I think you had to pay for entry to the rituals, so the fence is to stop people who haven't paid. The gap used to be where there was an 'Exit Through Gift Shop' :-)
Very interesting video and I was somehow completely unaware of this! I'm also impressed you managed to weigh up those competing theories without at any point making the obvious "I'm on the fence" pun.
What few people realise is that Brittania Heritage, the predecessors of English Heritage, were trying to milk Stonehenge for everything they could even then. The gaps were where the entrance huts were and no-one could see Stonehenge until they had paid. The hoi polloi were restrained beyond the fence and then taken by chariot (when they had paid) to view the stones from a safe distance. They were not allowed to touch them of course.
Gosh, when My family visited in the 1960's....I don't think we paid more than pennies....and the BW photos show my Nan and I sat on one! Was All open then.....
The palisade is often forgotten in the Stonehenge discussion, so I am pleased that you have covered it. Thank you. I have long believed that the feature marked a permanent boundary between two conflicting groups of people - those who lived in the south west of England who built the first and third phases of Stonehenge; and those from the area north of Stonehenge who built the second phase. It is tempting for archaeologists to read sacred and ceremony into everything connected with Stonehenge but I think the purpose of the palisade was territorial; that the Stonehenge site was fought over to the death and the stone phase marked a period of settlement in which tribes were united and the palisade ceased to exist
I kind of like the 'corral' idea. It was what I was thinking also. It does bring in some weird thoughts though, like that Stonehenge was a place of butchery for the 'parties' held at Durrington Walls, near Woodhenge.
@@telebubba5527 animal sacrifice was once very common during spiritual ceremonies around the world. Wasn't considered butchering per se, though they probably did eat some of the animals as well, since it'd be a shame to let it go to waste But like Tony often asked on Time Team: "Why is it, whenever you don't know what it is, you always say it was for some ceremonial or religious purpose?"
If it was defensive would there not be a ditch as well, similar to hill forts and dykes? As it's unlikely to be a stockade perhaps more likely either guiding people or preventing a view as Paul suggested. Really interesting conundrum.
Thanks - I've been fascinated by the palisade from when I first heard of it! What with the long cursus in the area, it just emphasises how little we actually understand about what Stonehenge's role was in prehistoric society. It annoys me that certain archeaologists confidently proclaim their pet theories, but clearly we haven't even got half the pieces of the puzzle, let alone understand how they fit together.
@@helenamcginty4920 The Stonehenge Cursus is older than Stonehenge but has Solstice alignment with Stonehenge. So, either there was something in the location of Stonehenge before, or the Henge was built specifically to align.
Excellent, Paul, as usual! Many people have told me that I should do a video about Stone Henge and I thought it's just been analysed to death, so never even started thinking properly. You really pulled it off with the little known fence story. Well done!!
I'm utterly convinced you could bring a fresh angle to it Matt! My take was "Stonehenge for cheapskates" - perhaps not the most insightful academic observation of this iconic monument, and it attracted a bit of criticism, but I had a fun time making it, and it showed that you can get to the wider Stonehenge landscape - as Paul did here - without paying a penny!
They obviously needed somewhere to put the adverts and sponsors. It's expensive to move rocks and they needed that ad revenue. I'd never heard of this before and I consider myself a bit of a history buff. Thanks/
What if it's more like the screen you might find in a church or cathedral, separating the nave from the sanctuary. You have the masses on the north side of the fence and the religious leaders on the south. Only allowing the public to see what happens within the gaps, keeping the majority of the religious ceremony secret and sacred.
Went to Stonehenge on a school trip back in the 1970's. Three hours on a crappy coach eating fish paste sarnies to pass the time. Back then you could still get close up but what a let down it was for a 12 year old kid. Decades later i visited Newgrange in Ireland - now THAT is a sight to see and touch.
god i love watching your videos about stonehenge and neolithic stuff and hearing prof pearson(of stonehenge riverside project fame for anyone else who isn't familiar with him) mentioned, and being able to think "oh he was one of my profs at the Institute of Archaeology" he's truly made his mark in the field of neolithic english archaeology.
Hi Paul, some great graphics and editing I particularly liked the night sky. However my favourite was the hand drawn map!! Thank you for opening my eyes to this discovery its a real mystery. I can't add much to its possible purpose whoever did it spent a great deal of time and perhaps never got to finish what they intended? Either that or cocoanuts were discovered and cocoanut shy's became all the rage for a while!! All the best!!
Beaters would make all kinds of noise going through the surrounding countryside, pushing panicked Hengehogs before them, until he Hengehogs came to the palisade. They'd then go along the palisade, encouraged by the beaters to the gap where upon they were made into nice little Hengehogkabobs. That's why Stone Henge still stands today, and why there are no Hengehogs that would have devoured them had they not been eradicated.
My nieces were at a Hide Park concert recently. There was a massive black fence cutting direct views of the stage from everyone except the main crowd. Lots of monitors but the paranoia over anyone who hadn't paid possibly seeing anything directly is hilarious - and fundamentlly human
Maybe they had used the pallissade poles for rolling the stones to where they are now. And afterwards, cleaning up the building rubble, some helper asked: "Please, Sir, where should I leave the poles?" And one of the Building Masters, looking dreamily and happy at their building, gestured vaguely: "Just put them over there, will you, so they aren't in the way...and we don't see them anymore..." And the boy, together with some of the other helpers, did what they had understood was asked from them. If the Building Masters were content or - probably - not, we cannot make out anymore. Because when finished with this last job, the boys went off for the beer and the girls. 😅🎉😊 But, more seriously, from the Time Team I learned: "If in doubt: ritually!!" So I start all over again with making theories. In Scotland (as told in an episode of Time Team) there were rocks near a lake which were special in one way another - as long as during summer solstice (or winter solstice) the sun dawned in a dip between two mountains. After the top of one of those mountains fell of, the holy stone in the valley along which you could see sun up (or sun set) in exactly the middle of the lower part between the mountains 'didn't work any longer'. And the people moved away. On one of the Mediterranean islands, I don't know which one, there is something like that too. (As also known from a Time Team episode). In a very stony village was a special upstanding stone with notches in it. The stone along which to look in order to see the sun dawning was 'repaired/corrected' a few times during many ages in order to keep the place of the dawning of the sun exactly in the middle between two mountains. After that stone was beyond next correction, the people left that place also. Suppose the pallissade at Stonehenge is instead of those mountains? And the gate in the pallissade is instead of the valley between those two mountains they used in Scotland and the Mediterranean? Is this a strange idea?😢
That was fantastic! Genuinely well worth watching by anyone interested in history, Stonehenge, the neolithic, implied beliefs and interests of people of the past etc. I am SO glad you didn't assign some pet belief to what you think the pallisade was for but gave us the latest thinking, with relevant caveats. I really dislike New Age insistence on x or y theory that the people of the past worshiped (insert your favourite theory here with absolute certainty: sun, moon, stars, animals, spirits, ancestors, genitals, alcohol, harvests) Rant over - for now
Perhaps, as the last theory suggests, animals were coralled through the gap in the pallisade towards the site of sacrifice within the stone henge. Intriguing video. Thank you.
I just joined your channel. I'd love to talk more about stone age celestial calendars. I took a bit of astronomy in Uni. I've been to Stonehenge and some of the other henges. I also have spent years watching videos on this from all over the world. Glad I found your channel!
Really interesting. The one thing that gives me pause is that a lot of the theories seem to hinge around estimates of the height of the palisade, which I assume are based on the depth of the post holes and comparisons with other fences. Given that we don't actually know what the fence was for, this strikes me as quite a lot of conjecture. If it wasn't doing the same job as a regular fence, who's to say it was constructed like one? It very well might be, but it also might not. It's worth remembering that the Bell Beaker People who put up the huge sarsen trilithons contemporary to the palisade weren't the same people who built the original stone circle/ moved it from Wales and Scotland. At some point they turned up and appropriated it for their own purposes, one way or another. If that involved capturing it from others, they might have had a reason to want to build a wall around it. What would be the point of driving off the original owners if they kept sneaking back in to do rituals every solstice? Access wouldn't have been completely blocked with the large gap in the fence, but it would have made it much easier to control who was allowed in. Also, do we know how long the palisade was there for? I've only had a brief look on the internet, but I couldn't find any mention of how long it's thought to have lasted. All the theories seem to assume it was intended as a permanent structure, but maybe it wasn't. It certainly seems like a lot of work for a temporary one, but I suppose it's worth considering the possibility that it was put up as a response to events thousands of years ago, now lost to time. E.g. (just for entertainment) maybe the Stonehenge priesthood excommunicated the king who lived on one side of Salisbury plain and said that the gods had commanded that the people on the other side of Salisbury plain build a spite fence to stop him enjoying the monument's magical blessings until he compensated them with cattle or something.
What a mystery! I'm not convinced by the Robin Hood's Ball theory - I don't think the builders of Stonehenge would have had a clue what that ancient earthwork was. I think the idea of the palisade being used to corral livestock in some way is quite interesting. Thinking about those awful ceremonies in Spain where they run bulls through the streets, it could have been similar. Running the cattle up to a sacrificial slaughter, with that shorter section beyond the gap to capture any animals that don't run through to the arena.
I recently saw a documentary that tried to say the setup of Stonehenge reminded engineers of a floorplan for a multi-level building, and using stone for the bones almost meant it would last much longer than wood, and then they could use wood for walls and trim for the levels and rooms to ensure it would be lighter as they went higher. To me it makes sense, seeing that wall and its proximity to the river there, that it could very well be a distant trading post of an old empire, and the entrances could have been to funnel traffic past the main building through the main entrance or straight to the building using the smaller entrance.
Archeologist always want the biggest, sexiest explanation to garner attention (and grants). The basics of people have not changed. It could be something simple, like a neighbor messing with them. It could be an unfinished work. It could just be some vanity project/artwork by some rich person with nothing better to do. Those happen even today, all over the world, in great numbers.
Thanks Paul really interesting and as far as I am aware this has never been covered in the numerous programmes on TV there have been about stone henge, so thankyou
It could do with a new one, which would help the traffic flow,many times on the 303 I've been stuck behind cars where their occupants have got out of the car to take pictures..... unbelievable but it happens so often
Nothing has more impact on the landscape than a hole - or a whole array of holes: what about the circular pits dug into the rock-bottom around the main structure? They seemed so random and void of imporzant stuff, that builings were allowed on one or two of their sites. More were discovered later - connecting those "dots" seemed to indicate some purpose. But timelines and surviving features are hard to grasp, if you are no expert.
Interesting theories. And there's Stonehenge, so stooooooones! I wonder if we will ever know what the palisade was truly build for. And am I the only one who was expecting that it's spelled Robin Hood's BOWL?
Stonehenge wasn't just one thing. It changed physically over the centuries, so what happened there must have changed also. Over that length of time the religion and politics probably changed too. What I mean is that it may have been built for one thing, but as society changed they did different things there and changed the structure to suit them.
I wonder if it was painted maybe with scene and then it made sense there was a gap in between as it would be a different scene. Maybe as you walk down the avenue you have creation of the world the gap representing now and then the second fence with the future or afterlife.
Looking at your diagrams, especially at 4:20 it looks pretty obvious that one route, The Avenue, was to guide crowds towards the site and the other, the fence, was to guide them away. (Or vice versa) We are told it was a place of huge gatherings, with cultural snd spiritual significance, and people driving herds of animals for trade and feasting, So they would have had the same ptoblems of crowd control at a major national site that we have today.
Terrific Paul … I didn’t know about the palisade … great work and keep on going mate … celestial is always a question with these sites but sometimes can be a hinderance 👋 👏 ⚔️👍
Merely as a rule of thumb, a 1.4 meter deep post hole in chalk implies a 4.2 meter or so tall post. Probably spaced to allow some defensive protection from arrows, while still allowing arrows to be fired between the posts, and preventing the passage of a person or large animal like a horse. Just a thought.
If you are walking along the Avenue towards Stonehenge, there is no need to block the view of Robin's Ball from that point because it would not be visible anyway if you were walking forwards - it would be over the shoulder back to one's right, not visible at all. Unless you progress along the Avenue backwards......
Is it anything to do with the low sunrise during winter perhaps? The gap is there for the sun to shine on the henge to invoke the gods during a gathering or something.
It sounds to me that the fence was there for symbolic reasons, rather than practical ones. Presumably it marked some kind of boundary. It could have been a tribal boundary set at a very important religious site. Or maybe only a few chosen people were allowed to pass beyond the boundary to partake in ceremonies, while the rest could watch events through the big gaps in the fence but not partake (just like in a medieval church). Maybe it separated the world of the living from the world of the dead (stone monuments worldwide are often associated with the dead). Or it separated the world of the gods from the world of the living. If Stonehenge is celestial, the fence might separate the earth from the heavens, with Stonehenge as part of the heavens. Whatever it was, we’ll likely never know for certain, unless someone invents a time machine
Another fascinating video that leaves the viewer pondering if the real truth will ever be discovered. But, something from so deep in my memory bank that I'm not even sure if I dreamt it. Somewhere in the past I came across an advert from a magazine or a newspaper, that had a farm for sale. What was so special about the farm was that it also included the historical site of Stonehenge. I mention this as a couple of years ago I was in the UK with my family and as we drove passed Stonehenge I told my daughter about the sale. However, I have since never found any proof of my memory. Does anybody know if my memory is factual or a dream?
First thing I thought of is that maybe it could be some sort of barrier to herd wild animals and chase them through the gaps so that they could easily be slaughtered. This came to mind because I seem to remember that there were a lot of animal bones and skulls found in and around Stonehenge that seem to have been slaughtered
while on the subject of the stonehenge area, there was recent news that techniques used in the western australian goldfields indicates that the altar stone is not from the same place as the other granite stones but most resembles granite from northern scotland. so go figure that one out. the news article concluded that it must have been moved by sea.
The fence posts would need horizontal logs attached on top to hold it all together. That is where they got the idea for the stone lintels on the henge itself.
Think it’s important to remember that Stonehenge had different meanings to different peoples in all its phases of use, including its current one. In a thousand or two thousand years our descendants may well look at the footprint of the current visitor centre and determine a use around gathering as part of the ritual landscape. Much like windmill hill west kennet and Avebury, sites fall out of use and then come in to use again and each community sees and reflects its own needs and concerns in the landscape.
I'm pretty sure any view across large areas of landscape at this point in time would have been largely obscured by the forest that covered most of the entire island. Our view today is only by the taming of the landscape through time and the adoption of farming. The idea of hunting seems more viable in my opinion.
Bearing in mind the tentative studies into acoustics of the monument, maybe the palisade was a sonic barrier, preventing visitors from experiencing the spiritual 'rattle and hum' until a certain, defined point in their journey towards the stones?
How well-founded are the theories that the wall should obstruct the view? I know from some Egyptology channels that some people have said a sentence or developed a theory that is based on little or no evidence... At some point someone has written a sentence on the subject in a book and that one sentence is then the only source for the thesis.. But the thesis is repeated again and again. All this apart from the fact that there are also errors in records and documentation. This is sometimes an extremely strange level when it comes to scientific work. More speculation than looking at what concrete facts we have and where they come from. In my opinion, this also hinders historical research, since it is enough to put forward a theory about which one speculates instead of collecting facts. If the theory is that the wall was meant to conceal the ceremonies, but in some places it doesn't actually block the view... how much thought went into that theory?
Now, if they could only put that fence alongside the A303 so anyone driving along the road couldn't see Stonehenge it would massively help the traffic problems!
I've always thought, what if it was simply a market. The wall may have been a way to control the cattle for the market. Just adding my one of the millions of ideas floating around.
@@twitch1512 Yes but back in that period of history markets where very important. No Walmart's or Costco's, markets once established help build new trade routes, and political power. It was just a thought I lay no claim, just taking part in the ongoing discussion.
The corralling of beasts for slaughter was what occurred to me. In my head inwas thinking pigs- shield not only their view of the sacred abbatoir- but also their hearing of what was going down and also from seeing a large gathering of people. This might stop them from panic/running away. The causeway was the route for humans from the south - the palisade for beasts being funnelled from the north/east/west. The two gaps were to funnel in the animals working from either direction. I imagine the direction of where the beasts came from may have had some ritual tributary function- paying tribute from different areas or seasons perhaps? Which would allow for structured ceremony based around where the gaps were and the direction animals enter the monument. But as paul says- lets see if any evidence emerges. Final thought: what were the megaliths transported on? Perhaps the palisade was a reuse of large circular logs required for transporting large stones? Just a thought.
The problem with archeologists is that if they can't explain something then it must be ceremonial in some way. It may just have been a series of posts sunk in the ground to stabilise the land; or it may have been a short, stout fence to keep animals away from the construction site. If it really was as tall as the post hole depth implies it might just have been protection against the prevailing wind etc etc.- Winter Solstice can be chilly.
I've passed the link on to an expert, in case she would like to add something. Meanwhile I feel confident in ruling out your final speculation. The type of spirituality in which people give thanks and sacrifices to gods almost certainly did not exist in the time of Stonehenge. It's easy for us to take that idea for granted but it's rooted in a way of thinking that is probably anachronistic before the bronze age.
Here's a thought. Some Stonehenge stones come from Wales, some come locally from England, and at least one comes from Scotland. So whose to say that the trees just come from an area not particularly rich in stones but they still contributed what they could? Perhaps the gap simply points in the direction that those people are from? Also, has anyone figured out if the palisade logs were the same size as the logs used to build woodhenge just up the road?
May I ask for another video on Stonehenge and its significance? If I remember correctly, Stonehenge is not the only or main or most important structure of its kind, actually forming part of a number of similar structures. However, I've only learned that from two videos (two different media) in the last, let's say, six, seven years or so. And with that Stonehenge bypass/underpass having been discussed/mentioned fairly often in the recent past (now the project being abandoned or so), Stonehenge was mentioned talked about very often. Yet, as I understand it, Stonehenge doesn't stand for/on itself. A fact I would liked to have pointed out more often.
Stonehenge videos are always a tricky thing. There is a lot of conflicting models and I end up getting myself in a complete confused mess. I'll have a think
And now the altar stone is from Scotland, not sarsons. About 11 yrs ago a went on an organised walk from Durrington Walls to. An amazing area, which we are still learning about
Stonehenge would have been really impressive in it's day, but all of the wooden structure has rotted away. All that's left now is the stone scaffolding the builders left up when they tried to repair it.
Cattle corale pallisade seems plausible. The Auroch is a big dangerous animal. Big Pits were dug to corale the Aurochs to fall into. There they could be shot easily and safely with flint bows and arrows, to provide Auroch meat for the feasting which was a huge part of proceedings at different times of the year. Like shooting salmon in a barrel.
@@angusmurray3767 flint tipped arrows are like razors. Straight through the jugular vein. Job done. A mattadore kills a bull by weakening it with multiple stabs through neck with hand held javelins. The bull loses blood over time.
Back in the day, a device known as a "salmon wheel" was used to harvest salmon here on the West Coast. Until the stocks of salmon were greatly depleted & these wheels were banned.
The latest research shows that there are two causewayed enclosures at Robin Hood's Ball. The structures are now called "Robin Hood's Ball 1" and "Robin Hood's Ball 2"; had English Heritage the slightest shred of humour they really ought to have been called "Robin Hood's Balls" (with numbers tagged on as well).
Woah, I forgot to 'like' this vid. Okay, fixed that. Paul, could you please leave the printed text up for a couple more tenths of a second ? Being a bit age-challenged, or i don't know what, I can't quite get to punch-line in under 1.75 seconds. Just to make this clear, I've noticed I have a tendency to not be able to grasp new concepts through the visuals, at the same time as the explanation comes through on the audio - so i skip back and have a look a second time at specific places in the video, to grasp your points.
I think you had to pay for entry to the rituals, so the fence is to stop people who haven't paid. The gap used to be where there was an 'Exit Through Gift Shop' :-)
No post cards or refrigerator magnets for sale back then, since they couldn’t write, and still used iceboxes.
What if the inside of the fence was a paid-to-enter area and the he henge itself was the giftshop?
@@chasbodaniels1744 It was a joke.
@@judeangione3732 Yeah I know. As was my comment. 😀
Many a true word said in jest.
Very interesting video and I was somehow completely unaware of this! I'm also impressed you managed to weigh up those competing theories without at any point making the obvious "I'm on the fence" pun.
You and me both!
Or something along the lines of "This is a plain mystery".
@@pwhitewick Your professionalism is admirable Paul! The minute a cheap gag occurs to me I cannot resist the urge.
What few people realise is that Brittania Heritage, the predecessors of English Heritage, were trying to milk Stonehenge for everything they could even then. The gaps were where the entrance huts were and no-one could see Stonehenge until they had paid. The hoi polloi were restrained beyond the fence and then taken by chariot (when they had paid) to view the stones from a safe distance. They were not allowed to touch them of course.
Gosh, when My family visited in the 1960's....I don't think we paid more than pennies....and the BW photos show my Nan and I sat on one! Was All open then.....
When I saw the thumbnail I assumed it was some sort of protest or prank using round bales
😂😂😂
It was also used to keep out the 'Just Start Oil' protestors.
You're saying this based on what
The palisade is often forgotten in the Stonehenge discussion, so I am pleased that you have covered it. Thank you. I have long believed that the feature marked a permanent boundary between two conflicting groups of people - those who lived in the south west of England who built the first and third phases of Stonehenge; and those from the area north of Stonehenge who built the second phase. It is tempting for archaeologists to read sacred and ceremony into everything connected with Stonehenge but I think the purpose of the palisade was territorial; that the Stonehenge site was fought over to the death and the stone phase marked a period of settlement in which tribes were united and the palisade ceased to exist
I kind of like the 'corral' idea. It was what I was thinking also.
It does bring in some weird thoughts though, like that Stonehenge was a place of butchery for the 'parties' held at Durrington Walls, near Woodhenge.
@@telebubba5527 animal sacrifice was once very common during spiritual ceremonies around the world. Wasn't considered butchering per se, though they probably did eat some of the animals as well, since it'd be a shame to let it go to waste
But like Tony often asked on Time Team: "Why is it, whenever you don't know what it is, you always say it was for some ceremonial or religious purpose?"
If it was defensive would there not be a ditch as well, similar to hill forts and dykes? As it's unlikely to be a stockade perhaps more likely either guiding people or preventing a view as Paul suggested.
Really interesting conundrum.
hmmm... now i'm picturing the Henge as a Security Checkpoint!
@@takaela Yes, you put it succinctly
"Oi, druid! What shall we do with these megalith rolling logs?"
"I don't really care... just stick them over there."
"Right ye are"
Now that's funny! Archeologists always pushing for an explanation, even where there just might be none LOL!
They tell me Stonehenge was built before the druids.
This sound quite reasonabe.
@@a.vanwijk2268 Stonehenge was abandoned about 1,500 years before the first druids arrived.
Sounds as plausable as any of the other theories.
Thanks - I've been fascinated by the palisade from when I first heard of it! What with the long cursus in the area, it just emphasises how little we actually understand about what Stonehenge's role was in prehistoric society. It annoys me that certain archeaologists confidently proclaim their pet theories, but clearly we haven't even got half the pieces of the puzzle, let alone understand how they fit together.
The cursus was created several hundred years before Stonehenge. Cursus monuments were built in Britain and Ireland from about 3400bce.
@@helenamcginty4920 The Stonehenge Cursus is older than Stonehenge but has Solstice alignment with Stonehenge. So, either there was something in the location of Stonehenge before, or the Henge was built specifically to align.
I mean did it have a roof or what😂😂😂😂😂😂Giant barn or hut maybe:
Mike PP
Excellent, Paul, as usual! Many people have told me that I should do a video about Stone Henge and I thought it's just been analysed to death, so never even started thinking properly. You really pulled it off with the little known fence story. Well done!!
I'm utterly convinced you could bring a fresh angle to it Matt! My take was "Stonehenge for cheapskates" - perhaps not the most insightful academic observation of this iconic monument, and it attracted a bit of criticism, but I had a fun time making it, and it showed that you can get to the wider Stonehenge landscape - as Paul did here - without paying a penny!
This is insanely interesting. Can't stop thinking about it now.
They obviously needed somewhere to put the adverts and sponsors. It's expensive to move rocks and they needed that ad revenue.
I'd never heard of this before and I consider myself a bit of a history buff. Thanks/
Likewise on both counts in para 2!
Yes, I would like to know what the palisade, was adorned with. Maybe it had art that told a story along the stretch adjacent to the avenue.
I never knew any of this - thank you for sharing
No worries!
We live and learn every week with your videos. Thank you for your research and info. Really very interesting.
What if it's more like the screen you might find in a church or cathedral, separating the nave from the sanctuary. You have the masses on the north side of the fence and the religious leaders on the south. Only allowing the public to see what happens within the gaps, keeping the majority of the religious ceremony secret and sacred.
Went to Stonehenge on a school trip back in the 1970's. Three hours on a crappy coach eating fish paste sarnies to pass the time. Back then you could still get close up but what a let down it was for a 12 year old kid. Decades later i visited Newgrange in Ireland - now THAT is a sight to see and touch.
god i love watching your videos about stonehenge and neolithic stuff and hearing prof pearson(of stonehenge riverside project fame for anyone else who isn't familiar with him) mentioned, and being able to think "oh he was one of my profs at the Institute of Archaeology" he's truly made his mark in the field of neolithic english archaeology.
Facinating video, Paul. So much mystery around Stonehenge. Great insight into something i hadn't heard of before
Hi Paul, some great graphics and editing I particularly liked the night sky. However my favourite was the hand drawn map!!
Thank you for opening my eyes to this discovery its a real mystery. I can't add much to its possible purpose whoever did it spent a great deal of time and perhaps never got to finish what they intended? Either that or cocoanuts were discovered and cocoanut shy's became all the rage for a while!!
All the best!!
Beaters would make all kinds of noise going through the surrounding countryside, pushing panicked Hengehogs before them, until he Hengehogs came to the palisade. They'd then go along the palisade, encouraged by the beaters to the gap where upon they were made into nice little Hengehogkabobs. That's why Stone Henge still stands today, and why there are no Hengehogs that would have devoured them had they not been eradicated.
Prove me wrong....
@@rodchallis8031 We need a TARDIS
Thank you. Always more Mysteries! Now to look up when the R. Hood’s structure was removed.
Yeah! Levelled for farming?
Absolutely fascinating. Thanks Paul..Lots of theories to ponder. Great Sunday evening viewing.
😊😊😊
Many thanks!
My nieces were at a Hide Park concert recently. There was a massive black fence cutting direct views of the stage from everyone except the main crowd. Lots of monitors but the paranoia over anyone who hadn't paid possibly seeing anything directly is hilarious - and fundamentlly human
Maybe they had used the pallissade poles for rolling the stones to where they are now.
And afterwards, cleaning up the building rubble, some helper asked: "Please, Sir, where should I leave the poles?"
And one of the Building Masters, looking dreamily and happy at their building, gestured vaguely: "Just put them over there, will you, so they aren't in the way...and we don't see them anymore..."
And the boy, together with some of the other helpers, did what they had understood was asked from them.
If the Building Masters were content or - probably - not, we cannot make out anymore.
Because when finished with this last job, the boys went off for the beer and the girls.
😅🎉😊
But, more seriously, from the Time Team I learned: "If in doubt: ritually!!"
So I start all over again with making theories.
In Scotland (as told in an episode of Time Team) there were rocks near a lake which were special in one way another - as long as during summer solstice (or winter solstice) the sun dawned in a dip between two mountains.
After the top of one of those mountains fell of, the holy stone in the valley along which you could see sun up (or sun set) in exactly the middle of the lower part between the mountains 'didn't work any longer'.
And the people moved away.
On one of the Mediterranean islands, I don't know which one, there is something like that too.
(As also known from a Time Team episode).
In a very stony village was a special upstanding stone with notches in it.
The stone along which to look in order to see the sun dawning was 'repaired/corrected' a few times during many ages in order to keep the place of the dawning of the sun exactly in the middle between two mountains.
After that stone was beyond next correction, the people left that place also.
Suppose the pallissade at Stonehenge is instead of those mountains?
And the gate in the pallissade is instead of the valley between those two mountains they used in Scotland and the Mediterranean?
Is this a strange idea?😢
That was fantastic! Genuinely well worth watching by anyone interested in history, Stonehenge, the neolithic, implied beliefs and interests of people of the past etc.
I am SO glad you didn't assign some pet belief to what you think the pallisade was for but gave us the latest thinking, with relevant caveats. I really dislike New Age insistence on x or y theory that the people of the past worshiped (insert your favourite theory here with absolute certainty: sun, moon, stars, animals, spirits, ancestors, genitals, alcohol, harvests)
Rant over - for now
Perhaps, as the last theory suggests, animals were coralled through the gap in the pallisade towards the site of sacrifice within the stone henge. Intriguing video. Thank you.
I just joined your channel. I'd love to talk more about stone age celestial calendars. I took a bit of astronomy in Uni. I've been to Stonehenge and some of the other henges. I also have spent years watching videos on this from all over the world. Glad I found your channel!
Thanks Jude. Welcome to the channel. 😊
Really interesting. The one thing that gives me pause is that a lot of the theories seem to hinge around estimates of the height of the palisade, which I assume are based on the depth of the post holes and comparisons with other fences. Given that we don't actually know what the fence was for, this strikes me as quite a lot of conjecture. If it wasn't doing the same job as a regular fence, who's to say it was constructed like one? It very well might be, but it also might not.
It's worth remembering that the Bell Beaker People who put up the huge sarsen trilithons contemporary to the palisade weren't the same people who built the original stone circle/ moved it from Wales and Scotland. At some point they turned up and appropriated it for their own purposes, one way or another. If that involved capturing it from others, they might have had a reason to want to build a wall around it. What would be the point of driving off the original owners if they kept sneaking back in to do rituals every solstice? Access wouldn't have been completely blocked with the large gap in the fence, but it would have made it much easier to control who was allowed in.
Also, do we know how long the palisade was there for? I've only had a brief look on the internet, but I couldn't find any mention of how long it's thought to have lasted. All the theories seem to assume it was intended as a permanent structure, but maybe it wasn't. It certainly seems like a lot of work for a temporary one, but I suppose it's worth considering the possibility that it was put up as a response to events thousands of years ago, now lost to time. E.g. (just for entertainment) maybe the Stonehenge priesthood excommunicated the king who lived on one side of Salisbury plain and said that the gods had commanded that the people on the other side of Salisbury plain build a spite fence to stop him enjoying the monument's magical blessings until he compensated them with cattle or something.
Great video. I was originally thinking it could be to protect from westerly wind and weather, but I don't think that would work!
What a mystery!
I'm not convinced by the Robin Hood's Ball theory - I don't think the builders of Stonehenge would have had a clue what that ancient earthwork was. I think the idea of the palisade being used to corral livestock in some way is quite interesting. Thinking about those awful ceremonies in Spain where they run bulls through the streets, it could have been similar. Running the cattle up to a sacrificial slaughter, with that shorter section beyond the gap to capture any animals that don't run through to the arena.
You and quite a few think that latter theory works. I think for the time it's going to remain a mystery
@@pwhitewick yes indeed. The way it turns away is what really perplexes me!
Totally enjoyed and I have posted on my FB history group-Thank you Paul !
I recently saw a documentary that tried to say the setup of Stonehenge reminded engineers of a floorplan for a multi-level building, and using stone for the bones almost meant it would last much longer than wood, and then they could use wood for walls and trim for the levels and rooms to ensure it would be lighter as they went higher.
To me it makes sense, seeing that wall and its proximity to the river there, that it could very well be a distant trading post of an old empire, and the entrances could have been to funnel traffic past the main building through the main entrance or straight to the building using the smaller entrance.
Archeologist always want the biggest, sexiest explanation to garner attention (and grants). The basics of people have not changed. It could be something simple, like a neighbor messing with them. It could be an unfinished work. It could just be some vanity project/artwork by some rich person with nothing better to do. Those happen even today, all over the world, in great numbers.
Paul, thank you for curious speculative discussion about the Stonehenge Fence.
Thanks Paul really interesting and as far as I am aware this has never been covered in the numerous programmes on TV there have been about stone henge, so thankyou
It could do with a new one, which would help the traffic flow,many times on the 303 I've been stuck behind cars where their occupants have got out of the car to take pictures..... unbelievable but it happens so often
Agree 👍🏼
Really enjoyed that piece of history. Please take care
A late Neolithic method to stop rubbernecking.
Worked
great video again Paul, always so interesting , i never knew it had a fence , well done and thank you 😊
Another excellent video Paul. Thanks so much.
Very welcome
Nothing has more impact on the landscape than a hole - or a whole array of holes: what about the circular pits dug into the rock-bottom around the main structure? They seemed so random and void of imporzant stuff, that builings were allowed on one or two of their sites. More were discovered later - connecting those "dots" seemed to indicate some purpose. But timelines and surviving features are hard to grasp, if you are no expert.
Interesting theories. And there's Stonehenge, so stooooooones!
I wonder if we will ever know what the palisade was truly build for.
And am I the only one who was expecting that it's spelled Robin Hood's BOWL?
Me too!!!
Interesting video and didn't knew there was a fence that size near Stonehenge
Thank you for your upload , love " stonehenge bottom " , 😁
ps I really enjoy all your uploads very info rich and easy viewing.
My pleasure!
Another interesting video Thankyou .Only visited them once back in about 1999. THe proximity of the busy road took the edge off the pleasure.
This was really interesting. Thank you for taking the time to make this video. 😊
"Don't look at my magic stones!" or ... OR!
Back then sheep were really tall and athletic!
Another fascinating video Paul, and the palisade was new to me.
Stonehenge wasn't just one thing. It changed physically over the centuries, so what happened there must have changed also. Over that length of time the religion and politics probably changed too. What I mean is that it may have been built for one thing, but as society changed they did different things there and changed the structure to suit them.
I wonder if it was painted maybe with scene and then it made sense there was a gap in between as it would be a different scene. Maybe as you walk down the avenue you have creation of the world the gap representing now and then the second fence with the future or afterlife.
Yup, i didn't consider that.
Looking at your diagrams, especially at 4:20 it looks pretty obvious that one route, The Avenue, was to guide crowds towards the site and the other, the fence, was to guide them away. (Or vice versa) We are told it was a place of huge gatherings, with cultural snd spiritual significance, and people driving herds of animals for trade and feasting, So they would have had the same ptoblems of crowd control at a major national site that we have today.
Terrific Paul … I didn’t know about the palisade … great work and keep on going mate … celestial is always a question with these sites but sometimes can be a hinderance 👋 👏 ⚔️👍
Fabulous...! What if there is another palisade which has not been discovered yet...?
If you or Rebecca ever read any of the Artemis Fowl books you look at Stonehenge in a totally different light!!!!
Merely as a rule of thumb, a 1.4 meter deep post hole in chalk implies a 4.2 meter or so tall post. Probably spaced to allow some defensive protection from arrows, while still allowing arrows to be fired between the posts, and preventing the passage of a person or large animal like a horse. Just a thought.
Ah I maybhave confused matters. The post hole depth I'm not sure of. That 1.4m is the dicth they were in, before holes.
Oooo this is going to get sooo many views
That would be nice.
Over 2000 in the first hour.
My take on stonehenge was that it was built as a venue and profitable enterprise it an impressive structure who wouldn, t want to get hitched there
wind break
👀😳
If you are walking along the Avenue towards Stonehenge, there is no need to block the view of Robin's Ball from that point because it would not be visible anyway if you were walking forwards - it would be over the shoulder back to one's right, not visible at all. Unless you progress along the Avenue backwards......
good to see the drove full of vans.....
Is it anything to do with the low sunrise during winter perhaps? The gap is there for the sun to shine on the henge to invoke the gods during a gathering or something.
Depends where the sun rises in relation to the gap I guess
Didn't know anything about this fence. Every day's a school day!
That palisade (which I had never heard of before) seems to end at the cursus! I wonder if there was some connection.
I think the Curses predated it by a good 500 years. But I presume they would have been well aware of it
It sounds to me that the fence was there for symbolic reasons, rather than practical ones. Presumably it marked some kind of boundary. It could have been a tribal boundary set at a very important religious site. Or maybe only a few chosen people were allowed to pass beyond the boundary to partake in ceremonies, while the rest could watch events through the big gaps in the fence but not partake (just like in a medieval church). Maybe it separated the world of the living from the world of the dead (stone monuments worldwide are often associated with the dead). Or it separated the world of the gods from the world of the living. If Stonehenge is celestial, the fence might separate the earth from the heavens, with Stonehenge as part of the heavens.
Whatever it was, we’ll likely never know for certain, unless someone invents a time machine
I thunk I know less now than when this started!
Another fascinating video that leaves the viewer pondering if the real truth will ever be discovered. But, something from so deep in my memory bank that I'm not even sure if I dreamt it. Somewhere in the past I came across an advert from a magazine or a newspaper, that had a farm for sale. What was so special about the farm was that it also included the historical site of Stonehenge. I mention this as a couple of years ago I was in the UK with my family and as we drove passed Stonehenge I told my daughter about the sale. However, I have since never found any proof of my memory. Does anybody know if my memory is factual or a dream?
First thing I thought of is that maybe it could be some sort of barrier to herd wild animals and chase them through the gaps so that they could easily be slaughtered.
This came to mind because I seem to remember that there were a lot of animal bones and skulls found in and around Stonehenge that seem to have been slaughtered
usually the would use a V shaped palistrade fo funneling animals.
while on the subject of the stonehenge area, there was recent news that techniques used in the western australian goldfields indicates that the altar stone is not from the same place as the other granite stones but most resembles granite from northern scotland. so go figure that one out. the news article concluded that it must have been moved by sea.
"Moved by sea" or and Ice Age glacier?
*an
Fascinating and very well made.
The fence posts would need horizontal logs attached on top to hold it all together. That is where they got the idea for the stone lintels on the henge itself.
Think it’s important to remember that Stonehenge had different meanings to different peoples in all its phases of use, including its current one.
In a thousand or two thousand years our descendants may well look at the footprint of the current visitor centre and determine a use around gathering as part of the ritual landscape.
Much like windmill hill west kennet and Avebury, sites fall out of use and then come in to use again and each community sees and reflects its own needs and concerns in the landscape.
I'm pretty sure any view across large areas of landscape at this point in time would have been largely obscured by the forest that covered most of the entire island. Our view today is only by the taming of the landscape through time and the adoption of farming. The idea of hunting seems more viable in my opinion.
Bearing in mind the tentative studies into acoustics of the monument, maybe the palisade was a sonic barrier, preventing visitors from experiencing the spiritual 'rattle and hum' until a certain, defined point in their journey towards the stones?
How well-founded are the theories that the wall should obstruct the view?
I know from some Egyptology channels that some people have said a sentence or developed a theory that is based on little or no evidence... At some point someone has written a sentence on the subject in a book and that one sentence is then the only source for the thesis.. But the thesis is repeated again and again. All this apart from the fact that there are also errors in records and documentation. This is sometimes an extremely strange level when it comes to scientific work. More speculation than looking at what concrete facts we have and where they come from. In my opinion, this also hinders historical research, since it is enough to put forward a theory about which one speculates instead of collecting facts.
If the theory is that the wall was meant to conceal the ceremonies, but in some places it doesn't actually block the view... how much thought went into that theory?
Now, if they could only put that fence alongside the A303 so anyone driving along the road couldn't see Stonehenge it would massively help the traffic problems!
As always a great video .
Glad you enjoyed it
I've always thought, what if it was simply a market. The wall may have been a way to control the cattle for the market. Just adding my one of the millions of ideas floating around.
It would have been a lot of effort to go to to just be a market. The centre stone of SH was bought in from scotland
@@twitch1512 Yes but back in that period of history markets where very important. No Walmart's or Costco's, markets once established help build new trade routes, and political power. It was just a thought I lay no claim, just taking part in the ongoing discussion.
The corralling of beasts for slaughter was what occurred to me.
In my head inwas thinking pigs- shield not only their view of the sacred abbatoir- but also their hearing of what was going down and also from seeing a large gathering of people. This might stop them from panic/running away. The causeway was the route for humans from the south - the palisade for beasts being funnelled from the north/east/west. The two gaps were to funnel in the animals working from either direction.
I imagine the direction of where the beasts came from may have had some ritual tributary function- paying tribute from different areas or seasons perhaps? Which would allow for structured ceremony based around where the gaps were and the direction animals enter the monument.
But as paul says- lets see if any evidence emerges.
Final thought: what were the megaliths transported on? Perhaps the palisade was a reuse of large circular logs required for transporting large stones? Just a thought.
The problem with archeologists is that if they can't explain something then it must be ceremonial in some way.
It may just have been a series of posts sunk in the ground to stabilise the land; or it may have been a short, stout fence to keep animals away from the construction site.
If it really was as tall as the post hole depth implies it might just have been protection against the prevailing wind etc etc.- Winter Solstice can be chilly.
I don't think archaeology has pinpointed ceremony, just one theory of many.
I've passed the link on to an expert, in case she would like to add something. Meanwhile I feel confident in ruling out your final speculation. The type of spirituality in which people give thanks and sacrifices to gods almost certainly did not exist in the time of Stonehenge. It's easy for us to take that idea for granted but it's rooted in a way of thinking that is probably anachronistic before the bronze age.
Really really good video!
The line from Stonehenge to Robin Hood's Ball seems to be almost exactly 90 degrees from the orientation of Stonehenge itself.
Very interesting topic, thank you.
I reckon it’s a site used for circle of life ritual. Fences are used to define borders, in this case the border between life and death made physical
Here's a thought.
Some Stonehenge stones come from Wales, some come locally from England, and at least one comes from Scotland.
So whose to say that the trees just come from an area not particularly rich in stones but they still contributed what they could? Perhaps the gap simply points in the direction that those people are from?
Also, has anyone figured out if the palisade logs were the same size as the logs used to build woodhenge just up the road?
May I ask for another video on Stonehenge and its significance? If I remember correctly, Stonehenge is not the only or main or most important structure of its kind, actually forming part of a number of similar structures. However, I've only learned that from two videos (two different media) in the last, let's say, six, seven years or so. And with that Stonehenge bypass/underpass having been discussed/mentioned fairly often in the recent past (now the project being abandoned or so), Stonehenge was mentioned talked about very often. Yet, as I understand it, Stonehenge doesn't stand for/on itself. A fact I would liked to have pointed out more often.
Stonehenge videos are always a tricky thing. There is a lot of conflicting models and I end up getting myself in a complete confused mess. I'll have a think
And now the altar stone is from Scotland, not sarsons. About 11 yrs ago a went on an organised walk from Durrington Walls to. An amazing area, which we are still learning about
Stonehenge would have been really impressive in it's day, but all of the wooden structure has rotted away. All that's left now is the stone scaffolding the builders left up when they tried to repair it.
Stonehenge was known for signifying the longest day of sunshine and the shortest. I wonder if it helped to concentrate the suns rays?
Perhaps the significance is the spacing between the palisade timbers. Casting light and shadows in a binary form.
Cattle corale pallisade seems plausible. The Auroch is a big dangerous animal. Big Pits were dug to corale the Aurochs to fall into. There they could be shot easily and safely with flint bows and arrows, to provide Auroch meat for the feasting which was a huge part of proceedings at different times of the year. Like shooting salmon in a barrel.
Nah Vem boes an arrers were made o' wood not flint mate!
@@angusmurray3767 flint tipped arrows are like razors. Straight through the jugular vein. Job done. A mattadore kills a bull by weakening it with multiple stabs through neck with hand held javelins. The bull loses blood over time.
Back in the day, a device known as a "salmon wheel" was used to harvest salmon here on the West Coast. Until the stocks of salmon were greatly depleted & these wheels were banned.
Excellent vid as always....😀👍
Perhaps the GAP represents a GATE?
Cool video mate ❤
The latest research shows that there are two causewayed enclosures at Robin Hood's Ball. The structures are now called "Robin Hood's Ball 1" and "Robin Hood's Ball 2"; had English Heritage the slightest shred of humour they really ought to have been called "Robin Hood's Balls" (with numbers tagged on as well).
Approved.
I vaguely remember an article stating the original henge was wooden, and a much larger complex, (maybe a foreshadowing of the stone to follow)
Maybe only VIPS or guests of honour stood in the gap between, just a guess.
Yup, could well be
Cool, I never knew that about Stonehenge.
Keeping out the aurox. Likely they would use the stones for scratching posts.
Woah, I forgot to 'like' this vid. Okay, fixed that. Paul, could you please leave the printed text up for a couple more tenths of a second ? Being a bit age-challenged, or i don't know what, I can't quite get to punch-line in under 1.75 seconds. Just to make this clear, I've noticed I have a tendency to not be able to grasp new concepts through the visuals, at the same time as the explanation comes through on the audio - so i skip back and have a look a second time at specific places in the video, to grasp your points.
Paul, have you seen the drone, and lidar footage of the water level of such ancient times ?
If both Avenues from Stonehenge and Durrington walls reach the Avon, we have a decent idea.
5:38 lol!
I was going to edit it out. But I think it added to the video!
@@pwhitewick Comedy value, glad you kept it!
Wind break ? I bet there were lots of smoke from fires at the site...
Yup good call
Very interesting Paul... I'm on the fence with this one, as there are so many "Ifs or Buts" that said, thanks for the research
Sometimes... we just don't know.
@@pwhitewick One day the "enquiringly mind" will find out