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This
great stone is
thought to weigh 65 tonnes and marks
the northern entrance.
It is
one of the few Avebury megaliths that has
never fallen.
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This
consists of two standing stones which were thought by antiquarian
William Stukeley to have been aligned to the moon's most
northerly rising point. He named the northern inner circle -
luna circle.
Others believe the stones are aligned to view the midsummer solstice
of the sun. There used to be a third stone at the north side which
faced the existing tall 'male' stone.
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Southern
inner circle at Avebury
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The Devil's Chair Stone has a ledge
inside the hollow.
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The
Blacksmith's Stone
was re-assembled from fragments
found in a forge. The iron wedge
that had been used to break up the megalith remains embedded in
the base.
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It
is thought that 98 huge stones once made up Avebury's outer circle,
now only 27 remain.
Many standing stones were removed over the centuries by locals for building
material and to make way for crops.
The church encouraged the dismantling
of circles as Avebury was such a powerful pagan site. Huge pits were
dug underneath the massive Sarsens and fires lit, causing the stones
to crack. Also some stones were buried, which ironically has safeguarded
them from being destroyed in later years as building material. The
missing
megaliths are now represented by concrete plinths, such as in the centre
of the Southern Inner Circle where a tall 20ft menhir weighing
near 80 tons - The Obelisk - once stood. This
towering stone is thought to have been the ceremonial central point
of Avebury.
John Aubrey, an amateur 17th century archaeologist, recorded most
of the layout of stones and William Stukeley, an antiquarian, measured
many of the stones before the destruction of much of the site.
Aubrey wrote that Avebury does 'as much excell Stonehenge as a Cathedral
does a parish church'.
During the 1930s marmalade millionaire, Alexander Keiller, bought part
of Avebury village and restored some of the buried stones to their original
positions.
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The
Barber-Surgeon's Stone |
A
male skeleton was discovered under a fallen Sarsen and dated
by coins to the early 14th century. He was believed to be a barber-surgeon
due to a pair of scissors and medical probe, and was probably involved
in bringing down the stone. He remained buried under the 13 ton megalith
until 1938. This accident may well have deterred the villagers from
further
destruction of the powerful monuments. |
