Stonehenge is one of the most outstanding prehistoric monuments of mankind. According to the latest versions of scientists, its construction was completed about 3.5 thousand years ago. Giant stones formed an incomplete double circle. The statistics are impressive: it would take 500 people to pull one stone, and another 100 people were needed to lay the rollers in front of the sled.
For a long time it was believed that Stonehenge served as a solar calendar. However, scientists have recently disproved this theory. The Daily Mail reported on new hypotheses and discoveries.
Mystery of Stonehenge
It is still unknown for what purpose the giant stones were installed. The largest of the stones weighs 50 tons, and transportation by water would be impossible, so it is suspected that sleds and ropes were used for transportation. Scientists discovered cremated human bones and assumed that Stonehenge was part of religious ceremonies. But the version about the ancient solar calendar was the most popular.
Italian and Spanish experts argue that this claim is “absolutely unfounded” and is based on “forced interpretations, numerology and unconfirmed analogies”.
calendar theory
Until recently, most scientists believed that Stonehenge was a giant chronometer-calendar, with which people in antiquity tracked the solar year of 365.25 days. Stonehenge took into account the solstice and the movement of the earth around the heavenly body.
In his study, published in Antiquity a year ago, Professor Timothy Darvill analyzed the number and location of Stonehenge’s large sandstone slabs, called sarsens. Darvill concluded that Stonehenge was a “simple and elegant” perpetual calendar based on the solar year. Each of the giant stones represented a month of the year.
New hypotheses
Dr. Giulio Magli of the Politecnico di Milano and Professor Juan Antonio Belmonte of the University of La Laguna in Tenerife said the calendar theory does not stand up to scrutiny.
“Stonehenge is an extremely complex monument that can only be understood by considering its landscape and the chronology of its various phases over the centuries,” said Dr Magli and Professor Belmonte.
Scientists note that in ancient times there were more than 60 Stonehenge stones, most of which were lost over the millennium. So the theory about the calendar from this point of view seems a little illogical.
What could be Stonehenge
Prehistoric people did not have theodolites and compasses, they used stones, poles, wood and ropes. Until now, no one can be sure of the appointment of Stonehenge. It could be a giant clock, a calendar, a temple, a burial place, a kind of hospital or a place of worship for the gods. It is not known whether the mystery of one of the oldest monuments of mankind will ever be accurately solved.
Earlier, GLOBAL HAPPENINGS said that the alleged solution to the mystery of the origin of life on Earth was discovered on a distant asteroid.
Source: Obozrevatel
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
