June 7, 2008
Stonehenge and a ‘lost’ pyramid
Just had to mention a couple of pieces of news I spotted in the last week, because I love these mysterious, ancient places.
The first, the emergence of a new theory that Stonehenge was a burial site for some ‘royal’ family (Stonehenge used as burial site for hundreds of years: study, AFP, May 30, 2007). Rather less romantic than the theory that it was used as a place for sacred, mysterious druid rites, of course. But I like this more down-to-earth theory.
By the way, if you’re thinking of going to see Stonehenge, I’ve been, and honestly, it’s not worth visiting. They don’t allow you near enough to have a good view of the site.
I’m still fascinated by the structure, though — by the who, and the why. And on reflection, it also appeals to my aesthetic sense. There’s a simplicity about the stones, an elegance. And I’ve always loved geometric shapes like circles, triangles, etc. Which probably explains my other interest — the pyramids, and the recent discovery of a “Lost” Pyramid Found Buried in Egypt (National Geographic, June 5, 2008)
A pyramid has just been reclaimed, after being ‘lost’ under the desert sands. The Egyptian pyramids are impressive precisely because of that, because they’re set among the shifting sands. When you stand near these ancient structures, there’s a sense of fading to insignificance, of being just a tiny speck in human history. An awesome feeling. I still think of Egypt as the best place I’ve ever been to.
Crooked Turret 
sarsen56 said,
June 8, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Hi Crooked Turret,
People might like to know that you can get into the centre of Stonehenge, but only by arrangement (early morning and evening), and sadly you have to pay extra.
myrlinn said,
June 8, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Thanks for letting us know, sarsen56. That’s great info to know! Because you really do need to get close to get to it, I think, to really get the feel of the place.
myrlinn said,
June 9, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Sarsen56,
Just want to add that I finally found some time to check out where you link to, and I read the articles linked from here:
http://www.solvingstonehenge.co.uk/page5.html
I don’t have enough knowledge to judge your theory, obviously, but it does make a lot of sense that Stonehenge was built largely through the use of geometry (and not astronomy) well within the capabilities of the people of the time.