Wednesday, September 06, 2006

FYI: Great Question!

Hey, ya'll! I just got a great question via email from Amber, which I thought I'd share with you all here (and I hope she doesn't mind!) In the future, if you all would like, you could post such questions here (and they'd count toward your 1 or more blog posts per week, even!)

"In the reading for homework it mentioned stonehenge, but very little was explained. My question is about exactly who they believe had built the cromlech. They hypothisize on how the stones got there, but not who built it. They don't really mention it nor explain it. I do know that the celtic peoples had spread throughout continental Europe and into England and Ireland before Rome became thoroughly established, but how much earlier? Could they be the ones who added onto the structure? Or were they later in time? I was just curious, but any information would be helpful.
Thanks.
Amber Brooks"
Again, great question! In part, I think they're vague about which racial group built Stonehenge because they're not really sure. Apparently, there were various waves of immigration from Northern Continental Europe into Britain during the Iron Age, and - as far as I can tell - they're still trying to sort them all out!
:-)

There are, of course, a number of theories about Stonehenge. One of my favorites is a part from that series I'll be showing in class tomorrow... See what you think about it! Enjoy!!

1 comment:

Amber said...

In response to my own question of who built Stonehenge I have done some research on who archeologists believe could have created the structure. There have been many different theories from Merlin bringing Stonehenge magically from Ireland to the Romans. Aubrey in 1666 was the first to suggest that native Celts built the structures, specifically for the Druids (their equivalent to Priests). Archeologist Patrick Crampton in 1967 confirmed Aubrey's beliefs with his own work. Crampton hypothesized that the British Celts created Stonehenge using advanced mathematics and astrology which would explain the structure's perfect alignment. Other evidence found in Ireland and Scotland confirmed that the Celts did indeed use mathematics. While the diviners, a sect of Druids, were known for their interpretation of the heavens. All evidence seems to point that the British Celts did indeed play a role in creating te monument of Stonehenge. -Amber