| Home
Stonehenge was hidden from 'lower classes' in Stone Age Britain
Britain News.Net
Monday 1st September, 2008 (ANI)
London, September 1 : Archeologists have uncovered the remains of what they believe to be a 20 ft fence designed to screen Stonehenge from the view of 'lower classes' in Stone Age Britain.
According to a report in the Telegraph, the wooden construction extended nearly two miles across Salisbury Plain more than 5,000 years ago, and would have served to shield the sacred site from the prying eyes of ordinary lower-class locals.
Trenches have been dug around the monument, tracing the course of the fence that meanders around the stone circle.
The construction must have taken a lot of manpower, according to the dig's co-director Dr Josh Pollard, of Bristol University in the UK.
"The palisade is an open structure which would not have been defensive and was too high to be practical for controlling livestock," said Pollard. "It certainly wasn't for hunting herded animals and so, like everything else in this ceremonial landscape, we have to believe it must have had a religious significance," he added.
"The most plausible explanation is that it was built at huge cost to the community to screen the environs of Stonehenge from view. Basically, we think it was to keep the lower classes from seeing what exactly their rulers and the priestly class were doing," said Pollard.
According to Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology Magazine, this is a fantastic insight into what the landscape would have looked like.
"This huge wooden palisade would have snaked across the landscape, blotting out views to Stonehenge from one side. The other side was the ceremonial route to the Henge from the River Avon and would have been shielded by the contours," he said.
"The palisade would have heightened the mystery of whatever ceremonies were performed and it would have endowed those who were privy to those secrets with more power and prestige. In modern terms, you had to be invited or have a ticket to get in," he added.
 Email this story to a friend
Have your say on this story
|
 |
 |
- Four pints of beer a week may mean higher hospitalisation risk
London, July 4 : Men who drink four pints of beer a week are likely to spend more time in the hospital during their lifetime, says a new study. [read story]
- "Mortified" Prince Charles's heartbreaking tribute to his army pal
London, July 4 : Prince Charles has paid tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, a close friend, whose "heartbreaking" death in Afghanistan has left him "mortified". [read story]
- William Shakespeare named UK's greatest national treasure
London, July 4 : Legendary playwright William Shakespeare-known for his plays like 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Hamlet', etc.-has officially been named Britain's greatest national treasure in a new poll. [read story]
- Sony Walkman named top music invention of last 50yrs
London, July 4 : The Walkman used to be the perfect companion for whole generation of music lovers, and now the clunky portable cassette player by Sony has been named the best musical invention of the last 50 years, by a leading magazine. [read story]
- Australian cricketers feel KP is 'the world's best'
Worcester, July 4 : A majority of the players contracted to Cricket Australia have described England's Kevin Pietersen as the best batsman in the world outside Australia. [read story]
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
