Stonehenge :: essays research papers

In the hill country of northern England, many sites of Stonehenge exist. Approximately cl to 200enormous rocks lie stacked on top of each other forming somewhat of an altar. Tall stones standupright surrounding the center stone which is bluestone. This is unlike the sandstone columnswhich surround it. This may not seem unusual at first however, there are three main factors thatmake Stonehenge extremely odd. to each one of these stones weigh close to 4 tons. There are also noother stones in a radius of 15 miles. With todays civilise equipment the moving of theselarge stones would not be difficult, but one must remember, Stonehenge was built approximately4800 B.C. Radiocarbon dating shows that these stone structures are older than the outstandingpyramids of Egypt, and the large cities of Rome. Of course Stonehenge is not as advanced as thegreat pyramids but it was built in an area which wasnt as advanced as the Egyptians or Romans.The outside stones are made completely of sandston e, this is at least 18 miles from thesite where the sandstone was quarried from. Each stone stands upright and are expertlybalanced. Stones of the analogous composition and size, rest on top forming a circular structure. In themiddle of these stones, giant pieces of bluestone model on the ground in horse fit out like shapes. These stones are also called spotted dolorite, and are not found within a 225 mile radius. In thevery center, a piece of cheat sandstone lay as a monument. One of the most interesting facts about Stonehenge is that it is perfectly lined up with the pass (December 21) and summer (June 21) solstices. This is when the beginning of summer andwinter when the Earths axis changes. As the sun rises over the horizon on those two days, itsrays go through a small hole in one of the rocks. The alignment is perfect. The other significantcharacteristic of these prehistoric masterpieces, is that absolutely no mortar or cement existsthroughout the entire structure. These hu ge stones lay balanced on top of each other with no glueor substance to hold them together. The only thing that stops these gargantuan stones from gois a simple system of joints. Originally these structures were thought to be circles. In fact, manypeople still think they are circular however, they are not. nigh have flattened sides, some are hexagonal and some are elliptical. This is not easy to see with the naked eye which is why so