Escape to the Neolithic
Struck by Stones
I’ve been drowning in the complexities and work of selling, buying, and moving our household for many weeks. I need an escape and, lacking the time and funds to jet off to somewhere marvelous, I visited some images of trips I’d taken in the past. A journey to my grandfather’s homeland in England (taken years ago when travel seemed possible) took me way, way back in time, and made my present condition (stranded and overworked) more bearable. So – come with me down my Memory Lane:
I hadn’t planned to visit Avebury on the most auspicious day of the year, but there I was, on a sun-drenched dawn of the Summer Solstice. Most people know about Stonehenge, but Avebury is actually older – a favorite of locals and mystics, tourists, and young people dressed in flowing robes. Women with ropes of flowers in their hair.
Across the great swath of verdant green and along dirt pathways, people wandered freely. They sat in the grass, leaning against Neolithic standing stones as sheep grazed, undisturbed by human company. Some of the visitors had spent the night at Avebury, awaiting the rising sun and the spark of imagination that might transport them far back in time, watching for the moment when the sun would strike the standing stones of Avebury and cast shadows as they have for more than 4500 years. Like those ancients, worshiping the forces of nature that framed the sky so perfectly at just this time of year.
At the same time, I was struck by the contrast of this experience. In America, our monuments are fenced off, paths restricted, treasures guarded by the sharp eyes of security personnel. In Avebury, a gentleman who was himself somewhat ‘ancient’ wore a blue blazer and talked modestly about his role as security detail – a job he did as he tended to other duties in the tiny village. People strolled unimpeded by barriers throughout the ancient site, touching, some kissing, the magnificent standing stones. Such behavior in the U.S. would get reprimands, warnings, removal.
Avebury is in the southern part of England, off the beaten path and near quiet villages that live peacefully amid the ghosts of Neolithic (the last Stone Age) society. These early human groups worshiped the many forces of nature that continue to draw people dabbling in mystical, spiritual, and alternative beliefs – along with archeologists who dig for more evidence and understanding of the generations that built Avebury.
Picture a large circle of 98 stones - about a mile in circumference, erected on a mound with a deep ditch along its inner rim. Today, only 27 stones remain. There are four openings to the circle at the primary compass points. Inside the circle are two more circles, each held about 30 standing stones. Countless stones were destroyed over time as Christians in about 1100 sought to demolish Pagan worship and as nearby 17th-century villages raided the site for convenient building materials.
In 2003, a geophysical survey by the National Trust made a remarkable discovery. Near stones that were missing entirely, they found buried megaliths. At least 15 of the great stones lay under mounds of earth inside the circle. Using computer imagery, researchers hope to reconstruct just where each stone once stood before it was toppled and left to time.
The construction of Avebury required centuries of labor. With the lifespan of Neolithic peoples estimated at just 40 years, the baton of responsibility for the enormous project passed through many generations. Over the span of 600 years or so, the vision and passion persevered until one day, Avebury was one of Britain’s greatest monuments – some people believe it to be the foremost Neolithic site in all of Europe.
In its present form, Avebury remains breathtaking and mind-bending. Many of the standing stones were moved to the site from more than two miles away - each weighing 40 tons and more. It remains a mystery how the early architects and their minions, minus the invention of the wheel, moved the Sarsen stones to the sacred site. (Sarsen stone is made of densely packed quartz that resists weather and time – thus, ideal for monument-making.) The stones are estimated to range from nine to twenty feet tall. Somehow, over the centuries, early Britons quarried, chipped, moved and erected some 200,000 tons of mega-stones. There are, of course, numerous theories that range from rolling rocks on logs to aliens dropping them from outer space. But standing in the spell of Avebury, such academic quandaries seem irrelevant. The place is simply a tribute to the ingenuity of humankind.
Although much of what was once a central point of worship for England’s earliest inhabitants has been destroyed, enough remains at Avebury to spark the imagination and stir the soul. That was certainly apparent on Summer Solstice as I watched dreamy-eyed young adults roam the wide-open site. On the top of a knoll, framed by the bright azure sky, a man and woman, both in business attire, embraced. The sheep, as if respecting the moment, turned their backs on them.
How the builders and visionaries of Avebury used the site continues to be debated. There is a belief (and evidence) of astronomical alignment, although it is not as clear as the alignment of Stonehenge with the sun, moon, and stars. Mystery surrounds the site and inspires imagination. Who were those early explorers? How did they devise technologies to move immovable stones over rugged miles of terrain? Early engineers, explorers, spiritual leaders who left us with a monumental mystery.
Memories like these put my current complaints about the downside of moving a bunch of boxes in perspective. I’ll soon forget this pain, but I’ll always remember Avebury.
Thanks for your time, attention, and feedback! Contact me here - darby@darbypatterson.com. And Happy Autumnal Equinox!
Here’s a link to one of my short stories - I’d love to hear if you enjoy this feature - and any comments you might have about the stories. Here is this week’s:
The Goody-Goody Girl - About 4000 words. Dark humor. darby@darbypatterson.com
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