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Stonehenge Alignments 45 Neolithic Solar Ritual at Stonehenge Mad Midsummer or Bleak Midwinter? Kate Prendergast looks at the arguments for and against the primary solsticial orientations of the world’s most famous stone circle. HE SOLSTICE FESTIVALAT STONEHENGE PASSED itself forms the basis of the summer solstice off peacefully for the second year running festival, since the belief that the primary orien- T last summer. So harmonious, in fact, were tation at Stonehenge is to the summer solstice relations between revellers and the authorities, the rising sun has been prevalent since the 18th odd voice was even heard on indie media sites century onwards, when it was first suggested by complaining that the whole event was in danger of the antiquarian William Stukeley. As Aubrey Burl verging on the conformist: the Last Night of the has pointed out, this belief is false; a fact that has Proms for the rave generation, perhaps. But for the been reiterated repeatedly by a series of commen- time being at least, the celebrations are still a tators for the last thirty years or more. Yet, it genuinely open and free event; and spontaneous continues to be perpetuated in popular culture, and drumming and dancing in the centre of the circle midsummer celebrations at the site – once the at dawn is certainly more akin to my musical taste preserve of latter-day Druids and more recently than yet another hopeless rendition of Rule appropriated by neo-pagans - now even receive Britannia. But, however much we debate the party official sanction. politics of the event – and these are politics that The modern popular belief is that, from a should be debated – the question this article hopes viewing point at the centre of the circle, the to address relates to a different debate: to the summer solstice sun can be seen to rise over the timing rather than the content of such an occasion. Heel Stone at dawn. That Stonehenge should be To put it simply, was the time of year our Neolithic primarily oriented to the summer solstice sunrise ancestors gathered at Stonehenge to do their thing was first suggested by the antiquarian William the same time that some of us gather to do ours? Stukeley in the early 18th century, although inter- estingly, Stukeley deduced this from the NE-SW A complex construction axis of the monument, rather than from the The answer to this is complex – and controversial. position of the Heel Stone itself. The Heel Stone Gerald Hawkins recognised back in the 1960s was first identified as a possible foresight for this that, from an astronomical point of view, orientation by Dr. John Smith in the late 18th Stonehenge is an extremely complex construction, century, and by the late 19th century, belief that and recent work on alignments at the site are this was the central alignment at Stonehenge had confirming that there are not one, but several become widely accepted (Burl 2000: 130-1). major solar and lunar orientations at Stonehenge, In fact, as commentators as diverse as some of which are highly sophisticated (see for Lockyer and Atkinson have pointed out, viewed example, North 1996, Burl 2000, Sims 2002). from the centre of the monument, the summer Nonetheless, despite our advancing under- solstice sun does not rise over the Heel Stone at standing of the technical sophistication of astro- dawn, but over a degree and nearly 2m to the left. nomical orientation at Stonehenge, several key This supposed alignment at Stonehenge thus never alignments seem to be more important than others. has, and never will exist: it is a figment of the The question is, which ones? This assumption antiquarian and popular imagination. page xx 3rd Stone 45 The Heel Stone exactly mid-way between the moon’s minor and As Burl makes clear, the Heel Stone (with or major rising positions, while the A posts – which without its potential partner) is a crucial monolith succeeded the causeway posts – tracked more within the entire monument. It appears to have closely the moon’s progress from the mid-way been the first monolith to be erected at point to its most northerly rising. Thus, according Stonehenge and was thus associated with the pre- to Burl, the Heel Stone was associated with a sarsen phases of the monument that otherwise lunar rather than a solar orientation in the early consisted of timber circles and earthen banks and phases of the monument’s history. ditches. Moreover, the Heel Stone is a central The second is associated with the stone within the monumental design, since it is changes that occurred when Stonehenge was located near to the entrance, and on the major axis modified with the erection of the bluestone circles of Stonehenge, thus defining a series of obser- in the positions they are in today (phase IIIv in the vation points. Therefore its role – including its revised sequences). At this point, the avenue was potential alignment – is of great significance in widened. This resulted in a modification of the the context of any primary alignments at the site axis of the avenue of about 4˚ to the east of the as a whole. original axis. This, Burl argues, not only brought Burl gives us two explanations for astro- the axis itself much closer into line with the nomical alignments in relation to the Heel Stone. summer solstice sunrise than before, it also The first draws on the work of Peter Newham, brought the Heel Stone more closely into this who argues that the Heel Stone, along with the alignment too. Burl suggests that this claim is Stonehenge on timber causeway posts and A posts also strengthened by evidence for other, roughly the winter positioned at the northeast entrance, formed part contemporaneous, modifications to the solstice, of a series of alignments, looking out from the monument. The Slaughter Stone – positioned looking monument, to the rising northern moon in the about 31m to the southwest of the Heel Stone and southwest northeast (2000:132-3). Newham and Burl argue now prostrate – has been dated to phase III of towards the that the timber posts represented sighting devices Stonehenge. The Slaughter Stone was once setting sun. tracking the moon’s northerly risings, from its almost certainly accompanied by a partner, and (Photo: Robin minor to its major rising position on the horizon these two stones straddled the new axis of the Scagell/Galaxy and back again over the 18.6 years it takes to monument. Burl suggests that the Slaughter Picture complete its cycle. The Heel Stone is oriented Stone, and its partner were positioned in relation Library) 3rd Stone 45 page xx to the Heel Stone and its partner, as part of the new account is its axis of symmetry. Stonehenge is orientation to the summer solstice rising sun: aligned on a northeast-southwest axis. This axis The sun would have shone between the is defined by the Avenue and runs between the Heel Stone and its partner and then between the Heel Stone and its possible once-standing Slaughter Stone and its partner, then between stones partner, along two further standing stones and 1 and 30 of the sarsen circle and 31 and 49 of the between a facade of timber uprights located inner bluestone ring, pouring down a thin tunnel of close to the Heel Stones. It continues through the stones like the passage of a chambered tomb up to entrance to the enclosure, along the edge of the the Altar Stone at the heart of Stonehenge. Slaughter Stone, and through two further Astronomically this did happen. If it was designed standing stones which once stood at the to do so it is a revelation of considerable astro- enclosure entrance. It then runs directly through nomical sophistication (Burl 2000:147). the inner circle settings: across the Altar Stone - According to Burl therefore, modern the central stone and the focal point of the summer solstice revellers should continue to party, monument - and through the Grand Trilithon, the safe in the knowledge that the timing of their festiv- central trilithon in the inner sarsen horseshoe. ities directly echo those of our ancestors – albeit As we have seen, this axis has long been ancestors dating to the end rather than to the taken as the basis on which to argue that the beginning of the third millennium! Perhaps more primary orientation of the monument looks out significantly, this evidence may suggest a shift in towards the rising of the summer solstice sun in ritual practices associated with the later phases of the northeast. But in fact, as Julian Richards has Stonehenge on Stonehenge; away from a lunar based towards a argued, the axis of the monument may perhaps the summer solar based ritual calendar. This is indeed what Burl best seen as designed to highlight the viewing of solstice. The suggests. However, there is a third, crucial aspect to astronomical phenomena from the northeast, sun rises to the Heel Stone orientation. This is the orientation at looking into the monument towards the SW. As the east of the Stonehenge recently detailed by astronomer John one of the first archaeologists to comment on the Heel Stone. North, in his book Stonehenge: Neolithic Man and significance of this perspective, Richards Along the axis the Cosmos (1996). observes that: of Stonehenge II the sun rises A central axis “Much depends on our perceptions of the use of west of the In determining primary orientations at Stonehenge, space within Stonehenge, traditionally viewed stone. the most important factor that needs to be taken into as somewhere to look out of on 21 June with page xx 3rd Stone 45 the sun rising over the Heel Stone.
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