Astronomy Henge Stone

November 21st, 2009 by Steve Evans

Stonehenge is a famous English stone circle associated with things such as druids, ancient computers and even a gate system to other dimensions 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. In fact the word henge is an old English word that’s 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. Over time the hanging part of the concept was lost, so any such stone circle was referred to as a henge. 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 they did serve as altars and cemeteries, all of these stone henges, including the well known Stonehenge, had some link to celestial objects and phenomenon. It’s sometimes argued whether or not these stone formations were built for astronomy first, but there’s no doubt of building skill and scientific know how that went into erecting them. The elements that have to do with astronomy include the markings of important dates, such as the summer or winter solstice, when the sun would rise at a point marked exactly by a stone placement. This might include the sun being viewable through a tiny window at sunrise from a point at the center of a circle. Stonehenge includes a number of precise measurements. It’s not important if they were the design for the site or an afterthought. They’re still amazing.

The Avebury Henge in Wiltshire may not be as well known as Stonehenge, but it’s equally as interesting. It encloses an entire town, Avebury, and is surrounded by a host of smaller stone circles. Because so many of the now downed stones were in precise locations, it’s well known the henge was used for astronomy. But it also had a relationship to ancestral and gender worship as the stones come in two main types – tall, slender stones and short, squat stones – that may have represented female and male archetypes. Some archaeologists dispute this, however, claiming the stones were chosen for no other reason than their beauty and size.

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.