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The Thornborough Henges

Largest ritual site

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nigelswift N
nigelswift Mar 1, 2004 12:11:24
Replying to BrigantesNation

George, Marden's a whopper but for your purposes (I presume they're your purposes) of bigging Thornborough up I think your entitled to make your claim since measured on your reasons it's hard for anyone to refute it definitively. On that basis, maybe you could go for biggest in Europe? Why not!

B BlueGloves
BlueGloves Mar 1, 2004 12:45:54
Replying to nigelswift

Yes. I've been looking at Orion's Belt, out the window, and am trying to reconcile it with the shape of the Thornborough henges. There is a striking similarity. There must be one hell of a heap of bones somewhere - from the feasting if not from the building. It's still rich agricultural land.

It's not far away in time from when the amphibians return to the pools to mate and spawn. While you have cited PPG9 in defense of Thornborough PPG16 is much stronger. (Let's hope I've got the numbers correct). If a survey found Great crested newt in the ponds - and the creatures do favour gravel pits - then there would be a whole new line of objection raised. Surveying by torch light, usually in April, has been deemed not to need a special license from English Nature.

B BrigantesNation
BrigantesNation Mar 1, 2004 14:26:33
Replying to nigelswift

No it's not for bigging up purposes. The largest single henge is Durrington - 500m and is certainly a whopper, yet Thornborough, if seen as a single site - based on identical build dates etc. represents a larger ritual space for a single ritual event. I know that a lot of this is debateable, but to my mind, in the balance of probability - Thornborough was set up from the outset to be Britains largest ritual site, part of Britains largest ritual landscape. It appears to have maintained that position for a significant length of time and it's unique linear alignment with the other monuments in the area makes the site stand out as being highly unique.

B BrigantesNation
BrigantesNation Mar 1, 2004 14:27:05
Replying to nigelswift

No it's not for bigging up purposes. The largest single henge is Durrington - 500m and is certainly a whopper, yet Thornborough, if seen as a single site - based on identical build dates etc. represents a larger ritual space for a single ritual event. I know that a lot of this is debateable, but to my mind, in the balance of probability - Thornborough was set up from the outset to be Britains largest ritual site, part of Britains largest ritual landscape. It appears to have maintained that position for a significant length of time and it's unique linear alignment with the other monuments in the area makes the site stand out as being highly unique.

B BrigantesNation
BrigantesNation Mar 1, 2004 14:27:05
Replying to nigelswift

No it's not for bigging up purposes. The largest single henge is Durrington - 500m and is certainly a whopper, yet Thornborough, if seen as a single site - based on identical build dates etc. represents a larger ritual space for a single ritual event. I know that a lot of this is debateable, but to my mind, in the balance of probability - Thornborough was set up from the outset to be Britains largest ritual site, part of Britains largest ritual landscape. It appears to have maintained that position for a significant length of time and it's unique linear alignment with the other monuments in the area makes the site stand out as being highly unique.