Презентация "Mysterious Places. Stonehenge"

STONEHENGE

The stones are great

And magic power they have

Men that are sick

Fare to that stone

And they wash that stone

And with the water bathe away

Their sickness.

/ And Layamon, British poet,

13 th century /

Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC

  In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby. Today, together with Avebury, Stonehenge forms the heart of a World Heritage Site, with a unique concentration of prehistoric monuments.

In about 2500 BC the stones were set up in the centre of the monument. Two types of stone are used at Stonehenge – the larger sarsens and the smaller ‘bluestones’. The sarsens were erected in two concentric arrangements – an inner horseshoe and an outer circle – and the bluestones were set up between them in a double arc

The origins of its name are not quite clear; while “stone” is no puzzle, the meaning of “henge” is disputed. Some scholars believe that it is a distorted ‘hang’, and thus, ’Stonehenge’ means “suspended stone s”./ подвешенные камни/

How it had been constructed and used is even more of mystery.

However, it has been famous since the 12 th century when Geoffrey of Monmouth claimed that Stonehenge was built by Merlin the wizard.

Вставка рисунка

There is another widespread misconception- the idea that Stonehenge was linked to the Druids , the Celtic pagan priests.

Actually, Druids had nothing to do with Stonehenge.

This monument had been built millennia before the Celts ever came to Britain.

The present-day Stonehenge was built between 3,000 and 2,000 BC. The great stones had long been thought to be from Preseli Hills in Wales, which is 240 km away from Stonehenge.

This seemed an impossible distance, and some people even speculated that Stonehenge had been built by aliens from outer space.

Now the stones are believed to have been brought by the Irish Sea Glacier, which would make the way much shorter.