Re: Henge corrals? | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

tiompan Dec 18, 2005 22:17:56

Replying to PeterH

"Fair points, Nigel and that is why I am thinking that different sized henges in different parts of the country might have had diferent purposes. Sure - if you look at the big Wessex henges and those up north like Mayburgh - you get an impression of thing on the grand scale. You even get that feeling down south with the henge at Maxey, but when you see the little ones of Essex it does seem different. Smaller, no stones at all, no hills to align to. Can't help thinking stock markets ;o)"
Keep getting smaller Peter , Wormy Hillock , a henge in Aberdeenshire has an internal diamter of 6.2 m , not an awful lot to sell there .

PeterH Dec 18, 2005 22:31:12

Replying to tiompan

6.2 m? Hmm - well that is either a chapel sized ritual henge or a very small sheep pen! Not a bad size for one of Littlestone's pig pens though.

Littlestone Dec 18, 2005 22:35:20

Replying to tiompan

>Wormy Hillock , a henge in Aberdeenshire has an internal diamter of 6.2 m , not an awful lot to sell there .<

A pen for a pig or a goat might be even smaller :-)

I think what Peter is saying here (and I have been saying the same thing elsewhere for sometime now) that we really <i>do</i> have to move away from seeing every little (or even every big) circle as a structure for religious or ceremonial functions. I have no evidence for that of course (other than common sense) but it would seem to me that the protection of livestock would have been of primary consideration back in the Neolithic just as it is today. Trying to find religious/ceremonial reasons for all megalithic structures is actually just pampering to our 21st century need for the 'spiritual' - and in so doing denies the practical (and in my opinion) far more interesting problems our ancestors were faced with on a day-to-day basis.