Stonehenge as Solar Calendar

March 9, 2022

Due to its alignment with the solstices, Stonehenge, the world’s most famous prehistoric monument, has long been thought to serve as an ancient solar calendar. A new study has discovered how the solar calendar might have functioned.

Overview:

Led by researchers from England’s Bournemouth University, this study was recently published in the journal, Antiquity.
University of Bournemouth’s Professor Timothy Darvill, after new finds about the stone circle’s history were recently made, decided to take a fresh look at Stonehenge.
According to Darvill’s analysis of other ancient calendar systems, Stonehenge was built as a solar calendar.

Stonehenge being a Tropical Solar Year Based Calendar

Recent finds indicate that the site was a calendar based on a 365.25-day tropical solar year. According to a study conducted recently, Stonehenge’s sarsens were installed approximately in 2500 BC and were sourced from the same location as well as remained in the same formation which indicates that they worked as a single unit. Sarsen stones are a form of silcrete rock that can be found throughout southern England. Stonehenge and other prehistoric monuments were built from sarsens. Darvill analyzed the stones and looked at the stones’ numerology and compared it to other known calendars from the time period.

Sarsens Stones Served as a Physical Representation of the Year

In the layout of the Sarsens, a solar calendar was identified. According to the study, the stones served as a physical depiction of the year, allowing ancient Wiltshire residents to keep track of the days, weeks, and months.

The calendar is simple to use, with each of the 30 stones in the sarsen circle representing a day within a month, which is divided into three 10-day weeks. The start of each week is marked by distinctive stones in the circle.

Intercalary Month Representation

According to the study, to match the solar year, a five-day intercalary month and a leap day every four years were required. The five trilithons at the site’s centre signify the intercalary month, which is likely dedicated to the site’s deities. A trilithon is a megalithic building made up of two upright stones and a third stone as a lintel across the top. The four Station Stones outside the Sarsen Circle serve as markers for counting down till a leap day.

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