The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Mount Pleasant

Henge

Miscellaneous

Mount Pleasant is at SY710898 just outside and to the East of Dorchester - a palisaded enclosure here surrounded the henge that's relatively visible today (you can see how in a diagram in Alex Gibson's paper at http://www.jungsteinsite.de/2000_gibson/hindwell.htm).

As palisaded enclosures go, it might not have been as big as the one at Hindwell - but it used the most ridiculously large timbers. The posts were much closer together than at Hindwell and were 9 metres tall (9 metres!). Not only that, but at the Eastern side, there was an entrance with two post holes 2m! in diameter and 2 metres deep. This suggests they contained HUGE oak posts, rising 6m above the ground, and weighing 17 tonnes each. I'm only quoting the archaeologists, so don't blame me if this sounds mad - we know our ancestors transported and raised the huge trilithons in Stonehenge, so I suppose we mustn't underestimate their ability to use wood in constructions.

Also interestingly, the gap formed as the entrance between these two enormous posts was only 70cm wide - begging the interpretation that the enclosure would have had to have been entered slowly, one at a time. The inner henge would then have acted as another 'restriction' on the entry of the people at the site.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
15th May 2003ce
Edited 19th April 2006ce

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