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The Stonehenge Cursus

Stonehenge Cursus .

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Chance C
Chance Jan 12, 2010 23:57:46
Replying to tiompan

tiompan wrote:
This is getting more interesting , decided to see if the Stonehenge cursus might also be aligned on a similar event to WKLB .The cursus is aligned 2 degrees further north but due to being further south and a slightly different horizon it would ahae had the same visual display as WKLB on the same evening . What is really intriguing is that last year once again we had very good dates for the building of the cursus , 3630-3670 cal BC and WKLB was 3640 . So both monumnets could ahve been founded on that event .
A couple of observations.

Do you think it's a coincidence that both WKLB and The Stonehenge Greater Cursus, both form an alignment to a timber structure, the former being The Sanctuary, the latter, Woodhenge?

Does The Stonehenge Greater Cursus follow the same alignment as the A303 from Stonehenge bottom to the Long Barrow Crossroads?

T tiompan
tiompan Jan 13, 2010 10:18:22
Replying to Chance

Chance wrote:
tiompan wrote:
This is getting more interesting , decided to see if the Stonehenge cursus might also be aligned on a similar event to WKLB .The cursus is aligned 2 degrees further north but due to being further south and a slightly different horizon it would ahae had the same visual display as WKLB on the same evening . What is really intriguing is that last year once again we had very good dates for the building of the cursus , 3630-3670 cal BC and WKLB was 3640 . So both monumnets could ahve been founded on that event .
A couple of observations.

Do you think it's a coincidence that both WKLB and The Stonehenge Greater Cursus, both form an alignment to a timber structure, the former being The Sanctuary, the latter, Woodhenge?

Does The Stonehenge Greater Cursus follow the same alignment as the A303 from Stonehenge bottom to the Long Barrow Crossroads?

The Stonehenge Cursus arguably is oriented on Woodhenge but of course Woodhenge is now known to be much later . On the 1:50000 OS map the Cursus appears to change direction towards the west I don't know why but large rscales show it not too and confirmed on Google earth . Likewise WKLB is much earlier than the Sanctuary and arguably the alignment of the barrow would miss it by about 150 metres or require to be aligned about further 8 degrees north . I realise I have avoided C word question as I'm still thinking about it ,it may take a very long time and would never be that certain to be honest I'm never happy with the C word or worse the S word .

T tjj
tjj Jan 13, 2010 10:53:32
Replying to Chance

Chance wrote:
tiompan wrote:
This is getting more interesting , decided to see if the Stonehenge cursus might also be aligned on a similar event to WKLB .The cursus is aligned 2 degrees further north but due to being further south and a slightly different horizon it would ahae had the same visual display as WKLB on the same evening . What is really intriguing is that last year once again we had very good dates for the building of the cursus , 3630-3670 cal BC and WKLB was 3640 . So both monumnets could ahve been founded on that event .
A couple of observations.

Do you think it's a coincidence that both WKLB and The Stonehenge Greater Cursus, both form an alignment to a timber structure, the former being The Sanctuary, the latter, Woodhenge?

Does The Stonehenge Greater Cursus follow the same alignment as the A303 from Stonehenge bottom to the Long Barrow Crossroads?

I won't attempt to answer the part of your post concerning Stonehenge as there are people here far more knowledgeable than me but I was interested in your observation about the Sanctuary - which forms the terminus to the West Kennet Avenue. West Kennet Long Barrow was thought to have been constructed between 3700bc and 3600bc whilst the other monuments around Avebury (except EKLB) were built around 2400bc so more than a millennium passed in between - and WKLB was closed up around the same time (2200bc). To me it seems that WKLB was not considered when Silbury, the Avebury stone circle and the avenues were being built.

I am more than happy to have this contradicted however ... discuss, discuss.

P Psychostevouk
Psychostevouk Jan 13, 2010 12:03:56
Replying to Chance

There is indeed a kink in the Stonehenge Cursus at the western end, which bulges its overall width to 150m ish at the widest point. The southern bank then heads almost perfectly due west to the far terminus of the cursus at Fargo. Julian Thomas believes that this was the 'original' cursus orientation, and pointed towards Beacon Hill. I don't agree personally, because it's only a very small section of the ditch facing that way, while the rest of it (and the entire northern bank) point a little further north.

I don't think its been decided yet whether Amesbury 42 long barrow at the eastern end came before or after the Cursus, but one is certainly aligned on the other. The Cursus is also aligned on the Cuckoo Stone, which was probably a natural deposit about 1km further east. Its roughly aligned on the equinox sunrise as well. Woodhenge almost certainly came later, but has been aligned on the Cursus/cuckoo stone alignment whether by chance or design.

As for the A303, well not quite; the A303 points a little further south as its magnificent beauty rolls west across the landscape!