Re: Do we need ropes? | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

Stonehenge 181

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Stone shifting 5

GordonP Sep 17, 2003 12:45:05

Replying to Steve Gray

OK we now have two new methods that will both work, theoreticaly.

Lets get some TV bods interested.

nigelswift Sep 17, 2003 13:08:41

Replying to GordonP

More about the pole method Gordon (although you seem to be accepting it as one of 2 probables anyway) : the Stonehenge landscape would be littered with vertical poles, as excavations of postholes has increasingly shown. Also, I'm very much with you about doing what "feels" right, yet to me the pole does feel right. Also, two of us have now found it works well in our gardens so we can hardly abandon it yet.

Getting film/TV companies interested: easy, once the website is up. I guess simple illustrations of our two proposed methods on there will help.

Wotan Sep 17, 2003 13:12:56

Replying to GordonP

I hope you're recording all these experiments with dowels and such - theyll look great on the website!

Steve Gray Sep 17, 2003 16:49:47

Replying to GordonP

Gordon, there's a problem with the method of levering from stuts. The strut will not slide gracefully down the stone as the stone is elevated. It will drop to the ground after the first use.

I hadn't appreciated this problem when I made a similar suggestion myself.

If you want the strut to meet the stone initially at 90 deg, then the distance from the bottom of the strut to the base of the stone will be greater than the length of the strut. The only way to make it work is to have the strut meet the stone at an angle that's considerably less than 70 degrees. In other words, you need a short strut (say 30') that's near to the stone (say 20'). Even so, it's going to slide a long way down the stone before it's finished.