Stonehenge. An Interpretation.

This book takes on an enduring challenge and attempts to make sense of Stonehenge. The monument has survived for approximately 5000 years and was certainly in use from 3000 BC until around 1500 BC, and has quite probably been the intermittent focus for a variety of ritual activity ever since. The ruins that we see today represent not only the most spectacular version of this Neolithic temple but also hint at its final identity and function. These massive stones represent just one of a series of different versions of Stonehenge which probably began with nothing more than a circular bank and ditch. The quality of the evidence for the various subsequent developments is assessed, with particular attention being given to the 56 Aubrey Holes. Their rather mysterious presence has provided opportunities for some striking and imaginative interpretations in the past, but the one offered here tends to favour practicality and common sense.The main focus and longest section of the book concentrates on the sarsen monument. Here the archaeology makes possible a fairly accurate reconstruction of the original, and this in turn provides an opportunity for evidence-based conjecture on both the design and the purpose that it served. Despite a very understandable impression that there can be little new to be said about the place, the suggested analysis reveals a surprising amount of previously unremarked detail and uncovers various geometrical relationships which combine to produce a comprehensive understanding of Stonehenge in its final form. Every feature of the monument - from the outer circle with its unique stone lintels to the inner arrangement of five trilithons - is given a plausible explanation.