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Line of sight calculator
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tiompan
tiompan
5758 posts

Re: Line of sight calculator
Dec 11, 2010, 15:46
Sanctuary wrote:
tiompan wrote:
Sanctuary wrote:

Whilst we are discussing the henge bank I'd like to thow open a question. Dunno if it's been asked before but do you think it's possible that the bank was never intended to be an important part of the overall plan? Before everybody says what a daft question that is just have a think about it. What if it was only the ditch that was the important part and the bank just the spoil heap from it dumped on the outside and left, rather than spending donkeys more years removing it. It had to be on the outside because the stones were planned for the inside. But, if it was only the bank that was required then the material for that could have been brought in from elsewhere so it may suggest the ditch was the important bit. Does that make sense and a valid point to raise? I've mentioned this elsewhere in the past and met with a varied response.


There has to be a bank and an accompanying ditch for a monument to fit the definition of a henge .If one or the other primary may not be a problem as there are monuments that have banks but no ditch i.e. embanked enclosures , all examples in Ireland the most famous and impressive of which is the giant's Ring Ballynahatty .Maes Howe has an obvious ditch and minimal bank ,Duggleby Howe has a ditch and no bank , in these cases the materail from the ditch would not be sufficient to create the fnall monument and were clearly architectural .



Good point George. Does this then 'suggest' that the henge sites with the bank equal to the total spoil taken from the ditch were simply the result of one from the other whereas the 'no ditch but a bank scenario' had a different meaning or purpose to it i.e. one defensive the other not or some other reason?


The superficial defensive nature is also found at some "hill forts " which can be easily attacked ,therefore the banks and ditches even in these cases are providing a symbolic defence , somebody did suggest that in the case of henges in was to keep something in rather than out .
Some sites have a berm between the ditch and bank , so not too defensive in their case .Then you get the different types of ditches and not all related to geology .Wide and shallow and narrow and deep both have different types of silting which the builders would ahve been aware of , would that determine choice ? If they were regualarly maintained then that suggests that they were more than just a source of material .mmmmm ditches .
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