Purpose of Stonehenge

After Tuesday’s video lecture that us a brief introduction to Stonehenge, I was intrigued by the famous structure and wanted to know more about it, such as who built it, why it was built, and how they heck did people construct it. As I typed “Stonehenge” into Google to search for articles about it, the first suggestion that came up was “Stonehenge built by aliens” and I just had to click on it. Next thing I know, I’m spending over an hour reading people’s crazy ideas on why and how Stonehenge was built.

I can’t decide which theory I like the best. The “aliens built it to use as a landing pad” is a classic, but I’ve heard that one many times before. My elderly grandmother is obsessed with the show “Ancient Aliens” and will not hesitate to tell you all about how aliens ruled the ancient world, so I am all too familiar with this story. However, among the crazy alien claims, I did find some very interesting, more realistic theories on what the site was used for.

I came across one theory suggesting the Neolithic people built the monument as some sort of team exercise. This made me laugh as I thought back to all the team building exercises I was forced to do at summer camp. Those sure were lame compared to Stonehenge. If this belief is true, I bet the group had really bonded by the time it was done!

Another theory I found interesting was that ancient people used the site as a sort of soundstage. Apparently, the way the stones are arranged gives the place amazing acoustic qualities, According to experts; the monument would act kind of like a modern day concert hall. Of course, this theory makes me want to travel to Stonehenge and attempt some singing to truly test out these acoustic qualities.

My favorite theory I saw claimed that Stonehenge was built as a sex symbol to honor women. Some say that the stones are arranged to resemble the female sex organ (which I do not see at all), and that it could represent Mother Earth giving birth to the plants and animals that the people who built the monument depended on. When I look at the stones, I just see a giant circle, but I do love the idea of them worshipping women!

So I never found out the real reason that Stonehenge was built, or if that reason is even known, but at least I did get to read some really interesting theories to take my mind of exams for a little bit!