Throwback
Thursday and Stonehenge
Today for
Throwback Thursday, I’m throwing way back
– back to prehistoric times, in fact!
The famous
circle of huge stones called Stonehenge in Wilshire, England is familiar to
most people. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, but there is an interesting
dance connection.
Stonehenge
is often referred to as the Giants’ Dance. According to http://www.britannia.com/wonder/modance.html
: “…folklore and other clues suggest, for
example, that dance may have been performed at Stonehenge if only
through the suggestive description by Geoffrey of Monmouth,
writing in the 12th century, who calls Stonehenge the Dance of the Giants
("chorea gigantum").”
Archaeologists
believe Stonehenge was built sometime between 3000 to 2000 B.C., and there are
many, many theories about why it was built and what it was used for. These
theories range from pagan fertility rites, to its being a burial ground. No one
knows for sure, but the multitude of theories make for some fascinating
reading.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Factoid #190:
“Stonehenge is also known as the
Giants’ Dance.”
Link of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“I know this
goes without saying, but Stonehenge really was the most incredible
accomplishment. It took five hundred men just to pull each sarsen, plus a
hundred more to dash around positioning the rollers. Just think about it for a
minute. Can you imagine trying to talk six hundred people into helping you drag
a fifty-ton stone eighteen miles across the countryside and muscle it into an
upright position, and then saying, 'Right, lads! Another twenty like that, plus
some lintels and maybe a couple of dozen nice bluestones from Wales, and we can
party!' Whoever was the person behind Stonehenge was one dickens of a
motivator, I'll tell you that.”
― Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island
― Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island
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