Standing Stones - Beautiful Stonehenge Stone Circle No1
by Paul E Williams
Title
Standing Stones - Beautiful Stonehenge Stone Circle No1
Artist
Paul E Williams
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Dramatic photo of the iconic neolithic stone circle in sunshine with a dramatic cloudy sky behind. Photo by photographer Paul E Williams. Photo by photographer Paul E Williams.
SERIES: Standing Stones - TITLE: Stonehenge Stone Circle No1 - PHOTOGRAPHER: Paul E Williams
The best known British ancient stone circle is Stonehenge. It is unique amongst neolithic and Bronze Age circles with its instantly recognisable square edges upright stones capped with horizontal stones linking them together, this arrangement being known as a trillion. When the Sarcen Stones, sandstone, of Stonehenge were erected around 3000 - 2000 BC they formed a circle of trillions. Each standing stone was around 13 feet (4.1 m) high, 6.9 feet (2.1 m) wide and weighed around 25 tons. Today the full height of the stones cannot be seen as their bases are 7.9 feet (2.4 m) is below todays ground level. The stones were dressed on site and spike shaped cones were cut out of the top of the standing stones that fitted into cone shaped holes in the lintels to form a mortace and tennon joint to hold the lintels in place. Each lintel stone had tongue and grove joints cut in their ends to futher increase the structural strength of the circle of stones. Inside this circle of Stones stood a horseshoe shpaed arragement of trillions 45 feet (13.7 m) across, with its open end facing northeast and consiting of ten massive uprights and five lintels weighing up to 50 tons each. Only one upright from the Great Trilithon still stands today, of which 22 feet (6.7 m) is visible. At the cntre was the so called Altar Stone. Around the outside of the circle of stones was a ditch or henge measuring about 360 feet (110 m) in diameter.
Today the stones that are left standing are impressive and would need heavy duty equipment to quarry, dress, move and erect them so we can only marvel at our Bronze Age ancestors skills and persistance that created Stonehenge.
Photo art prints of Stonehenge can be bought on line for worldwide delivery.
Uploaded
March 2nd, 2023
Embed
Share