posters in passing
3 days ago
Sunday, January 17, 2010
My guest today is Simon from The Rainbow Bank. I stumbled across Simon's blog while surfing Link Referral, and I quickly became hooked! Simon not only writes about all things British, but also a whole menu of other topics from family to music. I hope you enjoy today's post and stop by Simon's blog for a visit!
Stonehenge
I vividly remember my first visit to Stonehenge, back in the 1970's, it was a cold and bleak autumnal day.
The site is visible from some considerable distance due to it's location on the flat, grassy, Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire.
First impressions are one of awe, not only at the scale of the monument, but also the fact that it has survived for 4300 years, on such a heavily populated island.
One must remember that this site is contemporary with the Great Pyramids of Egypt and in fact some archaeologists suggest that it may have been started prior to the building of pyramids.
No-one knows for sure who built Stonehenge or why.
Whilst some believe the Druids were in these islands before the arrival of the Celts, it is certain that they did not build it.
Recent genetic studies of the British, have thrown traditional beliefs of our origins out the window!
It now appears that the vast majority of Britons are of Basque origin and that successive waves of immigration have had little effect on the genetic makeup of the population.
Clearly the original migrations to Britain would have happened as the ice sheets retreated, thus allowing the Basques to move northwards into Britain, from their homelands in what is now Northwestern Spain and Southwestern France.
Even today the origins of the Basques is shrouded in mystery, since their language is completely different from the other languages of Europe whose antecedants where Indo-European.
We know from the famous cave paintings of the Pyrenees that they were a sophisticated culture and indeed when Piccasso visited some of the cave painting sites he is reported to have said, ' We have learned nothing'.
Returning to Stonehenge ( the most famous of literally hundreds of megalythic sites in Britain), the mind simply cannot comprehend how these vast stones, some of which were transported over 200 miles, were erected, let alone set out with such amazing mathematical accuracy.
To think my old school textbooks suggested that this monument was built by cavemen, seems to me laughable.
The builders clearly understood complex mathematics and had a sophisticated understanding of astronomy!
I believe the time will come, when the ancient knowledge, that must have existed, to motivate the construction of Stonehenge, will once again become available to humanity.
Stonehenge is a World Heritage site and justifiably so.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit this island, may I strongly recommend that you go to Stonehenge, preferably outside the tourist season when there are not many visitors and you can take your time contemplating the power of the stones and those amazing and mysterious people who erected them.
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That Corgi says:"I've never been out of this country, but Stonehedge has always fascinated me and is on my list of things I would like to see. One wonders how such a thing like this was constructed so long ago"
betty
This is a very interesting post and I thank you for taking the time to share it with all of us!
I was not aware of the change in the history of origin of the British.
I am hoping to one day visit this site and see the stones for myself!