Stonehenge

Oct. 31 (UPI) — Three activists with “Just Stop Oil” were acquitted Friday by a British court for spraypainting Britain’s ancient Stonehenge site.

Following a 10-day trial at Salisbury Crown Court, Oxford University student Niamh Lynch, Rajan Naidu and Luke Watson were acquitted on charges of causing a public nuisance.

Naidu, 74, and Lynch, 23, along with Watson, 36, were taken into custody last summer after spray-painting the ancient site at Stonehenge — the prehistoric megalithic structure — the color orange to protest the country’s ongoing use of fossil fuels.

Stonehenge sits in southern England roughly 88 miles southwest of the country’s capital London.

The incident took place as thousands were expected to descend on the area the next day for the summer solstice, the earliest in 228 years since 1796.

The three climate activists denied all charges in the ongoing global protest against use of fossil fuels.

They cited “reasonable excuse” in their defense under articles of free speech part of the European Convention on Human Rights.

“If individuals disagree with what our government is doing on certain matters they are entitled to protest,” stated Judge Dugdale.

Stonehenge has been ranked as one of the top ten bucket list attractions in the world by Iglu Cruise, which also rated Sagrada Familia, Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat and the Niagra Falls highly

The ethereal Stonehenge has been among the world’s top bucket list attractions.

“If you’re the kind of person who’s willing to hike out to the middle of nowhere just to take a few photos of some rocks, or if you’re up for baa-ing with the sheep, you’ll love it here.”

That’s the one-star review of one particularly sarcastic person who clearly wouldn’t know a high-quality henge if one were to land on his plate. Clearly, the public at large disagrees with his grumbling review of a UK attraction that is among the most iconic of the country’s symbols and has now earned seventh place on Iglu Cruise’s list of the world’s best.

One could be forgiven for thinking that Stonehenge was erected all in one go. If not over a long weekend, then by the same set of ox-strong monument constructors.

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In fact, the stones were erected over hundreds of years, according to English Heritage. In about 2,500 BC, the stones in the centre of the monument were set up.

“Two types of stone are used at Stonehenge – the larger sarsens and the smaller ‘bluestones’. The sarsens were erected in two concentric arrangements – an inner horseshoe and an outer circle – and the bluestones were set up between them in a double arc. Probably at the same time that the stones were being set up in the centre of the monument, the sarsens close to the entrance were raised, together with the four Station Stones on the periphery,” English Heritage’s website explains.

“About 200 or 300 years later the central bluestones were rearranged to form a circle and inner oval (which was again later altered to form a horseshoe). The earthwork Avenue was also built at this time, connecting Stonehenge with the river Avon.”

Perhaps the last prehistoric activity to take place at Stonehenge was the digging around the stone settings of two rings of concentric pits, the so-called Y and Z holes. Radiocarbon has dated these back between 1,500 and 1,500 BC.

The length of the project, and the fact that generations of Neolithic West Country builders kept standing up more stones, adds to the mystique and attraction of the place.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Stonehenge is the unlikely fact of its existence. Recent geochemical research work has concluded that the stones were transported around 20 miles to their current site. Given that the average sarsens weigh 25 tons, with the largest stone, the Heel Stone, weighing about 30 tons, it would’ve required an extraordinary amount of organisation and effort.

“Building the stone circle would have needed hundreds of people to transport, shape and erect the stones. These builders would have required others to provide them with food, to look after their children and to supply equipment including hammerstones, ropes, antler picks and timber. The whole project would have needed careful planning and organisation,” writes English Heritage.

Once transported and then cut down to size, the stones needed to be lifted up into place. To erect a stone, people dug a large hole with a sloping side. The back of the hole was lined with a row of wooden stakes. The stone was then moved into position and hauled upright using plant fibre ropes and probably a wooden A-frame. Weights may have been used to help tip the stone upright. The hole was then packed securely with rubble.

Today, English Heritage runs the Stonehenge site and charge around £28.00 for an on-the-door ticket. If you claimed a free-entry coupon via the Mirror earlier this month, then you can check out the stones for no extra cost. It is possible to see Stonehenge from a public path, but the viewpoint is a little further away than is optimal.

A great time to visit is in the autumn, when the nearby trees turn brown and yellow, and the crowds are a little thinner.

Other attractions on Iglu Cruise’s list include Sagrada Familia, Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat and the Niagra Falls. You can check out the full list on its website.

Stonehenge in the UK is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, but there’s also a modern version

Stonehenge, one of the UK’s most iconic landmarks, attracts roughly 1.4 million visitors annually. The stones have evolved significantly over the millennia they’ve been standing, with the initial construction thought to date back to around 3000 BC.

Interestingly, three pits within the site are even older, dating between 8500 and 7000 BC. Throughout its existence, additional stones have been incorporated, and some removed, but it has always maintained its commanding position on the Salisbury Plains.

It’s a particularly favoured spot for Winter and Summer solstice celebrations.

Given Stonehenge’s profound impact on many people’s imaginations, it’s not surprising that replicas exist elsewhere, varying in their accuracy – a 1987 replica in Nebraska was built using vintage American cars rather than stones.

However, there is a complete replica in America, commissioned in the early 20th century by affluent entrepreneur Sam Hill, reports the Express.

In 1907, Sam acquired a settlement near the Columbia River in Washington State, which he named Maryhill after his wife Mary and his daughter, also called Mary. This is where he would later build his Stonehenge replica.

A passionate traveller, the businessman is thought to have made at least 50 trips to Europe and even several to Japan. Naturally, he visited Stonehenge during his travels.

He rubbed shoulders with the elite, including Queen Marie of Romania who honoured him with the Order of the Crown, and King Albert I of Belgium, who appointed him Commander of the Crown and Honorary Belgian Consul for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Sam held the belief that Stonehenge was initially erected for human sacrifices, a theory that many historians now disagree with.

As a Quaker and pacifist, Sam equated the conflicts of the First World War to human sacrifice, constructing a Stonehenge replica in Washington as a tribute to Klickitat County’s fallen servicemen.

He embarked on creating this memorial, consulting top experts in archaeology, astronomy, and engineering, intending it to serve as a stark reminder of the “folly of war.”

The stones of the real Stonehenge hail from across the British Isles, some sourced locally near Salisbury Plains, while others were brought from Wales, Scotland, or possibly even further afield.

British legends even claim that some of the stones originated from Africa, carried to Britain on the backs of giants.

In the US, Hill was keen to use local Washington State stones for his replica, but when these proved inadequate, he resorted to using reinforced concrete.

Instead of modelling it on the current appearance of Stonehenge, Hill chose to design his memorial based on how Stonehenge might have looked in its complete form, with a full circle of outer stones.

Sam Hill passed away in 1933 and was cremated, with his ashes interred in a crypt beneath his Stonehenge monument.