Stone circles — when it comes to henges (prehistoric wood or stone earthworks ringed by a bank and a ditch) — Stonehenge comes to mind. Our visit to the United Kingdom included London, the British Museum Part 1 — Part 2 — and Part 3, Bath, and the Kelpies of Scotland. Stonehenge, unfortunately, didn’t fit with our self-drive itinerary…
News to me, the U.K. is home to many stone circles! Archeologist Aubrey Burl cites 1,303 in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany. Theories abound as to why henges came to be erected.
Visiting the henge at Avebury village proved a stroke of good fortune — it’s the largest in the world.
Moreover, it’s comprised of t-h-r-e-e rings surrounding the southwest English village.
It took hundreds of years to construct Avebury henge. One of its stones weighs over 100 tons!
The immediate area includes the only pub enclosed by a henge, a dovecote (where domesticated pigeons and doves nest), a church, a manor, a beekeeper (an affable French man who taught us much as we sipped afternoon tea with locally baked scones)… and assorted sheep.
What’s your theory as to why stone circles exist?…
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