PERCHE' fu costruita STONEHENGE?

La logica, i criteri di economia, il principio del Rasoio di Occam, i reperti oggettivamente trovati (migliaia di inumati e di incinerati), tutto fa pensare che Stonehenge facesse parte di un vasto antico progetto templare di culto per i defunti. 
Naturalmente, non esistendo documenti scritti (esattamente come avviene per i nuraghi!) la sua funzione è terreno fertile per ogni pensiero speculativo. 
- La teoria 'Druidica' è facilmente dimostrata falsa, dato che il monumento precede l'epoca dei Druidi di almeno 2.000 anni. 
- Gli orientamenti che in Stonehenge si sono voluti riconoscere (e quelli che si sono voluti 'aggiustare' con macchine di movimento terra e un cantiere aperto per anni), hanno permesso di sbrigliare la fantasia e di fare ipotesi archeoastronomiche. 
Succede che gli appassionati nostrani hanno semplicemente 'tradotto' la teoria archeoastronomica inglese, tanto affascinante, nella terra dei nuraghi.
Ma - ovviamente - ciò che è affascinante non necessariamente è altrettanto vero.

Ma pensiamoci: se Stonhenge non fu mai davvero uno strumento astronomico, le teorie 'derivate da esso in Sardegna non sono altro che cervellotiche fandonie e perdite di tempo.

Why was Stonehenge built?

Although it’s one of the world’s most famous monuments, the prehistoric

stone circle known as Stonehenge remains shrouded in mystery.

Built on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, Stonehenge 

was constructed in several stages between 3000 and 1500 B.C., spanning 

the Neolithic Period to the Bronze Age.

Its massive scale suggests that Stonehenge was vitally important to the

ancient peoples who built it, 

but the monument’s purpose has been the subject of

widespread speculation for centuries.

Theories run the gamut, casting Stonehenge as anything from an ancient

healing center to an alien landing site.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, many believed Stonehenge was a Druid 

temple, built by those ancient Celtic pagans as a center for their religious

worship.

Though more recent scholars have concluded that Stonehenge likely 

predated the Druids by some 2,000 years, modern-day Druidic societies 

still see it as a pilgrimage destination.

One enduring hypothesis for Stonehenge’s purpose comes from the initial

observation, first made by 18th- century scholars, that the monument’s

entrance faces the rising sun on the day of the summer solstice.

- For many, this orientation suggests that ancient astronomers may have

used  Stonehenge as a kind of solar calendar to track the movement of the

sun and moon and mark the changing seasons.

- New excavations in recent years, however, have unearthed a different 

theory based on hundreds of human  bones found at the site, dating 

across 1,000 years and showing signs of cremation before burial. 

The presence of these remains suggests that Stonehenge could have 

served as an ancient burial ground as well as a ceremonial complex and 

temple of the dead.

In 2010 archaeologists discovered a second stone circle located just over 

a mile away from the more famous landmark. Dubbed “Bluestonehenge”  

for the 25 Welsh bluestones that originally made up the site, this 

secondary  monument provides more evidence that Stonehenge 

could have been part of a huge memorial complex where high-ranking 

individuals took part in elaborate rituals and ceremonies honoring the 

dead.

Yet as no written records exist, this theory —like all those about 

Stonehenge’s purpose—can only remain a matter of speculation.