Stonehenge, Located in Salisbury Plain, Term Paper

We know that many such sites actually exist in England, and they date back to the same prehistoric eras.

Conclusion

It would be exciting if some artifact were uncovered that lent itself to an exact understanding of why Stonehenge was created, and why it was important to maintain it and preserve it for the descendants of the people who lived in the time the original structure was built, or even II and III.

We thus have the paradoxical situation that archaeology, the only method of investigating man's past in the absence of written records, becomes increasingly less effective as a means of inquiry the more nearly it approaches those aspects of human life which are the more specifically human. It is a perfect case of the higher, the fewer (Atkinson and Hamilton, p. 167)."

In summary, what we know is that Stonehenge was not built to enhance the landscape, it does not overwhelm the landscape. Rather, the landscape enhances Stonehenge, and where a visitor might at first be disappointed, having arrived with much greater scale to see in the size of Stonehenge, they find instead that the landscape dwarfs the structure, but that there was a grace and care in the hand preparation of the stone, e in the quality of the stones, and in the geometric arrangement of stones that was perhaps intended to create a sort balance with the environment around the structure.

The structure itself stands on a high and protruding "eminence." It is on display, but it also conveys a sense of privacy by the fact that it was not built in a way to contemplate the outer areas, nor was it created in a way to put on display what was going on inside.Nonetheless there is a sense of reverence, and a sense, as expressed by people who visit the site, that Stonehenge was a special place. No on, so far, as has visions or sense of violence or bad experiences; rather that Stonehenge was a place of comforting, solace, and sharing.

At this point in time, history, and antiquity, that is all we really have to go on, besides the materials, the polished stones, the setting. So it is our hope, we would like to believe, that Stonehenge was a place of tranquility; but we cannot be sure. What we can be sure of, is that it was special, it had utility, and that it was meant to stand against time, and that really is all we can say for certain.

Works Cited

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=786188

Atkinson, R.J.C. Stonehenge. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1956. Questia. 20 Nov. 2007 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=786204.

A www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103410173

Castleden, Rodney. The Making of Stonehenge. New York: Routledge, 1993. Questia. 20 Nov. 2007 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103410374.

A www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006399277

Wallis, Robert J., and Jenny Blain. "Sites, Sacredness, and Stories: Interactions of Archaeology and Contemporary Paganism." Folklore 114.3 (2003): 307+. Questia. 20 Nov. 2007 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006399277......