Stonehenge - Neolithic England - The Age of the Megaliths

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Stonehenge : Wiltshire England
Conclusion

We must not underestimate the capabilities of ancient man – Stonehenge is proof that the Neolithic population was capable of observing the rising and setting of the sun and moon extremely accurately, and interpreting the results in order to predict both the seasons as well as the terrifying disappearance of the sun or moon during an eclipse. But Stonehenge should really be seen as the jewel in the crown.

	The sheer scale of activity within this region of England during the Neolithic period is staggering - a scale of activity that can be compared with that of a modern Olympic village. The numerous and varied structures were being created and used concurrently, over hundreds of years, and many generations, for ceremonies, burials, trade and astrological predictions. It was a region of the utmost importance.

As to Stonehenge itself, in effect, it spanned two eras - Britain was nearing the end of the Stone Age and the start of the Bronze Age, and as such the monument represented a social revolution. This prehistoric renaissance in Europe saw tools of wood, bone and stone being replaced by metal. It saw society changing from the communal to the powerful individual. Stonehenge was the product of a chance succession of distinct cultures, each lending to it their own particular values. Perhaps it was this unique cocktail of influences which produced a megalithic monument that was to prove to be utterly unique.

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