Astronomy Henge Stone – Not Just A Pile Of Rocks

Stonehenge, the English circle of stones, is well known to people as many things, including an altar, an astronomy tool and in some stories even a gateway to other times and worlds. It’s the most well known, but not the only one. Many other sites contain an astronomy henge stone or many in a formation similar to the circle at Stonehenge. The term henge is derived from the Old English word, henge, that became part of the Stonehenge name. Oddly, henge doesn’t mean circle or even stone, it means hang. Stonehenge was created by placing, or hanging, large stones on top of crude vertical pillars. Eventually there was no need for hanging, the name was applied to any similar stone formation. 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. While many of these stone henges, including the famous Stonehenge, were used as burial grounds and sacrificial sites, almost all of them have some element related to astronomy. It doesn’t matter if they were built only as observatories or not, let others

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argue it. There was some real building skill and astronomy knowledge used to erect them. Many of these stones followed phases of the moons or marked the sunrise and sunset at certain key times of year. 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 really doesn’t matter if they were the purpose for the site or added later. They’re still amazing. A lesser known but no less spectacular henge is the Avebury Henge located in Wiltshire. Many small stone circles surround it, and the town of Avebury is inside it. It is believed that this henge had astronomical purposes as many of its stones, now mostly fallen, had positions that corresponded with key phenomenon. In addition there were elements of ancestry and gender concerns in the design, because it had male and female looking stones. Some experts claim stone selection was purely for aesthetic purposes, however. Don’t even think about grabbing an astronomy henge stone for your personal use. But they’re meaningless when removed from their earthen circles. Try painting an image of one instead.

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