426miles at its closest point (the perigee).

So nearby perigee moons, like the one we will see tonight, is around 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the moon’s orbit.

However, it will be difficult to detect the change once the moon is high in the sky as the human eye is unble to put it in context without any nearby objects to compare it to.

Therefore the most impressive view of the moon will be seen when it is close to the horizon due to the ‘moon illusion’. It appears larger as you will automatically compare it to the hills and houses nearby.

‘I’d say it’s worth a look and so close to the Spring Equinox‘

Lnks: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1367474/Super-moon-spectacle-light-skies-tomorrow-night-theres-need-worry-lunacy.html#ixzz1H1i0CPkD
Sponsors: The Stonehenge Tour Company

Merlin @ Stonehenge (Happy Equinox)
The Stonehenge Stone Circle Website

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Categories : astronomy, full moon, Pagans, spring equinox, Stonehenge, Stonehenge news, wiltshire

Stonehenge Folklore

16 03 2011

The stones have inspired many legends and folklore over the centuries. Much of the folklore seems to try and explain the origin of the circle structure as the work of giants, gods or wizards. It was probably easier to accept this than to believe that a past culture could have better technology.

During the Middle Ages Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose colourful writing have had great influence on British mythology, wrote that the stones were originally brought from Africa to Ireland by a race of giants. They were then transported across the sea by the magic of Merlin during the beginning of the Dark Ages on the request of Ambrosius Aurelianus, who was king of the Britons at the time. They were needed as a monument to the treachery of Hengist, a Saxon leader who killed Prince Vortigern

The heel stone is said to have been thrown by the Devil at a monk who was spying on him between the stones. The stone pinned the unfortunate clergyman to the ground by his heel.

Other folklore suggests that the stones are uncountable, a baker tried to count them by placing a loaf of bread on each stone. He came up with a number but then made the mistake of going through the whole process again, and could never get the sets of numbers to tally.

According to folklore African giants came and settled in Ireland many thousands of years ago, they brought with them a temple of stone from their country and re-erected it in County Kildare.
The stones were renown for their healing properties especially when infused with water, known as the Giant’s Dance they still existed in Ireland long after the giants had died out as a race.

In the 5th Century Merlin brought the stones over from Ireland in ships and with the aid of magic, and erected them on Salisbury Plain. They were to mark the graves of some British nobles who were slaughtered by the invading Saxons under the command of Hengist.

In times gone by it was said that the Devil had made Stonehenge, transporting all of the great stones from the heathen shores of Ireland using his magical powers. He was so proud of this work that he was want to boast about the number of stones to the local populace. In one particularly fine display of pride he bet the residents of nearby Amesbury that no one would be able to count the numerous stones. Many tried but as the Devil belived none was able to count them all accurately. A dozen different totals were arrived at. Then finally a local Friar who had come late to the game sidled up to the Devil and claimed to know the answer. Not unaturally the Devil, sure that he had won asked the Friar to give his answer. The Friar said “More than be counted”. The Devil was so cross at being caught out in the way that he picked up one of the stones and threw it at the Friar. It bounced of the Friars heel which was so hard that it dented the stone and landed upright a short distance away from the circle and so became the “Heel Stone”.

Some say that the stones were a circle of dancing wizards who were turned to stone by the enchantment of another wizard.

Sponsors: The Stonehenge Tour Company

Merlin @ Stonehenge
The Stonehenge Stone Circle News Website

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Categories : Druids, mythology, Pagans, Stonehenge, stonehenge guide, Stonehenge news, Stonehenge tours

Laser scan for Stonehenge secrets

10 03 2011

Stonehenge is being scanned using modern laser technology to search for hidden clues about how and why it was built.

All visible faces of the standing and fallen stones, many of which are obscured by lichen, will be surveyed. Some ancient carvings have previously been found on the stones, including a famous Neolithic “dagger”. The survey is already in progress and is expected to finish by the end of March.

“The surfaces of the stones of Stonehenge hold fascinating clues to the past,” said English Heritage archaeologist Dave Batchelor. The team will be looking for ancient “rock art”, but also for more modern graffiti, in a comprehensive survey of the site.
Among those who have left their mark in the stones is “Wren” – thought to be Sir Christopher Wren, the architect who designed London’s St Paul’s Cathedral.

Wren’s family had a home nearby, where he is known to have spent time, adding credibility to the claim.

The new survey will be the most accurate digital model ever for the world famous prehistoric monument, measuring details and irregularities on the stone surfaces to a resolution of 0.5mm.

Graffiti on one of the stones is thought to have been made by Sir Christopher Wren

The previous survey in 1993 was photographic, and only measured to an accuracy of about 2cm.

“This new survey will capture a lot more information on the subtleties of the monument and its surrounding landscape,” said Paul Bryan, head of geospatial surveys at English Heritage.

Laser scanning is also being used to map the earthworks immediately around the stone circle, and the surrounding landscape, as part of a wider project.

English Heritage has proposed a new £25m visitor centre at Stonehenge and closing parts of the A344, which runs just yards away from the landmark.

Government funding was withdrawn last year, but the Heritage Lottery Fund has promised £10m. English Heritage is seeking additional funds and is confident of raising the money it needs

Links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12688085
Sponsors: The Stonehenge Tour Company

This new survey will no doubt capture a lot more information on the subtleties of the monument – wath this space………..

Merlin @ Stonehenge
The Stonehenge Website

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Categories : Archaeology, Stonehenge, stonehenge guide, Stonehenge news, Stonehenge tours

Threatening sky over Stonehenge

10 03 2011

How do you make prehistoric megaliths look even more ominous?

Storm looming over Stonehenge

Wait for menacing clouds to loom over and capture the scene in black and white. It worked for Times reader “photomarc,” who shot this moody photo of England’s Stonehenge.
“[On] our last trip to England, my wife and I were caught in some nasty weather,” says the photographer. “I did take this shot before hurrying back to the car!”

Credit: LATimes
Sponsores: Join a ‘special access’ tour at Stonehenge – a unique photograph opportunity – The Stonehenge Tour Company

Merlin @ Stonehenge
The Stonehenge Stone Circle Website

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Categories : special access tours, Stonehenge, stonehenge guide, stonehenge photograph, Stonehenge tours

Wessex Audio Tour – Ancient Britain

3 03 2011

Start: Avebury |Finish: Old Sarum
Distance: Approximately 42 miles

Wiltshire is a county of history and mystery set in a dramatic landscape. The combination of heritage and scenery provides a truly memorable day out. So come with us on a journey through the countryside and across the ages as we go back to the time of our prehistoric ancestors. Hundreds of thousands of years may have passed but all over the county there’s evidence of human activity from the end of the Ice Age through the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages right up to the invasion of the Romans in AD43.

Click here for audio / visual tour

This driving tour will take you through the heart of Wiltshire. En route you’ll discover more about how our enigmatic and mysterious ancestors lived, worked, fought and died.

This tour can be undertaken in a variety of ways; as a day-long journey, in short sections or you can use the information as a guide to individual visits.

You might also consider embarking on the tour using public transport but keeping up to date with bus service and timetable changes will require plenty of preparation.

Before you set off make sure that you’re properly equipped. Nothing beats a really good Ordnance Survey map, marked with contours and ancient monuments. A compass and a torch would also be useful. Some of these historical gems are in fields and away from roads or footpaths, so good walking boots are a must. Some sites have few or no facilities and it’s also worth noting that mobile phone coverage can’t be guaranteed in parts of rural Wiltshire. For news of road works or route closures, check BBC Local Radio and bbc.co.uk/travelnews

This guide has been produced with the generous assistance of Phil Harding, Wessex Archaeology, English Heritage, Wiltshire Council Archaeology Service, Bob Clarke, Martin Kellett, David Dawson and the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes.
Sponsors: The Stonehenge Tour Company

Merlin @ Stonehenge
The Stonehenge Stone Circle Website

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Categories : Archaeology, Avebury, long barrow, old sarum, Stonehenge, stonehenge cursus, stonehenge map, Stonehenge tours, UK Stone Circles, UNESCO, wessex tours, wiltshire

Britain may pull out of UNESCO

1 03 2011

Britain is threatening to withdraw its support for the United Nations agency

Avebury Stone Circle

Unesco has designated more than 900 cultural and natural world heritage sites and 28 are in the UK including the City of Bath, Stonehenge, Avebury and Dorset and east Devon’s coastline.

Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, is expected to reveal tomorrow that aid to about 16 countries will end and that more than half a dozen UN agencies will either lose British help completely, or be warned they face losing it unless they reform.

UNESCO – United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization: an agency of the United Nations that promotes education and communication and the arts

http://whc.unesco.org/
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/UK-pull-funding-heritage-sites/article-3274100-detail/article.html
Sponsors: The Stonehenge Tour Company

Merlin @ Stonehenge and Avebury
The Stonehenge Website

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Categories : Avebury, history news, Stonehenge, stonehenge guide, Stonehenge news, UK Stone Circles, UNESCO, world heritage site

How Stone Age man kept his pores clean… in the SAUNA

28 02 2011

The remains of a 4,500-year-old sauna have been discovered by archaeologists excavating a Stone Age temple.
They unearthed the foundations of the building at Marden Henge, near Devizes in Wiltshire. Located close to the River Avon, the neolithic ‘sauna’ was in a key position overlooking a ceremonial area at the site.

English Heritage’s Jim Leary said: ‘The building brings to mind the sweat lodges of the native North Americans and the reason for that sauna or sweat lodge interpretation is that the floor plan was utterly dominated by a large hearth – so large in fact there does not appear to be any space for living, cooking or doing anything much at all.

‘It is also located very close to the River Avon and would have had a ready source of water, which is a necessary criteria for a sweat lodge. ‘If it was a sweat lodge then perhaps one could envisage it being used for purification ceremonies within the henge.

‘Unfortunately we’ll never know exactly what it was for – that’s the nature of archaeology.’

Marden Henge, which has no standing stones, is located on a line which connects stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury but remains a mystery for archaeologists. Some believe the huge Stonehenge megaliths were stored there after being dragged from Avebury.

Mr Leary said: ‘The relationship between the three monuments is interesting. They are broadly contemporary and one wonders what the interaction between them must have been – were they competing with one another or were they used by the same communities but for different occasions and ceremonies? ‘We don’t know the answer yet

Merlin @ Stonehenge

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Categories : marden henge, Stonehenge, Stonehenge archaeological digs, stonehenge guide, Stonehenge news, wiltshire

Scientists ‘step closer’ to solving Stonehenge mystery

23 02 2011

IT is a mystery that has baffled geologists and historians for centuries… how were the Stonehenge rocks transported from Wales’ Preseli mountains to their resting place 120 miles away.

Scientists are today one step closer to solving the 4,000-year- old mystery after making their most significant discovery in 15 years.

Of the six to eight different bluestone types found in the inner circle of rocks on Salisbury Plain, only one, the so- called “spotted dolerite”, was convincingly traced to the Mynydd Preseli area in north Pembrokeshire in the early 1920s.

But modern technology has now assisted geologists at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales – in creating a “fingerprint” for one of the other rock types found in Wiltshire.

And that “fingerprint” has been identically matched to stones found in an area north of the Mynydd Preseli range, in the vicinity of Pont Saeson.

The discovery means archaeologists are now a step closer to retracing the footsteps of Neolithic engineers who moved the stones in the first place.

Dr Richard Bevins, Keeper of Geology at Amgueddfa Cymru, said: “The outer circle of Stonehenge is made up from stones sourced locally in Salisbury Plain but it is the mismatch of rocks found in the inner circle that have caused so much mystery.

“We have known for some time that spotted dolerite came from Preseli but of those remaining stones we think that six to eight more may have come from Pembrokeshire, until now though we haven’t been able to be sure because the stones are very fragile and we didn’t previously have the technology to extract their DNA.”

Dr Bevins added: “Theoretically if we could trace the source of the other rhyolites (rock types) we could create a map with six or more locations pinpointing where each stone was sourced.

“Archeologists could then essentially see the route that was taken by these people, they could re-trace those steps, set up archaeological digs and make who knows how many new discoveries.

“In terms of looking at where the stones came from this is the most important discovery we’ve made regarding Stonehenge in 10 or 15 years.”

Dr Bevins, in partnership with Dr Rob Ixer at the University of Leicester and Dr Nick Pearce of Aberystwyth University, made the discovery by analysing microscopic crystals found in the rock, vaporising them and analysing the gases found as a result.

The composite of gases makes up the rock’s DNA which can then be matched to other rock forms.

Sourcing the rhyolites also provides the opportunity for new thoughts on how the stones might have been transported to the Stonehenge area.

Much of the archaeology in recent years has been based on the assumption that Neolithic Age man had a reason to transport bluestones all the way from West Wales to Stonehenge and the technical capacity to do it.

Dr Bevins said: “It has been argued that humans transported the spotted dolerites from the high ground of Mynydd Preseli down to the coast at Milford Haven and then rafted them up the Bristol Channel and River Avon to the Stonehenge area.

“However, the outcome of our research questions that route, as it is unlikely that they would have transported the Pont Saeson stones up slopes and over Mynydd Preseli to Milford Haven, we would assume that they would not carry the rocks up and over a steep mountain range.

“If humans were responsible then an alternative route might need to be considered.”

Some believe that the stones were transported by the actions of glacier sheets during the last glaciation and so the Pont Season discovery will need appraising in the context of this hypothesis.

Mike Parker Pearson, Professor of Archaeology at Sheffield University, added: “This is a hugely significant discovery which will fascinate everyone interested in Stonehenge.

“It forces us to re-think the route taken by the bluestones to Stonehenge and opens up the possibility of finding many of the quarries from which they came.

“It’s a further step towards revealing why these mysterious stones were so special to the people of the Neolithic.”

Merlin @ Stonehenge

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Categories : Blue Stones, megalith, Stonehenge archaeological digs, stonehenge guide, stonehenge new theories, Stonehenge news, Stonehenge tours, world heritage site

Stonehenge rocks definitely came from Wales, but how?

23 02 2011

New research has cast fresh doubt on the journey which the Stonehenge Bluestones took from Pembrokeshire to the site of the pagan monument.

Since the 1920s, geologists have strongly suspected that the ‘spotted dolerite’ Bluestones, which form Stonehenge’s inner ring, originated from Mynydd Preseli in the north of the county.

However, whilst the new findings have also linked a second type of stone – rhyolites – to the area, they call into question how the stones arrived in Wiltshire.

Matching up the rock from Stonehenge with a rock outcrop in Pembrokeshire has been a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack”
Dr Richard Bevins National Museum Wales

Perceived wisdom had it that Stone Age man transported the giant slabs via raft, up the Bristol Channel and River Avon.

But as Pont Saeson, the location of the new match, is to the north of the Preselis, some believe its unlikely that they would have been able to navigate the terrain in order to get the enormous rocks to the coast.

An alternative theory was that nature drove the stone to Stonehenge, in the path of an Ice Age glacier, although the absence of any other Welsh rock in the region seemed to have ruled out the possibility.

Yet Dr Richard Bevins, a geology expert from the museum which collaborated in the research by Aberystwyth and Sheffield Universities, believes it may now be time to revisit the idea.

“If humans were responsible then an alternative route might need to be considered. However, if, as some believe, the stones were transported by the actions of glacier sheets during the last glaciation, the Pont Season discovery will need appraising in the context of this hypothesis.”

“It’s a further step towards revealing why these mysterious stones were so special to the people of the Neolithic”
Prof Mike Parker Pearson Sheffield University

“Matching up the rock from Stonehenge with a rock outcrop in Pembrokeshire has been a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I’ve looked at many if not most outcrops in the Mynydd Preseli area.

“We are however, confident that we have found the source of one of the rhyolites from Stonehenge because we’ve been able to make the match on a range of features not just a single characteristic. Now we are looking for the sources of the other Stonehenge volcanic and sandstone rocks”.

Dr Bevins’ team are able to say so categorically that they’ve discovered the source of the rhyolites, thanks to a range of laser mass spectrometry techniques, which analyse both the chemical composition of the rock and the micro-biology present when it was formed.

The combination of the two provides an almost unique signature for rocks only found in the Pont Saeson area.

But the new match does explain the absence of any other Welsh Bluestone in the Stonehenge area, if indeed glaciation was responsible for carrying them there.

Prof Mike Parker Pearson, from Sheffield University, called it a “a hugely significant discovery which will fascinate everyone interested in Stonehenge”.

“It forces us to re-think the route taken by the Bluestones to Stonehenge and opens up the possibility of finding many of the quarries from which they came.

“It’s a further step towards revealing why these mysterious stones were so special to the people of the Neolithic.”

Merlin @ Stonehenge
THe Stonehenge Stone Circle Website

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Categories : Archaeology, Blue Stones, megalith, Stonehenge, stonehenge guide, Stonehenge news, Stonehenge tours

Stonehenge replica envisioned for Thompson’s Field in Harwich

20 02 2011

HARWICH — (USA) Tom Leach wears many hats: Top cop for the town’s waterways as harbormaster; expert on all things wild as natural resources director; and in a hobbyist role, an avid astronomer.

But now, he’s found a new calling to build something unlike anything else in town. A monument of sorts, made out of huge pieces of granite. Leach wants to construct a version of the world famous Stonehenge, right in Harwich.

Stonehenge, near Amesbury, England, is a famous circle of standing stones erected around 2,500 B.C. World renown, this ancient site is both intriguing and mysterious, especially since no one has ever really figured out why it was originally built. Was it a burial ground? A marketplace? A temple for druid practices?

Many have concluded that its main purpose was as a calendar of sorts, to track the sun, planets and stars.

The idea of building a modern Stonehenge hit Leach as he sat in the back of a selectmen’s meeting a few years ago. The board was discussing whether to give the town of Wellfleet up to 90 large granite stones, some up to 9 feet tall and 3 feet wide, once used in a now-dismantled railroad bridge off Old Main Street.

The board knew the granite stones were valuable and decided against giving them away.

“Building our own Stonehenge would be absolutely unique,” Leach said. “Since we already have the stone and plenty of open space, we are part of the way there.”

“I think it would be a big draw for the town,” he added. “And I love the possibility of using Thompson’s Field as the setting.”

But the idea has not taken hold – yet. Leach knows the project requires a moderate sized group of volunteers and advocates. The layout and design must be drawn up and a proposal must be drafted for the conservation commission, which oversees the land on Thompson’s Field, to review.

Then comes the sheer logistics of moving the stones and positioning them at whatever site is chosen.

“This is such a mountain to climb and I can’t climb it by myself,” Leach admits. “You need dozens of volunteers and lots of heavy equipment.”

MichaelLach, executive director of Harwich Conservation Trust, agreed that the project would need “a real groundswell,” adding that, “It sounds interesting.”

Lach said that he needs to see a more refined plan before the trust takes a position.

He noted that a solar calendar on Wing Island in Brewster, built in the 1980s, has recently been maintained through a collaborative effort between the town and Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

“That’s something to study as an example,” he added.

Highway department director Link Hooper noted that in 1999, the stones would have been buried as part of the landfill-capping project.

“I personally went and got the material and dug it up with heavy equipment before it was capped. It took a couple of days to put them off to the edge of the landfill,” said Hooper.

When asked about the idea of using the granite to build a small version of Stonehenge, Hooper didn’t want to take a position but said it was possible.

“The town could move it all – That’s no big problem. We’ve got front-end loaders and forks and flatbed trucks to do the job,” he said. “If the board of selectmen support it, I think this could move ahead.”

Selectman Ed McManus said that several of the stones have been used for markers across town.

“It’s an interesting idea,” he said of the Stonehenge concept. “But Thompson’s Field being conservation land, it would have to go in front of the conservation commission because they have the ultimate say on that land.”

For now, Leach is still hoping to pull together a bigger band of volunteers to help launch the project.

“I even bought a couple of books on Stonehenge to better understand the scope of the project,” he said. “It was done in stages over a thousand years, taking generations to complete the project.”

“We have the land, we have the material, we just need the manpower,” he said.

“We’re missing only that one element. With that, I know we can move ahead.”

http://threeharbors.com/stonehenge.html
http://www.wickedlocal.com

Merlin @ Stonehenge (UK)
The Stonehenge website