《文化对比阅读》(下) 9 Architecture 3 The Origin of Stonehenge.docVIP

The Origin of Stonehenge The largest upright here, including what extends below the soil, is nearly 30 feet tall, and weighs some 50 tons. In contemporary perspective, this is an object rising nearly three floors above the ground and weighing the equivalent of a 10-bedroom, two-story mansion. Stonehenge is attributed to more than one possible cultural source. At a best guess, it was assembled by the Druids. Unfortunately, Rome wiped out the Druids by the Second Century A.D. And even more unfortunately, the Druids passed on their knowledge by word of mouth. Hence, Druid history, save for a smattering of Irish and Greek writings, was penned by their ancient exterminators. In addition to creditable material, some accounts brand them as human sacrificers and perpetrators of other atrocities, but the information may well be distorted by the need to justify their forceful demise. Moreover, early Roman writings on the subject chronicle a Druid period from roughly 200 B.C. to 200 A.D. Yet Stonehenge dates far earlier, easily a few thousand years: an era which may have supported an altogether different Druid culture. Out of respect for the factual creators, be it Druids or others, the builders of Stonehenge remain catalogued as speculation. Nevertheless, there is a limit to the possibilities, and the Druids are a likely choice. For one thing, they were there. For another, they were inf luential enough to motivate great numbers of men—an absolute requisite for anything as manpower-intensive as Stonehenge. And for still another, the Druids celebrated the solstices and held a keen interest in the heavens—a compelling connection. Druid itself stems from “oak〞 and “seer,〞 or “oak-knower.〞 It owes to an Indo-European base meaning “to know.〞 They were depicted as white-robed priests maintaining a sacred station amongst the Celts and seeking power and wisdom through sacred communion with other entities. The oak tree was prominent, but included amongst their tools of divination were