Stonehenge and Bath
Our University of Sussex student group arrived at Stonehenge around 10:30 in the morning on Saturday amidst a brief flurry of snow. I joked with a few of my friends about the "Snowhenge" that we were all about to witness, but fortunately the flurry was short-lived. It certainly was blustery outside, though. As we circumnavigated Stonehenge, just a few visitors and a flock of snow-covered sheep out on a hill in the English countryside, I tried to imagine ancient visitors experiencing the site under comparable conditions.
The landscape in which Stonehenge was situated was probably my favorite part about the monument. In addition to the sheep, a series of ancient, grass-covered burial mounds were visible on all sides of the henge, just a few hundred meters away. I also appreciated the Stonehenge museum, a small and nondescript building that was constructed to blend in with the landscape, where I learned a lot more about the history of Stonehenge.
So, what exactly is Stonehenge?!
Archaeological evidence suggests that the first monument constructed on the site where the stones now stand was erected around 3100 BC. The original henge was probably made of timber, but a subsequent generation decided to replace the wood with stone around 2600 BC. As for Stonehenge's purpose, no one knows for sure. However, due to the large number of human and animal remains found in and around the site, historians and archaeologists suggest that the henge served as a cremation cemetery, a ritual ground, and possibly a place of healing. Stonehenge is also a functioning celestial calendar -- an outlying stone, called the "heel stone" lines up with the sun and the center of the stone altar on the summer solstice.
There is evidence to suggest that the people who built Stonehenge may have been very wealthy. An array of animal bones, some with evidence that meat was still attached to them, were found on the site of the ancient peoples' village. This means that these people were well fed and were probably even having large feasts to celebrate themselves! Additionally, many of the animal remains have been traced to different regions in the British Isles, suggesting that the animals were brought from faraway places to the peoples who lived near Stonehenge.
After spending a few hours at Stonehenge, our group continued on to the town of Bath, located about one hour northwest of Stonehenge (close to Bristol, on the southwest coast of England). Situated on the River Avon, in a valley amidst the gently rolling hills, Bath was compact, quaint, and stunningly beautiful.
Bath first gained regional acclaim in the first and second centuries, AD, when it was a town in the Roman Empire called Aquae Sulis (a name derived from the Celtic goddess, Sulis Minerva). The thermal springs at Bath drew a wide range of Roman visitors -- which we can deduce in part due to the thousands of Roman coins (from all corners of the empire) that have since been dug up around town.
The Romans built a temple and bathing complex in Bath that quickly became a focal point within the Empire. The town remained important during Anglo-Saxon times, and Edgar the Peaceful was crowned King at Bath Abbey in 973 AD. At this point, the town fell into disrepair until the seventeenth century, when it was revived as an aristocratic pleasure center (and, very interestingly, an inland precursor to the style of resort-town that Brighton would become in the late-1700s).
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| The Great Bath in the Roman bathing complex (other baths, sauna rooms, changing rooms, and temples were located around this central pool). The top of Bath Abbey is visible in the background of the second picture. |
Our group spent the majority of our time touring the Roman bathing complex (which now sits at some 20 feet below street level) and museum. It was really cool to learn about all of the different aspects of Roman bathing, which involved dips in warm, lukewarm, and cold pools, as well as sitting in saunas and paying homage to the gods. Prior to visiting the baths, I did have some time to walk around town with friends. We briefly visited Bath Abbey, the Bath circus (center of town), and a few of the town squares. Despite it being a chilly day, many people were out and about, shopping and loitering in the stone-paved streets.
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| The exterior and interior of Bath Abbey. The stained glass window at the end of the nave tells the story of Jesus's life. |
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| One of the main streets in Bath |
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| Standing on "Brock Street" in Bath -- first ever "Brock Street" I've encountered (unless, of course, you want to count the corner of "Block" and "Rock" in Fayetteville). Bath is the best. |
It was an action-packed, learning-packed weekend! Stonehenge and Bath were two of the sites that I was most looking forward to seeing when I came here to study abroad, and they did not disappoint! Now I'm back to working on essays and preparing for a full week of school (which I haven't had in a while here due to the strike)! The higher education strike has still not been resolved, but we will have classes next week while the labor union decides on its next move. I fully support all of my professors in striking to protect their pensions, but I hope the action is resolved soon!!
This week, I will be organizing my research notes, turning in my mid-term essays, and preparing for a spring break journey to Europe with my roommate, Justin! More details on that to come!
I hope you have a great week and thank you very much for reading this history-heavy post!
Cheers,
BD
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