Photo: AP Photo (2010) © Wessex Archaeology, Ho.
Associated Press recently circulated a story from Wessex Archaeology that a Mediterranean skeleton has been found at Stonehenge: "this image provided by Wessex Archaeology on Wednesday Sept. 29, 2010 shows the remains of an early bronze age burial. Although it cannot be seen in this photograph, this person was buried wearing a necklace made from amber beads. The body is in a flexed position, reminiscent of a sleeping pose. A wealthy young teenager buried near Britain's mysterious Stonehenge monument came from the Mediterranean, scientists say, proof of Stonehenge's international importance even in prehistoric times." Wessex Archaeology's homepage is here. In an earlier post, discussed research that postulates that Stonehenge had a neighbouring wooden henge; it may even have been surrounded by wooden henges. These may have been houses of the living, while Stonehenge may have been a house of the dead.
See my other posts on Stonehenge.
When you consider the difficulty in travelling in those days, the idea of some kind of pilgrimage to Stonehenge from the Mediterranean, or even a permanent relocation, is quite remarkable.
ReplyDeleteYeah. The question is not just how he managed it, it's why he managed it? How did he hear about Stonehenge and what did it mean to him? If archaeologists are right, and Stonehenge was a house of the dead, what kind of beliefs would people have had about death to make them travel across the continent to see it?
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