🚀 go-pugleaf

	Note: This article is an expansion of my original article entitled
		"New Answers to Mysteries of Stonehenge".

	As was mentioned in my reply to K. Kissel, the literature on Stonehenge
refers to the need for an artificial horizon due to the irregularity of the
natural horizon and even seasonal variations due to the growth of trees and
shrubs. Some have suggested that most trees on the horizon were felled for this
reason. One author suggested that the earthen bank just inside the ditch was
set up to act as an artificial horizon. If this is true, it would have been
very easy indeed to level this artificial horizon by use of the curragh or
corwgl in the water-filled ditch. All that is necessary is to place an oar or
pole across the gunwales of the curragh/corwgl and move it around the length
of the ditch to level the bank. Any other method would probably require much
more work or more sophisticated equipment.
	Just inside the bank is a rectangle formed by four "station stones"
numbered 91, 92, 93 and 94 on the plan of the site. These four stones were
used to make key sitings of the sun and moon at certain specific times of
the year. These four stones also had to be leveled with respect to each other
because critical sitings were made over the tops of these stones. The
leveling of these four stones would also be quite easy from the curragh in
the ditch.
	On page 62 of "Stonehenge Decoded" Hawkins says:

	"The first stage of the building seems to have been the simplest,
	 but far from the easiest. That was the simultaneous digging of the
	 ditches and piling up of the banks."

This would seem to indicate that the ditches and banks were PREREQUISITES
for the other structures that were to follow, namely, the stones. The words
"ditches" and "banks" appear in the plural because there were also ditches
and banks on either side of the straight avenue approaching the stone cirles.
In the middle of the avenue the "heel stone" and other siting stones were
located. We can infer that these straight ditches were also used to level the
tops of the siting stones along this avenue in the manner previously described.
	Just inside the circular ditch and bank which we first considered
and outside the circle of "Aubrey holes" is located a large rectangular
stone which has been toppled. This is the largest stone adjacent to the
circular ditch and bank. Within more recent times this stone was fancifully
named "the slaughter stone" although there is no evidence that any sacrifice,
either animal or human, was ever performed on it. Hawkins mentions that this
stone was previously standing upright, but no one knows when it was toppled
or by whom. This he states as evidence that it could not have been used for
sacrifice.
	I would like to offer an alternative explanation for its purpose. This
stone would have been very conveniently placed to act as reference or standard
for the height marker previously mentioned on the mast of the curragh/corwgl.
Whenever the builders were in doubt about the height of the mast marker they
would simply return the curragh/corwgl to its home position next to the
"slaughter stone". Hawkins also mentions numerous marks on the this stone with
no explanation for them. These marks might have reference marks like the
graduation lines on a ruler.

					J. M. McGhee
					bonnie!jmm