Comparison Of Stonehenge And Paganism

Religions across the globe have their own distinctive rites and rituals, idols, traditions, and values. Each have in common a desire to explain something unexplainable by common wisdom, or attributing some aspect of life to some higher power. Many religions have at their heart etiological stories, which explain some sort of natural phenomenon through the physical manifestation of their deity or deities. From high winds and thunderstorms to love, fertility, and the sun, such religions focus on the physical world in this life. Other religions try to explain the "next" life or the afterlife. These religions usually give a moral code to live by, with stricter adherence to this code offering a better afterlife.

Thesis Statement: The Stonehenge is a complex work of art; as it has been built over different periods of time representing wide range of ideas and thoughts. It is a monument that encapsulates the identity of a collective society of an era. It portrays the belief and value system, status, faith, relationship with the supreme being (god), and technological knowledge of the citizens of a society that is associated with the making of the Stonehenge. The large span of time and ambiguity of the society related to the Stonehenge has made most archeological surveys uncertain and thus, creating a mystery about, why was a monument containing, just stones weighing thousands of tones, in a relatively isolated area built? What was the motivations and purpose behind building it? And, how all these elements give an account of the civilization existing around the area.

Located in Wiltshire England, Stonehenge is a World Heritage site consisting of 4,500 year-old stones with some reaching heights up to 4.5m (15ft). Ever since the Middle Ages, the site has been one of the greatest mysteries in Europe being subject to multiple speculations and theories.

Although Stonehenge and the Pyramids are both marvels of the ancient world, the differ from each other in many ways. While the construction for both began around the same time period – construction for Stonehenge began around 3100 BCE (Dr. Senta German) while the pyramids began around 2580 BCE (The Great Pyramid of Giza) – the time spent building Stonehenge far exceeded the time spent building the Pyramids. Unlike the Pyramids, Stonehenge was built in three phases. The first phase of construction began “when a great circular ditch about six feet deep was dug with a bank of dirt within it about 360 feet in diameter, with a large entrance to the northeast and a smaller one to the south” (Dr. Senta German). Within this ditch, known as a henge, were 56 pits, known as Aubrey holes filled with either upright bluestones or upright wooden beams, whose original purpose is unknown. The second phase began approximately 100-200 years later and involved a circle of upright wooden posts in the center of this henge. More upright posts were also erected near the northeast and southern entrances. During this phase, the site of Stonehenge was used for burials; “at least 25 of the Aubrey holes were emptied and reused to hold cremation burials and another 30 cremation burial pits were dug into the ditch of the henge and in the eastern portion within the henge enclosure” (Dr. Senta German). During the third and final stage, occurring 400-500 years later, Stonehenge was completely remodeled. The central wooden beams from stage two

The Stonehenge placement was in Salisbury Plain, not far from the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire. The work of art was made up of various things including earth, timber, and stone structures. This work of art was remodeled and revised over more than 1400 years. In order to build the master piece, it had to be done in phases. Phase I is where the beginning of the construction started. They made a large circle that was surrounded by ditch then following a bank going inwards to the 56 Aubrey holes that would hold wooden posts, Phase II, the Aubrey holes eventually didn’t hold post but they became filled, some with cremation deposits. Phase III, consisted of adding the stone structure which were called the Bluestones that were placed in Q and R holes, the Sarsen Circle was made with trilithons

The Stonehenge is one of the great seven wonders around of the world. For decades, archaeologists are puzzled by this unique structure. They ask questions like what was its purpose, how was it built and by whom. Archaeologists believe it was built around 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Stonehenge holds many mysteries and theories that brought many tourists to visit over the years. Many stories have been told due to these mysteries and theories. Stonehenge is a complicated ancient megalithic whose complexity involves not only its construction but also a calendar for archaeologist. Numerous investigation has gone into discovering those theories on Stonehenge. Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire, England. One theory suggested that it was a places of burial

Over a span of 2,000 years, monuments have been added to Stonehenge. While most are buried today, they are still visible and well preserved. Stonehenge’s features include the Aubrey Holes, 350 burial mounds, Cursus, Woodhenge, Durrington Walls Henge, Stonehenge Avenue, and West Amesbury Henge. The Aubrey Holes were the first monuments in Stonehenge, built around 3,000 BCE. The Aubrey Holes were 56 pits inside of a circular enclosure formed by a bank and a ditch. Its main purpose was to store cremated ashes of dead bodies. After the Aubrey Holes were made, bluestones and sarsens were dragged from long distances to construct the circular stone monument. The 350 burial mounds were long barrows meant to cremate and bury the dead. The Cursus, built from 3600 to 3400 BCE, were two long earthwork enclosures. Both Woodhenge and Durrington Walls Henge were timber circle monuments built in 2,300 and 2,500 BCE, respectively. Stonehenge Avenue was an ancient road that lead to Stonehenge monument and was built from 2,500 to 1,700 BCE. Finally, West Amesbury Henge was a stone circle monument built in 2,400

You had brought up an excellent point that all religions are very similar to each other. Many traditions in Christianity today come from Pagan origins. This is not surprising as "... Pagans as a religious group collapsed under the pressure of the ever growing Christian community" (Norris, 1996, p. 9). Some Pagan traditions include, cutting pieces of trees in December usually evergreens (Robinson, 2015). This was in recognition of the winter solstice which is the shortest day of the year, many had believed that the sun may never appear again and the evergreens contained powers because they stayed green all year around (Norris, 2015). "The ancient Pagan Romans decorated their 'trees with bits of metal and replicas of their god, Bacchus [a

The Pagan religion has been around for forever and is thought to originate from Europe. Paganisms traditions place an importance or homage for nature. Most Pagan groups can trace their roots to around the 1960s. Paganism is not a traditional religion because it does not have any official ideology, but it does have some familiar traits. Growth in the Pagan religion is thought to be based off of the cycles of the earth and the earth’s ecological status.

It is a good post. I enjoyed reading it. I would like to add some that most of pagan temples were converted into churches by removing the pagan deities’ busts and sculptures from them because Christianity was understood that it was a religion with only one God. So, I can say that the pagan gods and goddesses lost their importance, and pagan religion discontinued. The monarchy or the concept of tyrannical government continued during the Middle Ages.

While I can't say with any degree of certainty what it was for, we can say that it wasn't constructed for any casual purpose. Only something very important to the ancients would have been worth the effort and investment that it took to construct Stonehenge. I believe with all the information I have gathered I can only ask myself this question:

The oldest part of Stonehenge, called Stonehenge I (constructed ca. 3100 BCE), consists of little more than a circular ditch dug in the soil of the Salisbury plain, with the excess soil piled up to make an embankment approximately six feet tall. This area is approximately three hundred thirty feet in diameter, and encompasses “Stonehenge proper” – the familiar circles of massive stones that once stood

Stonehenge was a stone structure established a long time ago by civilizations before the Druid age. More than 4,000 years ago, the people of the Neolithic period supposedly decided to build a massive monument using earth, timber and eventually, stones.They placed it high on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England about 137 kilometres southwest of London. The purpose to build Stonehenge still remains a mystery. Stonehenge could have been a temple, an astronomical calendar, or a guide to the heavens. Stonehenge acts as a prehistoric timepiece, allowing us to speculate on what it would have been like during the Neolithic Period, and who could have built this megalithic wonder.

Stonehenge, erected around 2500-1600 B.C.E. by tens of thousands of labor workers, represents the peaceful coming together of east and west Britain. It is thought to be a cultural, spiritual, historical, and a sacrificial center. Many experts believe Stonehenge may have also been a burial site for the elite. Located in Wiltshire, United Kingdom, it is believed that 3 separate tribes are responsible from building what is known as Stonehenge. The Windmill people around 2500 B.C.E., the Beaker people around 2000 B.C.E., and the Wessex people around 1600 B.C.E. Today, Stonehenge is the most famous megalithic site in the world, attracting more than 800,000 visitors. Stonehenge uses color, material, and shape, as well as pattern, balance, and emphasis, in order

Architecture: Very few architectural structures from this period have survived (none from before); the most famous is Stonehenge, constructed using the post and lintel system and thought to be something like a sundial.