Unarguably one of the most historic monuments in England, the Stonehenge remains surrounded by mysteries. The Stonehenge was built between the Napoleon era and the Bronze Age. But why was Stonehenge built? This monument must have played very important role to the ancient people who built it. It could have been either a healing center or a site for alien planes. One popular theory that has survived the ages is the observation made by scholars in the 18th century that during the summer solstice, the entrance to the monument faces the sun as it rises. There are also many other speculations based on the archeological discoveries.

8 Possible Guesses About Why Stonehenge Was Built

1

A Sacred Hunting Ground?

Archeologists have proved that the areas surrounding the Stonehenge along the ancient migration route (auroch) served as a hunting ground for several thousands of years prior to the construction of the Stonehenge. The site is only 1.6 kilometers from Wiltshire, England and contains several proofs of human inhabitation like bones, tools, and burnt stones which archeologists said dated back to 3, 000 years ago. The site of Stonehenge is also said to contain some construction evidence that dates back to about 10, 000 years ago when some pine posts were gathered to raise one ancient structure. The archeological evidence available shows that the site was indeed an ancient feasting and hunting ground. There is a belief that the megaliths found on the site must have been built to commemorate the hunting and feasting days.

2

Unity Monument?

There might have been more to Stonehenge's construction than ancient barbecue spot. It is a popular belief in some quarters that the Megaliths were built by the British to mark the beginning era of unity and peace. As at the period the monument was constructed, which was between 300 B.C. and 2500 B.C., the British Isle experienced an unprecedented unification of their culture. This was exemplified by the use of a uniformed pottery style across the entire region. Such a great project would have required the collaboration of everyone in the region for the project to be completed.

3

Astronomical Calendar?

It is a popular belief in some quarters that Stonehenge was the venue for the celebration of the winter Solstice for the ancient people. The winter Solstice sunset aligned with the avenue close to Stonehenge. Some close archeological evidence claims that pigs were killed between December and January-as a way of marking the ancient mid-winter feast. The sunrise is also faced by the site during summer Solstice, and till date, thousands of tourists still visit the site yearly to celebrate the season.

4

Elite Cemetery?

According to the publication of one scholar, the mystifying monument could have served as a burial site for the elite. Several skeletal fragments from about 63 persons have been excavated from the site, with the same proportion of men, women and infants. The burials according to archeological findings dates as far back as 3, 000 B.C. Some objects associated with the early men such as an incense b and a mace head, were found on the site.

5

Giant Bells?

According to some new theories, dolerites and sarsens in Stonehenge create exclusive, cleverly varied sounds very similar hollow metallic or wooden bells. These instruments could have been used as a means of communication, or they could have been used as often as church bells are used today. There is nothing new about using rocks to create music; several other cultures have used lithophones–mostly giant Flintstones–such as xylophones which are known to produce very unique sounds.

6

Healing Site?

Most of the skeletons found on the site had marks of either injury or illness, which led Geoffrey Wainwright and Timothy Darvill to come up with a proposal that the site was an ancient healing site. Lending support to that claim, over the ages, most of the Stonehenge's bluestones have vanished from the monument, probably by some long-lost pilgrims seeking some protection and healing powers from the site.

7

Stonehenge Sound Illusion?

If you have two pipers playing at the same time in Stonehenge, the sound coming from the pipe of one piper would cancel out the sound coming from the other piper at some points. This sound illusion as claimed by a presentation at the 2012 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. The Megaliths could have been raised as a way of augmenting the usual sound cancellation. The boulders blocks the sounds selectively. As a matter of fact, the monument is known as The Pipers Stone in England. There is a legend that magic pipers accompanied maidens to the field, and when they got to the field, they cast a spell on the maidens and turned them into the Megaliths found on the site. Even people who do not believe in the theory of the sound illusion, but they do believe that Stonehenge do have some acoustics, with large echoes that is typical of cathedrals and lecture halls.

8

A landing Pad?

Other theories surrounding Stonehenge have suggested that Stonehenge might have a more remarkable origin. Aliens might be a right answer to why was Stonehenge built. To some people in the 70s, Stonehenge must have been a sort of landing pad for aliens.

To be fair to such people, suffice it to say that archeological evidence like laser guns, jetpacks, etc. are yet to be excavated.

9

Conclusion

Everything outlined above could have been nothing other than mere speculations, however, we know one thing for sure; Stonehenge was not any kind of Roman Temple, and proper dating have shown that it must have been completed more than a thousand years prior to the roaming of the British Isles by the Druids.

To learn more about why was Stonehenge built and to satisfy your curiosity, just visit this link:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

. You can always follow up the latest news by

@EH_Stonehenge

via Twitter.

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