Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




SUPERPOWERS
Stonehenge a symbol of a united Britain?
by Staff Writers
Sheffield, England (UPI) Jun 22, 2012


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Stonehenge was the center of ancient Britain and the monument was meant to symbolize the unification of eastern and western communities, researchers say.

Speculation as to the monument's purpose -- ancient astronomical observatory, temple for ritual sacrifice, spiritual center -- has swirled around Stonehenge for centuries. Now researchers from five British universities said their study suggests it may have been built as a sign of peace between people from the east and west of the country after resolution of a period of warfare and regional differences.

Researchers say the stones, which were from locations as distant from each other as southern England and west Wales, may have been intended to represent the ancestors of some of Britain's earliest farming communities.

"When Stonehenge was built there was a growing island-wide culture -- the same styles of houses, pottery and other material forms were used from Orkney to the south coast," University of Sheffield researcher Mike Parker Pearson said.

"This was very different to the regionalism of previous centuries. Stonehenge itself was a massive undertaking, requiring the labor of thousands to move stones from as far away as west Wales, shaping them and erecting them," he said in a Sheffield release.

"Just the work itself, requiring everyone literally to pull together, would have been an act of unification."

Researches from the universities of Sheffield, Manchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and University College London took part in the study.

.


Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SUPERPOWERS
Political 'dysfunction' threatens US security: Panetta
Washington (AFP) June 22, 2012
The "dysfunction" in the US Congress, where Republicans and Democrats have failed to compromise on debt reduction, threatens US national security, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. "One my greatest concerns as secretary is the dysfunction that we see in Washington," he said late Thursday at a ceremony in which he received an award for public service. "It threatens our security ... read more


SUPERPOWERS
A milestone in launcher preparations for Arianespace's fourth Ariane 5 flight of 2012

US military launches new satellite into space

NASA Administrator Bolden Views Historic SpaceX Dragon Capsule

NASA's NuSTAR Mission Lifts Off

SUPERPOWERS
Orbiter Out of Precautionary 'Safe Mode'

Researchers calculate size of particles in Martian clouds of CO2 snow

ESA tests self-steering rover in 'Mars' desert

Opportunity Faces Slow Going Due To Communication Issues

SUPERPOWERS
Researchers Estimate Ice Content of Crater at Moon's South Pole

Researchers find evidence of ice content at the moon's south pole

Nanoparticles found in moon glass bubbles explain weird lunar soil behaviour

UA Lunar-Mining Team Wins National Contest

SUPERPOWERS
It's a Sim: Out in Deep Space, New Horizons Practices the 2015 Pluto Encounter

Beyond Pluto And Exploring the Kuiper Belt

Uranus auroras glimpsed from Earth

Herschel images extrasolar analogue of the Kuiper Belt

SUPERPOWERS
Where Are The Metal Worlds And Is The Answer Blowing In The Wind

Metal-poor stars are rich with small planets

Astronomers spy 2 planets in tight quarters as they orbit a distant star

Astronomers with NASA's Kepler Mission find 'puzzling pair of planets'

SUPERPOWERS
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle lands at Vandenberg

China develops new rocket engine

2nd Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Successfully Completes 1st Flight

Secret U.S. space plane prepares to land

SUPERPOWERS
That's No Lab, It's a Space Station

China to conduct first manual space docking

Designer elaborates on challenges facing Shenzhou-9 mission

Rocket Scientist Who 'Spied for China' Freed

SUPERPOWERS
NASA Releases Workshop Data and Findings on Asteroid 2011 AG5

Dawn Easing into its Final Science Orbit

'Unusually large' asteroid to race by Earth

Dawn Mission Video Shows Vesta's Coat of Many Colors




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement