STONEHENGE

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, Im student Bujor Ionut from 6th
company, group 18 at Land Forces Academy Nicolae Blcescu.
The purpose of this speech is to give you some information about the famous
prehistoric monument Stonehenge. Im going to deliver a speech on Stonehenge
because I found it really interesting and has fascinated thousands of people
throughout the ages.
Today I will talk about: first, the location of this monument, a little about
its history, Ill talk about function and construction
First of all Id like to bring you that Stonhenge is a prehistoric monument in
Wiltsire, England, about 2 miles west of Amesbury and 8 miles north of
Salisbury.One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonhenge is the remains of a
ring of standing stones set within earthworks.It is in the middle of the most dense
complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several
hundred burial mounds.Archaeologists believe it was built anywhere from 300 to
2000 BC.Radiocarbon dating in 2008 suggested that the first stones were raised
between 2400 and 2200 BC, whilst another theory suggest that the bluestones
may have been raised at the site as early as 3000 BC. Stonehenge was produced by
a culture that left no written records. Many aspects of Stonehenge remain subject
to debate. This multiplicity of theories, some of them very colourful, are often
called the "mystery of Stonehenge.
A theory, brought forth in 2012, suggests that the monument was intended
to unify the different peoples of the British island. This theory suggests that the
massive amount of labour involved in the construction of Stonehenge necessitated
inter-regional cooperation, especially as many of the stones were moved over very
long distances, for example from quarries in Wales. More recently two major new
theories have been proposed. Professor Geoffrey Wainwright OBE, FSA, president
of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and Professor Timothy Darvill, OBE of
Bournemouth University have suggested that Stonehenge was a place of healing
the primeval equivalent of Lourdes.[22] They argue that this accounts for the high
number of burials in the area and for the evidence of trauma deformity in some of
the graves. However they do concede that the site was probably multifunctional
and used for ancestor worship as well.

Anyway many people have some vague knowledge of Stonehenge, enough at

least to know it exists. But there are many things that make Stonehenge a very
special structure. The name 'Stonehenge is believed to be of Saxon origin,
although the building is much older. It comes from the roots 'stone and 'henge' or
'hang', meaning 'the place of hanging stones'.
I found it really remarkable the sheer size of the stones that it is composed
of. Some of its stones are among the largest ancient structures still standing in
the British Isles. To really understand what Stonehenge looks like, in it's entire
enormity, we must take a detailed look at it's structure. And The attraction of
Stonehenge here is very simple: there are not yet enough facts about it to bury it
in certainty, in a scientific final solution to all its questions. Its great present
virtue is precisely that something so concrete, so sui generis, so individualized,
should still evoke so much impressions of feeling and thought.
Well I dont think I was really specific about this monument, but there are
so much to said and Im kind of short on time.
I hope you have enjoyed my speech and that you found interesting things.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Do you have any questions?