Download Stonehenge page for Building Document - History of Architecture | ARCH 3115 and more Study notes History of Architecture in PDF only on Docsity! Name and Meaning: Stonehenge; Old English Translation: Stanhen gist “hanging stones” Location: Salisbury, England Key Dates: Construction 3000-2000 BC Function: most likely built as a place of worship, although the faith : of the builders predates any known religion. Today it has become a place of pilgrimage and worship for Neopagans who identify themselves with the Druids or other forms of Celtic paganism. It is most frequently visited during the summer solstice when the sun comes to a standstill. Architects: native Neolithic people of England Key Dimensions: Outer Circle Diameter: 108 feet; Stone Height: 13 feet; Stone Length: 6.5 feet; Stone Width: 3 feet Materials: The Bluestone Oval, Circle and the Trilithons: Bluestone, mostly igneous rocks including dolerites, rhyolites, volcanic ash, and some sandstones; The Altar Stone: Micaceous, green-tinged sandstone; Sarsen Circle and the Heal Stone: Sarsen Stones, hard- grained sandstone Important Features: The central ring of stones appear haphazard in shape, but this is not the case. They all have entasis. Archaeologists believe the construction of the site was carried out in three main stages. All of the giant blocks, both the bluestone and sanstone were moved from Marlborough Downs to Stonehenge. Structural System: Post and Lintel construction. There is a tongue and groove connection between the end of each pair of lintels to keep them from slipping sideways. The lintels are not rectangular, but curved so as to create a complete circle on top. Symbolism: The stones are aligned almost perfectly with the sunrise on the summer solstice. Many have speculated that Stonehenge was built by Sun worshipers; in nearly all-early civilizations, the circle represented ultimate cosmic order. Due to Stonehenge’s own circular formation it traces the movement of the moon, sun, and planetary constellations; therefore it has been used as an astronomical clock and cosmic calculator. Plan View and Perspective Section along Cross Diameter Section along chief Diameter
