Building Stonehenge

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Rupert Soskin R
Rupert Soskin Aug 30, 2009 10:14:47
Replying to GordonP

Well done on all your research and I look forward to reading the book. However, I have to say that, whilst I agree with the possibility of small teams of workers (there's a chap in the States who demonstrated a technique for moving massive blocks single handed and a number of people on this forum were involved in a successful experiment to 'row' stones using levers), you still need the enormous amount of man hours to dig the ditches and raise the banks. You can't lever out a million tons of soil and rubble.

It may well be that smaller groups were involved in construction but i think you're still left with the need for a larger community to create the site as a whole.

Rupert

G GordonP
GordonP Aug 30, 2009 12:59:26
Replying to Rupert Soskin

Hi Rupert

I agree with what you say about the actual construction of Stonehenge being only part of the job, however the study by Gerald Hawkins concluded that the greater part of the work involved the transport of the sarsens (over 1 million man-days). He based this figure on a workforce of 700 dragging a sarsen up to 1 mile per day.

Digging the ditches and creating the banks accounted for only a fraction of the time spent on construction and transport. (According to Hawkins)

The guy in America is Wally Wallington and I have exchanged many emails with him although we have not met.

The moving stones with levers was one of my experiments carried out with the help of many of the people who frequent this forum, people who I have not thanked enough.

Are you the guy who wrote "The Bluestone Enigma"? If so I think you will be very interested in one particuler chapter in my book which deals with the transport of the bluestones and the possibility that "Sewn plank boats" similar in construction to "The North Ferriby Boats" may have been used.

F FourWinds
FourWinds Aug 30, 2009 13:05:18
Replying to Rupert Soskin

Rupert Soskin wrote:
... and a number of people on this forum were involved in a successful experiment to 'row' stones using levers ...
This was Gordon's theory that they were putting into practice, Rupert.

Your comments are worth noting about still needing a huge workforce. Crossing over to the henge topic again - as you say, you can't lever out loads of soil. However, you could excavate the rock-cut ditches easier if you quarried large blocks and then finished off with the antler picks*.


*If no one else has proposed this idea I claim for my own - if someone has already suggested it ... Great minds think alike! :-)