How eloquently put. So Hans-Georg Stump writes as a headliner to his highly accessible photgrapghic online album of Ancient Stones from around Europe.
This is the solitary menhir of Gollenstien in Western Germany, quite near Saarbrucken and the border with France.
Hans-Georg says: “this about 22ft tall menhir rules majestic over the hilly landscape. It was broken into four parts when German soldiers in 1939 tried to destroy it, because it was not to be a landmark for the French artillery. Twelve years later it was re-erected by the local inhabitants. To eleminate the pagan power of the stone Christians chiseled a niche into the stone to install a Christian image (image 3). The name “Gollenstein” derives from the Latin word “colus” which was the name for a spindle. This stone was used for rites we will never know about; maybe it was seen as a column between earth and sky or was used later as a court stone. Some yards away from the Gollenstein a small hill is to be seen (image 2), which could be the remnants of a motte-and-bailey”.
I absolutely cannot recommend this website enough if you have the slightest interest in the magnificent site of Avebury Henge.
If there’s anything – anything at all you need to know about Avebury then go here NOW! The site is beautifully presenrted, and as a bonus to all the information available here, there is also a complete facsimile edition of William Stukely’s ‘ABURY – A TEMPLE OF THE BRITISH DRUIDS‘ online.
If you prefer to go further afiels in search of news and discoveries about ancient civilisation, pay a visit to the website below:
“MysteriousPlaces seeks to give the visitor information, educational materials, and personal observations about the remains of ancient civilizations, sacred sites and unusual locations from around the world. Each area explored by MysteriousPlaces is confronted by challenges. Those challenges may include the consequences of uncontrolled development, the fury of natural forces, the horrors of war, the effect of rapid population growth, or the results of simple neglect.
From the great pyramid in Egypt to tiny rock carvings in the desert, to the vast expanses of Antarctica there are clues to our past and future. If we ignore these clues, we will leave a sad legacy for the generations to come. By contributing to each visitor’s understanding of the world, MysteriousPlaces plays a small role unleashing the positive forces of change.
Mysterious Places is seeking support from individuals and organizations to:
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Expand and improve the content and functionality of this web site.
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Raise money to assist organizations working to preserve ancient monuments and other unique sites and locations around the world.
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Sponsor trips to document endangered places.
Click on the image below to visit AboutStonehenge.info – an eclectic mix of educational material, practical information, links, etc. focusing on this most famous of all sites.
Here is a link to the website of the Antiquarian Society. Anyone interested in the wisdom and knowledge of our ancient ancestors should take a look at this site and consider joining the group. Below is a summary of the history and purpose of the society taken from the website.
“We believe that ancient sites offer a wealth of prehistoric wisdom and science, and as such are of great importance to all of us in the world today, and future generations.
We cannot afford to lose our great, or even lesser known, ancient wonders, and they must be protected at all costs.
The Antiquarian Society was founded by Stuart Mason when he found two maps, both manufactured by the same company, but printed 20 years apart.
As well as the obvious cartographical changes (new roads, estates etc.) one would expect, Stuart also noticed on these maps, bands of public Sussex green belt down land that had remained undeveloped.
However, on the earlier map the sites of tumuli (ancient burial mounds) appeared, whereas on the present day map these sites had been omitted.
With no obvious reason for this anomaly, the obvious questions arose: how many more sites of antiquity were simply disappearing from the records? And how could these sites survive if knowledge of their very existence was slowly disappearing?
Stuart set out to investigate the existence of the tumuli noted on the older map and found that some of the sites were actually still where the map said they were, but that some had unfortunately been obliterated by the farmers plough.
And so The Antiquarian Society was born with a purpose and determination to rediscover and chart these sites, and to watch and document the practices of farmers and developers, ultimately obliging them to think twice before they plough through 4000 year old burial mounds while they think no-one is looking.
These ancient sites are our inheritance, and it is up to us to ensure that we can pass them on to our children, that we may share them and experience with friends and family.
The Antiquarian Society are asking you to join us in the countryside, finding, documenting and protecting what is left.”
The revised and expanded 2nd edition of acclaimed book is now available.
Ireland is home to some of the world’s oldest astronomically-aligned structures, giant stone monuments erected over 5,000 years ago. Despite their apparent simplicity, these megalithic edifices were crafted by a scientifically knowledgeable community of farmers who endeavoured to enshrine their beliefs in a stellar afterlife within the very fabric of their cleverly-designed stone temples.
In this updated and revised edition of their best-selling book, Anthony Murphy and Richard Moore present evidence suggesting the builders of monuments such as Newgrange and its Boyne Valley counterparts were adept astronomers, cunning engineers and capable surveyors. Their huge monuments are memorials in stone and earth, commemorating their creators’ perceived unity with the cosmos and enshrining a belief system which resulted from a crossover between science and spirituality.
As investigation of this awe-inspiring civilisation of people continues on many levels, evidence is emerging that significant archaeological sites dating from deep in prehistory are linked – not just through mythology, archaeology and cosmology – but through an arrangement of complex, and in some cases astonishing, alignments. Some of these alignments of ancient sites stretch from one side of Ireland to another.
While the accounts of the lives of some prominent Irish saints appear to be steeped in folklore and mystery, it seems from new interpretations of the literature that the cosmic world view which existed in Neolithic Ireland experienced a continuity right into the Early Christian period.
Join us on this fascinating exploration of stones, stars and stories. Island of the Setting Sun was launched in December 2006 and was sold out 13 months later in January 2008. The second edition is revised and expanded, with new images and more fascinating insights into ancient Ireland. It will be officially launched in Dublin Castle on Thursday, September 25th. We’d love to see you there.
See more about Island of the Setting Sun on this page | See photos from the launch night here
Critical acclaim for Island of the Setting Sun
“A fascinating insight into Ireland’s ancient burial sites” – Irish Independent
“A monument” – Drogheda Independent
“The sheer amount of information contained within the book is mind-boggling. It is well thought out and structured . . . The more you read the evidence the more convinced you become.” – Astronomy & Space
“The authors . . . reach interesting and challenging conclusions about the significance of ancient astronomical knowledge. The book is jammed with colour illustrations, maps and photographs. A thoroughly interesting read!” – Archaeology Ireland
“An essential book that demonstrates just how much the beliefs and practices of our ancestors were influenced by the movement of the stars. . . . A must have tome for all those passionate about what remains of our fast disappearing ritual monuments of the prehistoric age.” – Andrew Collins, author of The Cygnus Mystery
“A recent, beautifully written and illustrated publication, Island of the Setting Sun offers a thought-provoking merger of the studies of archaeology, astronomy and folklore, to explain Newgrange’s significance.” Geraldine and Matthew Stout, authors of Newgrange
