lmc@denelcor.UUCP (Lyle McElhaney) (07/15/84)
It is my understanding that the earliest dated work on Stonehenge I is dated from ~2775 BC by "megalithic peoples" living at that time across all of western Europe. The work through its various stages lasted about 1200 years, bringing the latest date for construction at Stonehenge to ~1575 BC. Megalithic building seems to have ended across all of Europe at about that time. A shift in culture occured, bring in the cultures known as the Beaker People, the Battle Ax and Corded Ware people (it is unknown whether these were invaders, or just culture changes). One fairly certain invasion of the Urnfield Culture did occur between 1200BC and 700BC. At about 800BC the Pre-Celtic culture arrived in waves from central Europe. To quote one author, "The Celts were not a people to band together in peace and indulge in the slow work of erecting megaliths; their efforts at construction were limited to hill-forts to protect themselves from one another." Hawkins in "Stonehenge Decoded" is adament; the Celts did not build Stonehenge. To them, it was probably at least as mysterious as it is to ourselves. -- Lyle McElhaney (hao,brl-bmd,nbires,csu-cs,scgvaxd)!denelcor!lmc