Cultural depictions of Stonehenge

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In the oldest known depiction of Stonehenge, a giant helps Merlin build Stonehenge. From a manuscript of the Brut by Wace in the British Library (Egerton MS 3028), 2nd quarter of the 14th Century AD. Belief in, and depiction of, Arthurian legend was common in this period. BLEgerton3028Fol30rStonehengeCropped.jpg
In the oldest known depiction of Stonehenge, a giant helps Merlin build Stonehenge. From a manuscript of the Brut by Wace in the British Library (Egerton MS 3028), 2nd quarter of the 14th Century AD. Belief in, and depiction of, Arthurian legend was common in this period.

The prehistoric landmark of Stonehenge is distinctive and famous enough to have been frequently referenced in popular culture. The landmark has become a symbol of British culture and history, owing to its distinctiveness and its long history of being portrayed in art, literature, and advertising campaigns; and in more recent media formats such as television, film, and computer games. This is in part because the arrangement of standing stones topped with lintels is unique—not just in the British Isles but in the world.

Art and mythology

"Druids sacrificing to the Sun in their temple called Stonehenge", a 1722 engraving of the site as imagined by William Stukeley Stonehenge Stukley Oxford 03543.jpg
"Druids sacrificing to the Sun in their temple called Stonehenge", a 1722 engraving of the site as imagined by William Stukeley

The interest in 'ancient' Britain can be traced back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, following the pioneering work of the likes of William Camden, John Aubrey and John Evelyn. The rediscovery of Britain's past was also tied up in the nation's emerging sense of importance as an international power. Antiquarians and archaeologists, notably William Stukeley, were conducting excavations of megalithic sites, including Stonehenge and the nearby Avebury. Their findings caused considerable debate on the history and meaning of such sites and the earliest depictions reflected a search for a mystical explanation.

Earlier explanations, including the view proposed by Inigo Jones in 1630, that Stonehenge was built by the Romans such was its sophistication and beauty, were disproved in the late seventeenth century, when it was proven that Stonehenge was the work of indigenous neolithic peoples. From this period onwards, artists made images of barrows, standing stones, and excavated objects which increasingly drew on highly imaginative ideas about the prehistoric people who created them. These helped to create the image of Britain that a broadening audience was becoming aware of through illustrated books, maps and prints. Poets and other writers deepened the impact of this visual material by imagining ancient pasts and mythologising the distant roots of the growing British Empire. Debates about British ancestry and national identity saw a growing conviction that the British were an ancient people and that the newly named 'United Kingdom' might find greater harmony through searching for a common past. For the English, this past was to be found in the West, starting around Stonehenge and stretching into the ancient Celtic regions of Wales and Cornwall.

John Constable's portrayal of Stonehenge John Constable Stonehenge.jpg
John Constable's portrayal of Stonehenge
The Arcadian or Pastoral State, second painting in The Course of Empire by the Anglo-American artist Thomas Cole (1836), depicts a Stonehenge-like structure in the middle distance. Cole Thomas The Course of Empire The Arcadian or Pastoral State 1836.jpg
The Arcadian or Pastoral State, second painting in The Course of Empire by the Anglo-American artist Thomas Cole (1836), depicts a Stonehenge-like structure in the middle distance.

During the early nineteenth century it was artists such as John Constable and J. M. W. Turner who helped to make the megalithic sites a part of the popular imagination and understanding of Britain's past. The philosopher Edmund Burke proposed the idea of the 'sublime' sense as being evoked by 'feelings of danger and terror, obscurity and power, in art as well as life'. This was already a feature of artistic and literary works of the period and provided the theoretical basis for a growing appreciation of desolate landscapes and ancient ruins. For these reasons, Stonehenge became of particular interest for artists. Burke himself wrote

"Stonehenge, neither for disposition nor ornament, has anything admirable; but those huge rude masses of stone, set end on end, and piled high on each other, turn the mind on the immense force necessary for such a work."

J. M. W. Turner's depiction of the monument (1825-1828) Stonehenge Turner.JPG
J. M. W. Turner's depiction of the monument (1825-1828)

The very nature of the barren Wiltshire landscape and Salisbury Plain became particularly notable for the apparently miraculous powers that created Stonehenge. William Wordsworth wrote

Pile of Stone-henge! So proud to hint yet keep
Thy secrets, thou lov'st to stand and hear
The plain resounding to the whirlwind's sweep
Inmate of lonesome Nature's endless year.

The S-class submarine HMS Stonehenge HMS Stonehenge.jpg
The S-class submarine HMS Stonehenge

Turner's and Constable's paintings were arranged for a romantic effect and deviated from the actual state of the stones. Turner particularly added stones that were not there in reality and those that were, were incorrect in their dimensions. Throughout the nineteenth century, a new motive emerged in the depictions of Stonehenge, that of an anti-pagan approach, with paintings by the likes of William Overend Geller, with his painting The Druid's Sacrifice in 1832. In the novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, the main character, Tess, is captured by the police at Stonehenge, the 'heathen' nature of the setting being used to highlight the character's temperament.

The image of Stonehenge became adapted in the twentieth century by those wishing to advertise using a monument viewed as a symbol of Britain. The Royal Navy exploited this sense of identification by naming an S-class destroyer and one of their S-class submarines HMS Stonehenge. [1] The Shell Oil Company commissioned the artist Edward McKnight Kauffer to paint a series of posters during the interwar period, to be used to encourage tourism by car owners. Stonehenge was one of those depicted. Vivienne Westwood, the British fashion designer, uses the Stonehenge image in the Men's fashion line label. [2]

Stonehenge has also been depicted in less solemn contexts. The 1984 American mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap features a comically undersized model of the landmark as a prop for the rock group's performances. Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis released their song "Stonehenge" in 2011, in which they ponder Stonehenge's mysterious origins. [3]

In an episode of the sitcom Frasier , the titular son (Kelsey Grammer) begrudgingly purchases his father, Martin (John Mahoney), a deluxe big-screen TV set with four surround sound speakers as a birthday gift—in a futile effort to one-up his brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce). Upon arriving home and seeing the four tall, vertical speakers enveloping his living room, Frasier sardonically remarks, "Oh, dear God...it's Stonehenge!" in a dramatic timbre. [4] [5]

In 2022, Stonehenge was illuminated to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. [6] [7] English Heritage stated they "wanted to show different aspects of the Queen, of her personality, of her interests and just really show what a special lady she is." The display is just one of many ways in which the UK came together to mark 70 years of the Queen sitting on the throne. [8]

In May 2023, a replica of Stonehenge was created with over 400,000 Lego bricks. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonehenge</span> Ancient monument in England

Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, two miles (3 km) west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around 13 feet (4.0 m) high, seven feet (2.1 m) wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones, held in place with mortise and tenon joints, a feature unique among contemporary monuments. Inside is a ring of smaller bluestones. Inside these are free-standing trilithons, two bulkier vertical sarsens joined by one lintel. The whole monument, now ruinous, is aligned towards the sunrise on the summer solstice and sunset on the winter solstice. The stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred tumuli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring of Brodgar</span> A neolithic stone circle in Orkney, Scotland

The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle about 6 miles north-east of Stromness on Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avebury (village)</span> Village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England

Avebury is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Marlborough and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Devizes. Much of the village is encircled by the prehistoric monument complex also known as Avebury. The parish also includes the small villages of Avebury Trusloe and Beckhampton, and the hamlet of West Kennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Stukeley</span> English antiquarian (1687–1765)

William Stukeley was an English antiquarian, physician and Anglican clergyman. A significant influence on the later development of archaeology, he pioneered the scholarly investigation of the prehistoric monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury in Wiltshire. He published over twenty books on archaeology and other subjects during his lifetime. Born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, as the son of a lawyer, Stukeley worked in his father's law business before attending Saint Benet's College, Cambridge. In 1709, he began studying medicine at St Thomas' Hospital, Southwark, before working as a general practitioner in Boston, Lincolnshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menhir</span> Large upright standing stone

A menhir, standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found individually as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Menhirs' size can vary considerably, but they often taper toward the top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megalith</span> Large stone used to build a structure or monument

A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 structures or arrangements in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henge</span> Type of Neolithic earthwork

A henge loosely describes one of three related types of Neolithic earthwork. The essential characteristic of all three is that they feature a ring-shaped bank and ditch, with the ditch inside the bank. Because the internal ditches would have served defensive purposes poorly, henges are not considered to have been defensive constructions. The three henge types are as follows, with the figure in brackets being the approximate diameter of the central flat area:

  1. Henge. The word henge refers to a particular type of earthwork of the Neolithic period, typically consisting of a roughly circular or oval-shaped bank with an internal ditch surrounding a central flat area of more than 20 m (66 ft) in diameter. There is typically little if any evidence of occupation in a henge, although they may contain ritual structures such as stone circles, timber circles and coves. Henge monument is sometimes used as a synonym for henge. Henges sometimes, but by no means always, featured stone or timber circles, and circle henge is sometimes used to describe these structures. The three largest stone circles in Britain are each within a henge. Examples of henges without significant internal monuments are the three henges of Thornborough Henges. Although having given its name to the word henge, Stonehenge is atypical in that the ditch is outside the main earthwork bank.
  2. Hengiform monument. Like an ordinary henge, except the central flat area is between 5 and 20 m (16–66 ft) in diameter, they comprise a modest earthwork with a fairly wide outer bank. The terms mini-henge or Dorchester henge are sometimes used as synonyms for hengiform monument. An example is the Neolithic site at Wormy Hillock Henge.
  3. Henge enclosure. A Neolithic ring earthwork with the ditch inside the bank, with the central flat area having abundant evidence of occupation and usually being more than 300 m (980 ft) in diameter. Some true henges are as large as this, but lack evidence of domestic occupation. Super-henge or superhenge is sometimes used as a synonym for a henge enclosure. However, sometimes the term is used to indicate size alone rather than use, e.g. "Marden henge ... is the least understood of the four British 'superhenges' ".
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avebury</span> Neolithic henge monument in Wiltshire, England

Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in south-west England. One of the best-known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. It is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to contemporary pagans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone circle</span> Ring of standing stones

A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Great Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built between 3300 to 2500 BC. The best known examples include those at the henge monument at Avebury, the Rollright Stones, Castlerigg, and elements within the ring of standing stones at Stonehenge. Scattered examples exist from other parts of Europe. Later, during the Iron Age, stone circles were built in southern Scandinavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Thom</span>

Alexander Thom was a Scottish engineer most famous for his theory of the Megalithic yard, categorisation of stone circles and his studies of Stonehenge and other archaeological sites.

Harry Aubrey Woodruff Burl HonFSA Scot was a British archaeologist best known for his studies into megalithic monuments and the nature of prehistoric rituals associated with them. Before retirement he was Principal Lecturer in Archaeology, Hull College, East Riding of Yorkshire. Burl received a volume edited in his honour. He was called by The New York Times, "the leading authority on British stone circles".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sanctuary</span> Prehistoric site in Wiltshire, England

The Sanctuary was a stone and timber circle near the village of Avebury in the south-western English county of Wiltshire. Excavation has revealed the location of the 58 stone sockets and 62 post-holes. The ring was part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, over a period between 3300 and 900 BCE. The purpose of such monuments is unknown, although archaeologists speculate that the stones represented supernatural entities for the circle's builders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanton Drew stone circles</span> Neolithic henge in Somerset, England

The Stanton Drew stone circles are just outside the village of Stanton Drew in the English county of Somerset. The largest stone circle is the Great Circle, 113 metres (371 ft) in diameter and the second largest stone circle in Britain ; it is considered to be one of the largest Neolithic monuments to have been built. The date of construction is not known, but is thought to be between 3000 and 2000 BCE, which places it in the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. It was made a scheduled monument in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollright Stones</span> Neolithic stone complex in Oxfordshire, England

The Rollright Stones are a complex of three Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monuments near the village of Long Compton, on the borders of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. Constructed from local oolitic limestone, the three monuments, now known as the King's Men and the Whispering Knights in Oxfordshire and the King Stone in Warwickshire, are distinct in their design and purpose. They were built at different periods in late prehistory. During the period when the three monuments were erected, there was a continuous tradition of ritual behaviour on sacred ground, from the 4th to the 2nd millennium BCE.

This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theories about Stonehenge</span> Theories on the origin and purpose of Stonehenge

Stonehenge has been the subject of many theories about its origin, ranging from the academic worlds of archaeology to explanations from mythology and the paranormal.

Timothy Darvill OBE was an English archaeologist and author, best known for his publications on prehistoric Britain and his excavations in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man. He was Professor of Archaeology in the Faculty of Science and Technology Bournemouth University in England. In April 2008 he co-directed excavations within Stonehenge, together with Geoffrey Wainwright and Miles Russell, to examine the early stone structures on the site. The work featured heavily in a BBC Timewatch programme which examined the theory that Stonehenge was a prehistoric centre of healing. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to archaeology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Pitts (archaeologist)</span> English freelance journalist and archaeologist

Michael W. Pitts,, is an English freelance journalist and archaeologist who specialises in the study of British prehistory. He is the author of several books on the subject, and is the editor of British Archaeology, the publication of the Council for British Archaeology.

Terence Meaden is an English author who writes on archaeoastronomy, mostly focusing on the megalithic sites of Avebury, Stonehenge and the Drombeg stone circle in Cork, Ireland. He is a retired physicist with a doctoral degrees in physics from the University of Oxford and a master's degree in applied landscape archaeology also from University of Oxford. Meaden is influenced by the work of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas who wrote about the Goddess worshipping Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe".

References

  1. ↑ "Uboat.net".
  2. ↑ "Vivienne Westwood first London men's store | Modem Mag | modemonline.com". www.modemonline.com. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  3. ↑ TV Norge (2013-09-06). Ylvis - Stonehenge [Official music video HD][Explicit lyrics] . Retrieved 2024-09-09– via YouTube.
  4. ↑ Hartley, Nicholas; Lee, Mike (2002-11-28). "'The Gift Horse' — Frasier Transcripts Season 5 Episode 2 — The Frasier Archives". KACL780.net (Sitcom). Frasier . Written by Ron Darian; Directed by Pamela Fryman (published 1997-09-30). Paramount Pictures. S05E02. Retrieved 2024-10-12– via NBC. [Scene Three - Frasier's Apartment. The lights are off as the brothers enter later that night. As they switch on the lights, the television and speakers are revealed. The speakers are arranged, circumferencing Martin's chair.] Frasier: 'Oh dear God! It's Stonehenge!'
  5. ↑ ParaFrasier (2022-03-03). Frasier: Every 'Oh, Dear God!' (Montage compilation video). Cast: Kelsey Grammer as Frasier. Event occurs at 1:40. Retrieved 2024-10-11– via YouTube. Every single time Frasier exclaims 'Oh, Dear God!' plus a few minor variations, just for completeness. Wow, this compilation took a while. I really hope you all enjoy it!
  6. ↑ Palumbo, Jacqui (2022-06-01). "'Completely unhenged': Stonehenge lights up with portraits of the Queen". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  7. ↑ Hassan, Jennifer (2022-05-31). "Queen Elizabeth II's image was projected onto Stonehenge. Cue the controversy". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  8. ↑ "Stonehenge 'brings two British icons together' to celebrate Jubilee". ITV News. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  9. ↑ "Stonehenge Lego replica being made out of 400,000 bricks". BBC News. 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
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