Ritual Landscapes

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My current opinion, for what it`s worth, is that henges would be used for corralling livestock.

How do you control livestock in wooded areas? Tether them all?

Presumably, they`d have to gather them together, sometimes. The ditch inside the bank would prevent their escape.


baz

I don't agree, unless they had some pretty massive animals :o)

you can keep a few animals in by building a fenced enclosure. There's no need for a ditch - a waste of effort - animals will quickly erode the sides and do themselves and injury in the process. A henge bank would similarly need a lot of maintenance to prevent it eroding to a point where animals can just stroll up it - sheep can climb hills steeper than you can make with loose earth. The design issues alone make a henge an impractical animal enclosure.

The other option to keep animal coralled is of course - trees.

I do think however, that some stone circles may be particulalrly ornate sheepfolds!