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Henge mark stands tall

Myths about the Stonehenge in England have forced soothsayers to magicians to archaeologists to open-mouthed history buffs to have their pet Stonehenge theory. Rashmi Vasudeva discovers more.

If you have read and re-read your Harry Potters and believe firmly that you are an accidental Muggle (non-magical person), well, you will not like this. You will continue to believe that the grand wizard Merlin magically transported the mysteriously blue Preseli stones and rearranged them to be the mystical Stonehenge.

The latest archaeological theory about the towering stones in the middle of nowhere is that they were built not as a temple, nor were they used as a calendar and were definitely not the fruits of Merlin’s magic. Stonehenge was a hospital.

Blue stones

A rather anti-climactic dénouement one would think, considering the thick cloud of mystery from which the blue stones rise to the sky. Like the Loch Ness monster and the lost city of Atlantis, the world never stops speculating about the wonder of Stonehenge, erected many miles away from the quarry from which the stones came.

An astounding feat of engineering, lovingly shaped by stone tools, this megalithic monument on the Salisbury plain in south England has thirty standing stones called sarsens, each over ten feet tall.

They are aligned in a circle, with stones (or lintels) placed neatly atop them in a circle. There is also a similarly constructed inner circle. Myths about the monument have forced everybody from soothsayers to magicians to archaeologists to open-mouthed history buffs to have their pet Stonehenge theory.

The most retold is that of Merlin. A 12th century historian, Gerald of Wales, called Stonehenge ‘The Giant's dance’ because he had heard stories that giants brought the stones from Africa to Ireland.

According to Gerald, Aurelius Ambrosius, king of the Britons, ordered Merlin the Magician to bring the stones to Britain. Archaeological evidence says Stonehenge was constructed between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago.

The monument is angled such that on equinoxes and solstices, the rays of the rising sun fall perfectly between the gaps. This is not magic but precise engineering. From the time this fact became known, the Stonehenge theories started spurting out of universities and research labs.

And, they have not stopped. The hows have been much debated and discussed…how in those pre-historic times, the four-ton bluestones were quarried in the distant hills of Preseli in Wales and carried all the way to the plains of Salisbury. No wonder the theory that they were ‘magicked’ is so popular!

What remains a mystery are of course the whys. Why go all the way to Wales to obtain stones? What was wrong with the stones in Salisbury? What was so special about these Preseli stones? Why were they arranged in this manner?

Prof Timothy Darvill, Head of Archaeology and Historic Environment Group at the Bournemouth University seems to have the answer to some of these whys. A few months ago, at the Society of Antiquaries in London, Prof Darvill and his colleague Prof Geoff Wainwright declared that the search for the whys ends and begins at Preseli itself, in the hills of ‘Carn Menyn’ and ‘Carn Goedog’ where the Stonehenge’s bluestones were quarried.

The story, says Prof Darvill, began with the discovery of a pre-historic corpse christened the ‘Amesbury Archer’ near the Stonehenge in 2002. He had died in 2,300 BC. His hair was laced with gold and his grave had archery implements. Analysis of his bones and teeth revealed that the archer came from central Europe. It was also discovered that he was missing a kneecap and that the deformity had occurred much before his death. What was this obviously wealthy but disabled man doing near Stonehenge?

Healing powers

Search for answers led the archaeologist to Preseli, which has many springs on the hillside. The waters of these springs have been ascribed miraculous healing powers throughout history.

People have thought to have made long pilgrimages to drink these waters and bathe in these holy wells. In front of these holy wells were similar bluestones, arranged to resemble an altar and a pool. Clearly, this was a place of religious importance and according to the professor, the bluestones were thought to have imbibed these miraculous powers of healing and hence, were transported.

In his new book, 'Stonehenge: Biography of a landscape', Prof Darvill says the arrangement of stones at the henge reflects the geological location back in Wales. “Stonehenge was probably many things at the same time. It is for us to discover what its main purpose was. I think over a period, it developed a reputation as a place of healing.

As well as the Amesbury archer, two other burials have been discovered near the henge. These corpses have trephinations in their skulls, suggesting primitive attempts at surgery. The remains of a wounded man were also found deposited in a ditch at Stonehenge with pieces of bluestone,” he says.

The professor does not disagree with the astronomical theories. “Its architecture is indeed dominated by astronomical calculations but what drew ordinary men and women to the stones was its reputation to cure illnesses and free them from disabilities,” he says in ‘The Guardian’.

The theory that it was a place of healing gets more credence because not only are there a large number of burials around Stonehenge but also a majority of these corpses have some deformity or the other. The professor continues to investigate but with mysteries like that of Stonehenge, there will be no dearth of alternative theories. Even magical ones. There was also some truth in the magic theory after all. Only, it was the magic of faith that brought thousands to Stonehenge. Faith that the bluestones will deliver them from suffering. And, hope that it would bestow upon them the miracle that we call good health.