Moth
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 17:03
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Oi, that's my book!!!
love
Moth
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fitzcoraldo
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 17:08
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Henges come in many different sizes and have 8 basic classification types. I doubt that they had one definative use apart from to create a space where activites, both spiritual and secular could take place.
I like to think of them geneally in terms of a parish church. The church normally has three distinct spaces, the church itself, the church hall and the church yard. The church is the house of god and given over to spiritual matters, the yard is the house of the dead and a place where your ancestors are remembered, the church hall is often the focus of the parish, especialy in rural communities, with lots of community based activities taking place within its walls such as, parish meetings, fairs, youth clubs, parties etc.
I think henges could have functioned in the same secular/spiritual way and been a focus for community life.
If you want to look into henges at greater depth, you must look at each one individually.
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Moth
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 17:14
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Yeah the 'hanging' thing's annoying. Not sure we'll get far calling em summat different though.
If you've not already read em, the Burl book Jane quoted is quite interesting & gives some opinions etc but is (unsurprisingly) inconclusive. Francis Pryor talks about em quite a lot in bits of 'Seahenge' too but you've probably read that (I'd hesitate to recommend it if you haven't, I find it a bit annoying).
I guess Mike Pitts's 'Hengeworld' might talk about it a bit.... (But Ive never read it.)
We also had a bit of a discussion in a long thread called summat like 'Ritual Landscapes' a few months ago. Sure none of this helps, but it's the best I can do.
love
Moth
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Moth
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 17:17
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Sounds good to me matey - they seem to vary soooo much that I've been convinced for ages that different ones could easily have had different purposes.
love
Moth
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BlueGloves
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A strange henge picture
Oct 26, 2003, 18:25
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This shows one of the entrances - http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/20520 - and there's traces of a ditch outside the bank. This structure, of about 7 x 35 metres, is inside a large stone circle. (I think the colour distortion comes from the early Fresnel device in the lens) ...
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nickbrand
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 18:36
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I think that's a pretty coherent summing-up, fitz. I too think that there was more to most of the megalithic sites than pure 'ritual', whatever that might have entailed. The henge sites in particular I feel must have been used for various forms of gathering, rather like the church/yard/hall analogy you used. I like that.
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Jane
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 18:45
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Thanks for the loan of it!
;-)
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FourWinds
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Burl's a bugger!
Oct 26, 2003, 19:09
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We have 'em in Ireland too ... and that's NOT in the British Isles !!!!!
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FourWinds
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 19:10
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Does not have to have had stone or wooden uprights inside.
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FourWinds
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Re: What is a Henge?
Oct 26, 2003, 19:14
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Think of the bank and internal ditch around Avebury.
THAT'S A (BLOODY BIG) HENGE :-)
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