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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Henge corrals? |
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PeterH 1180 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 17:18
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Sometime back, Littlestone started a topic on the possibility of some stone circles being animal corrals. The balance of opinion was, I believe, probably not. However, I have recently been looking at my local henges and am plotting them on a map. So far, I have only looked at the 12 Essex henges and they are only visible as crop marks. I intend to map those throughout East Anglia. First point that is apparent is that there is no consistent feature regarding entrances. Most have two gaps opposite each other, but some just one. There is no consistent position of the entrance gaps. Boxted has entrances at N and S, Corringham at SW and NE, Cressing at E, Felsted at W, Wigborough at SE, Little Baddow at N and S, Little Bromley at NW and SE, Sturmer at NE. The others have no visible gaps. That suggests to me that these henges do not have a religious/ritual purpose. The entrances are not consistent and are not aligned to sunsets, sunrises or anything else. They are just opposite entrances and that suggests driving stock into a holding pen and out the other side, perhaps afer counting them. I am not aware of detailed excavation so cannot comment on whether there is evidence of nitrate enrichment which might be expected in a stock pen. There is no local stone and I am unaware of any post holes so can draw no conclusion regarding walls and stock holding capabilities. Finally, the shapes vary from circular to oval and unbalanced circular with the opposite gaps off-centre and to one side. The value of looking afresh at East Anglian henges is that they are little known and we can leave aside the enormous ones of Wessex. Part of the problem lies in the way that we classify monuments. We say that a circular earthwork with a ditch and bank is a henge. Then we jump to the conclusion that all of the things in our "henge " category were built to serve the same purpose. That cannot be right. Finally - I am glad to see the term "ring-ditch" being used more outside its more usual Norman time slot. Nothing wrong with that as we don't insist that the term "barrow" only correctly applies to the Bronze Age. Time to re-examine these circular features, abandon the preconceptions that they are all the same and also time to forget the "henge" word where nothing whatsoever "hangs".
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 18:29
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How did we get from an interesting posting about henges to being ASSURED that churches are capacitors??? I assure you, they bloody aren't. I can't prove it, but I feel it very strongly.
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PeterH 1180 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 19:10
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I know what you mean Nigel. I just stated that the henge openings that I have looked at are all different and not aligned to sunsets or sunrises and we get a reply about something completely different and another thread goes off topic before it even starts.
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sam 151 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 19:25
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i'd be really interested in anything you come up with regards to henges. I too can't belive that our bigger henges (my nearest is arbor low) served the same purposes as the smaller/plainer ones. I had a half-hearted attempt at comparing the locations of henges with roman or older roads to see if they could have been for trade - does that match your findings on your southern henges? keep us updated! sam
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 19:26
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Of course, no consistent position of the entrance gaps doesn't signify there was no religious or ritual significance, merely that there was no archaeo-astronomical significance. In fact, further, they might have been dripping with archaeo-astronomical significance, but this happened to be not expressed through the position of the openings... I can't help feeling that the people who expended the considerable effort of making a henge merely to keep animals in rather than for religious purposes would have been of a very peculiar mindset compared with how most people tend to be through history, and that some sort of communal belief system was most likely to have been involved.
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PeterH 1180 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 19:33
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Fair points, Nigel and that is why I am thinking that different sized henges in different parts of the country might have had diferent purposes. Sure - if you look at the big Wessex henges and those up north like Mayburgh - you get an impression of thing on the grand scale. You even get that feeling down south with the henge at Maxey, but when you see the little ones of Essex it does seem different. Smaller, no stones at all, no hills to align to. Can't help thinking stock markets ;o)
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FourWinds 10943 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 19:49
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"Boxted has entrances at N and S, Corringham at SW and NE, Cressing at E, Felsted at W, Wigborough at SE, Little Baddow at N and S, Little Bromley at NW and SE, Sturmer at NE. The others have no visible gaps. That suggests to me that these henges do not have a religious/ritual purpose. The entrances are not consistent and are not aligned to sunsets, sunrises or anything else. " Except for the N & S mentioned they are all sunrise/sunset alignments. Passage tombs vary in the alignment of their passages and include NE, SW, E, W, NW & SE. A few even face N. So, by your own arguement, passage tombs are perhaps covered pig pens and "do not have a religious/ritual purpose." ? Alignments do not have to be to a significant sunrise either. They could be aligned to the place the sun rose on the day of an important day. Examples of this can be found in some very early churches which are aligned not to the east, but to the sunrise on the local Saint's day. The above does not mean I would totally disagree that henges could have been simply pig pens or whatever, but I do not accept the argument above as anywhere near valid.
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fitzcoraldo 2709 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 21:21
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Peter, can I suggest a little research? The following books may help you reach a totally different conclusion regarding the use of henge monuments. The Stone Circles of ..... etc - Aubrey Burl Henge Monuments of the British Isles - Jan Harding The Significance of Monuments - Richard Bradley Seahenge - Francis Pryor ...........................and just about anyone else in the late 20th century who has excavated and written about henges.
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Littlestone 5386 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 22:00
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You could of course also draw an analogy with the modern house - the doors, gates and windows of which might face in any number of directions. One might, if one was so inclined, infer any number of 'astronomical alignments' from the position of the doors, gates and windows. On the other hand, one might simply conclude that the structure is just a house (or a pigpen ;-) Such a conclusion might, however, be just a 'little' hard for those determined to see something other than an ordinary house with doors, gates and windows :-)
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PeterH 1180 posts |
Dec 18, 2005, 22:00
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Thanks Fitz. I have read some of these, but really want to try a fresh look with naive eyes uninfluenced by others. Its all too easy to fall into patterns of thought that are fashionable or establishment. You may remember Sir Mortimer Wheeler. He was a military man and in his writings, everything just had to be defensive. Francis Pryor had a bit of a sea-change after Sea Henge and now everything just has to be ritual - quite a contrast to his earlier work. I caught the tail end of a television programme where he was arguing for a ritual purpose of a henge against a younger archaeologist who was pushing a pastoral/agricultural viewpoint. So I'm not alone. Professional people are inclined to defend their own stand points so as not to lose professional face. I have no professional face to lose and so can afford to approach afresh and just look at the evidence. As I stated earlier, I am not making any claims at all on the position of gaps on just 12 Essex henges. I am going to map all of the East Anglian henges plus the cursus monuments, long barrows and causewayed enclosures. Then I hope to see if a pattern emerges, BUT I have no preconception and am NOT trying to prove a particular point. I just want to see where it leads me.
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