British Researchers Say Stonehenge Was Monument Marking Unification of Britain
Posted on June 22, 2012
After 10 years of archaeological investigations, researchers from the Stonehenge Riverside Project have concluded that Stonehenge was built as a monument to unify the peoples of Britain. The researchers say the construction of the monument - around 3,000 BC and 2,500 BC (5,000-4,500 years ago) - followed a long period of conflict and regional difference between eastern and western Britain.
Professor Mike Parker Pearson of the University of Sheffield says, "When Stonehenge was built, there was a growing island-wide culture - the same styles of houses, pottery and other material forms were used from Orkney to the south coast. This was very different to the regionalism of previous centuries. Stonehenge itself was a massive undertaking, requiring the labour of thousands to move stones from as far away as west Wales, shaping them and erecting them. Just the work itself, requiring everyone literally to pull together, would have been an act of unification."
BBC News reports that the researchers also believe the stones used in Stonehenge symbolize different communities.
The researchers reject ideas Stonehenge was inspired by ancient Egyptians or aliens. The researchers also reject theories that Stonehenge was used as a prehistoric observatory, a sun temple, a place of healing, or a temple of the ancient druids.
The Stonehenge Riverside Project consists of research teams from universities of Sheffield, Manchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and University College London.
