Stonehenge riddle 'solved.' It's a girl
Thursday, July 10, 2003 Posted: 1:25 PM EDT (1725 GMT)
TORONTO, Canada (Reuters) -- Stonehenge is a massive female fertility symbol,
according to Canadian researchers who think they have finally solved the mystery
of the ancient monument in southern England.
In the arrangement of the stones, the researchers say they have spotted the
original design: female genitalia.
The theory is laid out in a paper entitled "Stonehenge: a view from medicine" in
an issue of Britain's Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
"To the builders of the henge, the most critical events in life were birth and
death," Anthony Perks, a retired professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the
University of British Columbia, wrote in the paper, published earlier this year.
He noted there was no evidence of tombs built by the original builders.
"Of birth, we could expect little evidence. However, evidence may be there but
so large as to be overlooked."
Viewed from above, Perks suggests Stonehenge's inner bluestone circle represents
the labia minora and the giant outer sarsen stone circle is the labia majora.
The altar stone is the clitoris and the open center is the birth canal.
"Could the outer avenue of Stonehenge...represent the way by which new life
entered?" the article wondered, adding that when comparing "the layout of the
henge with the anatomy of the human vulva. There is a distinct similarity."
Perks, who is traveling in England, could not be reached for comment.
The mysterious ancient monument on Salisbury Plain is recognized around the
world for its circle of standing stones.
Perks said the ancient sacrificed child found at nearby Woodhenge bolsters his
theory and said an excavation at Stonehenge could produce a similar find.
"In ancient societies, ideas of a dominant creator, a Mother or Earth Goddess,
were widespread," Perks wrote.
"If ideas of Earth Mother originated with, or were shared by, the people of the
henge, Stonehenge could represent, symbolically, the opening by which Earth
Mother gave birth to the plants and animals on which the ancient people so
depended.
"The henge would honor her for giving them both life and livelihood."
Scholars say Stonehenge, a World Heritage site, was built between 3000 and 1600
BC. For a time, it was used for ceremonial burials of local chieftains. Theories
for why it was built range from a temple, an astronomy site, and a variety of
spiritual and temporal purposes.
David Batchelor, an archeologist with English Heritage, which manages the
prehistoric site, was hardly convinced by the latest speculation.
"I would be skeptical of that...but the Stonehenge people are entitled to draw
whatever conclusions they wish. Some are more probable than others," he said.
"The only thing we can know with certainty is that we will never know why they
built it. All we are left with is what has survived 5,000 years of time."
-- CNN.com Senior Writer Richard Stenger contributed to this report.