Today marks #SummerSolstice2022, the longest day of the year.
At Stonehenge, this special sunrise would have been framed by a pair of stones (although now only one survives).
📷: The surviving stone illuminated by the solstice; by Andrew Dunn / CC BY-SA 2.0
At Stonehenge, this special sunrise would have been framed by a pair of stones (although now only one survives).
📷: The surviving stone illuminated by the solstice; by Andrew Dunn / CC BY-SA 2.0
This computer model of the site shows how the Heel Stone and its missing partner would have framed the solstice sunrise, marked by the solid red arrow.
📷: By Jlert Joseph Lertola / CC0
📷: By Jlert Joseph Lertola / CC0
This event likely had spiritual significance, but it could have also had a practical purpose.
Stonehenge may have served as a calendar, helping people count the days, weeks, and months of the year. The solstice shining through on the correct day confirms you counted right.
Stonehenge may have served as a calendar, helping people count the days, weeks, and months of the year. The solstice shining through on the correct day confirms you counted right.
The proposed calendar works in a very straightforward way. Each of the stones in the sarsen circle is a day in a 30-day month, itself divided into three weeks of 10 days (decans). Distinctive stones mark the start of each week.
📷: The sarsens, with calendar bits labelled.
📷: The sarsens, with calendar bits labelled.
If you want to find out more, the original research is #OpenAccess:
'Keeping time at Stonehenge' - Timothy Darvill
doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2…
'Keeping time at Stonehenge' - Timothy Darvill
doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
