THeory 2 - significance of bluestones - hospital/place of healing
A theory that Stonehenge could’ve been a hospital or a place of healing.
This theory has been derived back to the time of Geoffrey of Monmouth. In his book 'The History of the Kings of Britain' (written 1136 AD) he mentions the healing properties of Stonehenge.
‘Whenever they [the Irish] felt ill, baths should be prepared at the foot of the stones; for they used to pour water over them and to run this water into baths in which their sick were cured. What is more, they mixed the water with herbal concoctions and so healed their wounds. There is not a single stone among them which hasn't some medicinal virtue."
Also, the British poet, Layamon wrote of the properties of Stonehenge in a poem in 1215 AD, England:
‘The stones are great;
And magic power they have;
Men that are sick;
Fare to that stone;
And they wash that stone;
And with that water bathe away their sickness.’
Evaluation:
That is the legend of the bluestones, and this is the evidence that can be taken from this: It may have been thought of as a place of healing for the people of that time and they may have believed the stones to have healing properties and traveled far and wide to see it.
In Clue 4, a skeleton of a wealthy male teenager, presumably from Germany is shown, other skeletal remains have also been found such as that of the Amesbury Archer (clue 4) There is evidence in both cases that they had wealth, illness and were from foreign countries. Many archaeologists, historians and people of the public believe that this is indeed what Stonehenge was made for. Archaeologists Tim Darvill and Geoffrey Wainwright certainty believe so. After an excavation on Stonehenge, Wainwright sums up their conclusion to the mystery of Stonehenge: ‘“The pieces of the puzzle came together when Tim and I looked at each other and said, ‘It’s got to be about healing.’”
In Clue 2 the Antler Picks have been dated back by radiocarbon dating to the time when Stonehenge was constructed. The Picks show that the people of that time created Stonehenge with great detail, this may imply that they thought so highly of the bluestones that they used tools to create the perfect stonehenge.
The reliability of this theory is not great, this theory has been derived from a legend that existed thousands of years after the construction of Stonehenge. The fact that the British poet Layamon writes about Stonehenge from Monmouth's account shows just how unreliable the source is -A little bit like Chinese whispers. This theory contains a fair amount of bias, the accounts come from two people of similar walks of life (a poet and an author), who were both British and therefore have the same perspectives.
Problems:
The problems with this theory are that the only written accounts of the stones being of healing values are from secondary sources and are written more than 2000 years later than the finishing of Stonehenge.
Also, if the stones did have healing properties than it could only be assumed that the blue stone chips would be taken from the site and found across the country. No evidence exists to show the stones being taken from the site and blue chips from the stones have been found around Stonehenge.
In Geoffrey Monmouth’s account of Stonehenge it talks about the stones coming from Ireland and taken to ‘Mount Ambrius’ This could be referring to Silbury Hill near Amesbury and not Stonehenge.
Radiocarbon dating places the Amesbury Archer to have lived at about 2300BC, however the bluestones were not transported to the site until 2000BC, which creates speculation as to whether or not it was in fact a place of Healing.
Considering that there is inconclusive evidence, not enough of it and no accounts of the healing until 2000 years later, it cannot be concluded that Stonehenge was a place of healing and that the Blue stones were for healing purposes, who knows? Maybe the Neolithic people of the age liked the look of the stones or that they fitted the right design for whatever reason.
This theory has been derived back to the time of Geoffrey of Monmouth. In his book 'The History of the Kings of Britain' (written 1136 AD) he mentions the healing properties of Stonehenge.
‘Whenever they [the Irish] felt ill, baths should be prepared at the foot of the stones; for they used to pour water over them and to run this water into baths in which their sick were cured. What is more, they mixed the water with herbal concoctions and so healed their wounds. There is not a single stone among them which hasn't some medicinal virtue."
Also, the British poet, Layamon wrote of the properties of Stonehenge in a poem in 1215 AD, England:
‘The stones are great;
And magic power they have;
Men that are sick;
Fare to that stone;
And they wash that stone;
And with that water bathe away their sickness.’
Evaluation:
That is the legend of the bluestones, and this is the evidence that can be taken from this: It may have been thought of as a place of healing for the people of that time and they may have believed the stones to have healing properties and traveled far and wide to see it.
In Clue 4, a skeleton of a wealthy male teenager, presumably from Germany is shown, other skeletal remains have also been found such as that of the Amesbury Archer (clue 4) There is evidence in both cases that they had wealth, illness and were from foreign countries. Many archaeologists, historians and people of the public believe that this is indeed what Stonehenge was made for. Archaeologists Tim Darvill and Geoffrey Wainwright certainty believe so. After an excavation on Stonehenge, Wainwright sums up their conclusion to the mystery of Stonehenge: ‘“The pieces of the puzzle came together when Tim and I looked at each other and said, ‘It’s got to be about healing.’”
In Clue 2 the Antler Picks have been dated back by radiocarbon dating to the time when Stonehenge was constructed. The Picks show that the people of that time created Stonehenge with great detail, this may imply that they thought so highly of the bluestones that they used tools to create the perfect stonehenge.
The reliability of this theory is not great, this theory has been derived from a legend that existed thousands of years after the construction of Stonehenge. The fact that the British poet Layamon writes about Stonehenge from Monmouth's account shows just how unreliable the source is -A little bit like Chinese whispers. This theory contains a fair amount of bias, the accounts come from two people of similar walks of life (a poet and an author), who were both British and therefore have the same perspectives.
Problems:
The problems with this theory are that the only written accounts of the stones being of healing values are from secondary sources and are written more than 2000 years later than the finishing of Stonehenge.
Also, if the stones did have healing properties than it could only be assumed that the blue stone chips would be taken from the site and found across the country. No evidence exists to show the stones being taken from the site and blue chips from the stones have been found around Stonehenge.
In Geoffrey Monmouth’s account of Stonehenge it talks about the stones coming from Ireland and taken to ‘Mount Ambrius’ This could be referring to Silbury Hill near Amesbury and not Stonehenge.
Radiocarbon dating places the Amesbury Archer to have lived at about 2300BC, however the bluestones were not transported to the site until 2000BC, which creates speculation as to whether or not it was in fact a place of Healing.
Considering that there is inconclusive evidence, not enough of it and no accounts of the healing until 2000 years later, it cannot be concluded that Stonehenge was a place of healing and that the Blue stones were for healing purposes, who knows? Maybe the Neolithic people of the age liked the look of the stones or that they fitted the right design for whatever reason.