=
×

Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

Head To Head
Log In
Register
The Modern Antiquarian Forum »
Stonehenge and its Environs »
Rocks?
Log In to post a reply
92 messages
Topic View: Flat | Threaded
nigelswift
8112 posts

Re: Rocks?
Jul 30, 2006, 15:08
Bucky,
Hmmmm. I suppose whether the construction of a monument is a piece of cake or the work of heroes depends on how many people you have and how long you take, which is far from clear so either might be right. You should be wary of shattering people’s illusions though as they might want them. I once met an American at a bus stop who said Santa wasn’t real, the miserable sod. ;)

“they're just arrangements of rocks that any reasonably well organized group of young folks could create.”
Placing them, IMO, is no great feat but transporting them is a much bigger issue. I’ve looked at a lot of modern re-enactments and none of them were very impressive. The Millenium project, involving hundreds of your young people moving a mere four tonner was a right shambles. In fact, I’d go so far as to say there haven’t been any decent stone-moving demos over long distances using really big stones. Why’s that? Because its hard.

Your brother has the key. There’s a knack to everything, optimum means to be found for every single little bit of the operation, and these all add up. There won’t be a really good replication until a team spends many years messing about with stones until they know exactly how to do it best. I personally think there’s no mystery, it’s a case of pulling, with as many people as you can get and with whatever lubrication you can work out is best and refine, refine until you can do it with least effort.

But – you ask the Stonehengineers, it’s still damn hard pulling something for extended periods – UNLESS you happen to have a huge number of people. Your feeling that “they did it at least cooperatively and creatively enough that it *wasn't* backbreaking” rests on the assumption they had enough people. Who knows?

(BTW, Carnac: “Did dozens of families get together to add a stone a year at some festival?” I reckon so. It just looks like it. Little ones first, then decades of bereaved family one-upmanship. See my local graveyard!)

“How do we know the stone circles and barrows and henges weren't constructed……by teams of experts hired for a few years”. Wot, Build-A-Henge Inc., bespoke henges for the gentry? Aaaaargh no! Stop it.
In reply to:
Re: Rocks? (BuckyE)		 Replies:
Re: Rocks? (BuckyE)
Re: Rocks? (BuckyE)
Re: Rocks? (BuckyE)
Topic Outline:
The Modern Antiquarian Forum Index