Stonehenge is a famous English stone circle associated with things such as druids, ancient computers and even a gate system to other dimensions and worlds. But although famous, Stonehenge isn’t unique. The world is full of other similar circles, some with one astronomy henge stone, others with many. As a matter of interest, the name Stonehenge comes from Henge, Old English for the structure it describes. Henge means hang, not circle or stone as some people believe. It refers to the Stonehenge site specifically as horizontal stones were hung around the circle by placing them on top of vertical stone pillars. Over time the hanging part of the concept was lost, so any such stone circle was referred to as a henge. There is one condition. The circle of stones must be placed within a circle of earth, either raised above or dropped below the surrounding area. If there’s no such earthen circle, the henge is just a circle of stones.
All of these stone henges have some astronomical purpose, even though they’re considered burial grounds or sites for sacrifices. It’s sometimes argued whether or not these stone formations were built for astronomy first, but there’s no doubt of building skill and scientific know how that went into erecting them. The elements that have to do with astronomy include the markings of important dates, such as the summer or winter solstice, when the sun would rise at a point marked exactly by a stone placement. There were even tiny openings that would direct the sunlight on key areas at the right time of the year. Stonehenge includes a number of precise measurements. It’s not important if they were the design for the site or an afterthought. They’re still amazing.
Less famous but no less amazing is Wiltshire’s Avebury Henge. It encloses an entire town, Avebury, and is surrounded by a host of smaller stone circles. Because so many of the now downed stones were in precise locations, it’s well known the henge was used for astronomy. In addition the stones came in two types, tall female and squat male, possibly having to do with gender and ancestor worship. A number of people disagree, claiming the stones were simply selected for their general look, with nothing to do with men or women or ancestors.
Don’t even think about grabbing an astronomy henge stone for your personal use. Aside from the fact that many of these weigh many tons, they completely lose their significance when removed from the earthen circle. Try painting an image of one instead.
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