Re: Henge corrals? | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

FourWinds Dec 18, 2005 19:49:50

Replying to nigelswift

"Boxted has entrances at N and S, Corringham at SW and NE, Cressing at E, Felsted at W, Wigborough at SE, Little Baddow at N and S, Little Bromley at NW and SE, Sturmer at NE. The others have no visible gaps.

That suggests to me that these henges do not have a religious/ritual purpose. The entrances are not consistent and are not aligned to sunsets, sunrises or anything else. "

Except for the N & S mentioned they are all sunrise/sunset alignments. Passage tombs vary in the alignment of their passages and include NE, SW, E, W, NW & SE. A few even face N. So, by your own arguement, passage tombs are perhaps covered pig pens and "do not have a religious/ritual purpose." ?

Alignments do not have to be to a significant sunrise either. They could be aligned to the place the sun rose on the day of an important day. Examples of this can be found in some very early churches which are aligned not to the east, but to the sunrise on the local Saint's day.

The above does not mean I would totally disagree that henges could have been simply pig pens or whatever, but I do not accept the argument above as anywhere near valid.

Littlestone Dec 18, 2005 22:00:22

Replying to FourWinds

You could of course also draw an analogy with the modern house - the doors, gates and windows of which might face in any number of directions. One might, if one was so inclined, infer any number of 'astronomical alignments' from the position of the doors, gates and windows. On the other hand, one might simply conclude that the structure is just a house (or a pigpen ;-) Such a conclusion might, however, be just a 'little' hard for those determined to see something other than an ordinary house with doors, gates and windows :-)

PeterH Dec 18, 2005 22:11:30

Replying to FourWinds

I certainly accept that the apparent lack of consistent alignments does not prove that henges did not have a ritual purpose. The rituals may have had nothing to do with sun rises, sets or alignment to a hill etc.

Yet this further increases my unease when you say that the entrances to tombs face many different directions also. Could it be that we have been conditioned to see solar alignments where they do not exist simply because they do exist elsewhere. Perhaps the majority of henges and chambered tombs were built with entrances where convenient because sunrises and sunsets were of no importance to the builders. Clearly there are solar alignments that work and we can see that they do. Does that mean that all are aligned to stages of the solar cycle?