History and All That (2)

If Salisbury Cathedral’s 800+ years of history and architectural endeavours is impressive then Stonehenge confounds belief as a structure erected by prehistoric, Neolithic people who lived in the area 4,000 years ago.

“The Neolithic period lasted from around 4300 BC down to 2000 BC.  Neolithic means 'New Stone' and so this period is sometimes called the New Stone Age. Famous Neolithic sites in Britain include Avebury, Stonehenge, and Silbury Hill” (Uni of Warwick).

Many theories have been put forward about the purpose of Stonehenge as it appears to have no known practical function.  Therefore, the focus is upon spirituality and the whole layout of the stone circle in relation to the solstices, which are the extreme limits of the sun’s movement.
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• The first monument at Stonehenge was a circular earthwork enclosure, built in about 3000 BC
• In approximately 2500 BC the site was transformed by the construction of the central stone settings – using enormous sarsen stones and smaller bluestones.
• On average the Sarsens weigh 25 tons, with the largest stone, the Heel Stone, weighing about 30 tons.
• The Bluestones all came from the Preseli Hills in south-west Wales – about 180 miles away - and weigh between 2 and 5 tons each.

The quote from Nigel Tufnel is from This is Spinal Tap -A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi - a 1984 American mockumentary comedy film. It is one of Paul's favourite films and he can recite it at length!  

The film satirises the behaviour and musical pretensions of rock bands.  The link to Stonehenge is that Nigel (vocals and guitar) suggests staging a lavish, Druid-themed glam-rock show based around the Stonehenge trilithon. However, Nigel mislabels its dimensions, and the resulting prop is only 18 inches (46 cm) high rather than 18 feet (5.5 m), making the group a laughing stock. 

Stonehenge - Song by Spinal Tap

​In ancient times hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived this strange race of people, the druids
No one knows who they were what they were doing
But the legacy remains here into the living rock of Stonehenge

Stonehenge, where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge where a man is a man
And the children dance to the pipes of pan

Stonehenge, 'tis a magic place
Where the moon doth rise with a dragon's face
Stonehenge where the virgins lie
And the prayer of devils fill the midnight sky

And you my love, won't you take my hand?
We'll go back in time to that mystic land
Where the dew drops cry and the cats meow
I will take you there, I will show you how

And oh, how they danced
The little children of Stonehenge
Beneath the haunted moon for fear
That day break might come too soon

And where were they now
The little people of Stonehenge
And what would they say to us
If we were here tonight

Songwriters: Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Michael Mc Kean, Rob Reiner. For non-commercial use only. 

Check out:  
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/understanding-stonehenge/
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https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/building-stonehenge/