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The Sarsen Route to Stonehenge

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Pilgrim P
Pilgrim Jul 30, 2020 17:41:08
Replying to nigelswift

nigelswift wrote:
I seem to remember we did some research to see what the land was like round the Avon at that time and decided it would have been forested or marshy, suggesting both dragging and stone rowing would have been difficult so they might have used a barge.

I see Susan Greeney says the next step is to research the likely route, so that should be interesting.

Hello @nigelswift
Ah... I seem to remember that now. Although my understanding was that “our” research was actually just you ????. So credit where it’s due.

On Day 2 of Foamhenge, we were able to reasonably demonstrate (or so I felt) that the block could have been drawn forward on a roller track, which might have helped spread the load (although I seem to recall our concrete block was not the full 40 tons of the prototype - which was fortunate for one of our number). The morphology of the Avon is the factor here, I suppose - whether there’s enough depth beneath the ‘keel’ of a barge to be able to float it down to Durrington or thereabouts. Interesting stuff...

Peace

Pilgrim

X

N nigelswift
nigelswift Jul 30, 2020 18:57:23
Replying to Pilgrim

Warn't me that did the Avon valley research. I think we found a paper showing what the landscape was like at that time. Cores? No doubt the new route-lookers will find that too.

"I seem to recall our concrete block was not the full 40 tons of the prototype". 17 tons I think, which is 3 or 4 blue stones so not bad.

I do recall uphill was a swine, but still just do-able, until the local tug-o-war team helped the townie megalithomaniacs and the thing shot up the hill at a hell of a lick and straight off the rollers without an appreciable loss of speed! It taught me brute force is best.