Julian Cope presents Head Heritage | The Modern Antiquarian Forum

moss

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Re: Henge corrals?

Dec 19, 2005, 10:47

Must admit that I also feel that there is too much emphasis on the religious/ritual nature of henge and other monument sites and not enough on the practical side.
It seems that when people gather together they must also bring other expectations to the meeting, and if they have to travel a great distance other matters would also come to the fore. Trade, in the form of the different objects that come from a wide source, marriage, or its equivalent, did the girl bring some more practical gifts such as animals to her new life. Food came on the hoof, was it ritually slaughtered in the henge itself?
Bradley says that ritual is also part of everyday life, and that what people are expressing at these meetings is a narrative of their lives - their past ancestors are represented, their pottery, animal and human bones are ritually deposited at the entrances to henges or in pits.
And to quote from another source (Mendip report -P.Ellis) "It is more likely that the physical form of the monument reflects a conscious use of symbols. The double circle of closely spaced timbers and intervening hurdles may be a deliberate representation of an animal stockade"
He is talking about the southern circle at Priddy circle/henges, three circles in a straight line, plus another one at an angle - another monument to be speculated upon....
So perhaps henges are mult-functioned in modern terminology, but in prehistoric terms all these happenings were a perfectly natural way of life, interwoven with physical realities and spiritual meaning.

In reply to:
Henge corrals? (PeterH)

Replies:
Re: Henge corrals? (treaclechops)
Re: Henge corrals? (FourWinds)
Re: Henge corrals? (PeterH)

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