Where did Stonehenge and Easter Island come from?

Question

Where did Stone Henge And Easter Island Come from?

Answer 1

Archaeologists think that the standing stones of Stonehenge were erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC although the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

Joseph Seligmans's Stonehenge Complete gives the derivation of Stonehenge as coming from the Old English words "stān" meaning "stone", and either "hencg" meaning "hinge" (because the stone lintels hinge on the upright stones) or "hen(c)en" meaning "gallows" or "instrument of torture".

The Stonehenge complex was built in several construction phases spanning 2,000 years, although there is evidence for activity both before and afterwards on the site.

Dating and understanding the various phases of activity at Stonehenge is not a simple task; it is complicated by poorly-kept early excavation records, surprisingly few accurate scientific dates and the disturbance of the natural chalk by periglacial effects and animal burrowing.


There has been much controversy and confusion concerning the origins of the Easter Islanders. Thor Heyerdahl proposed that the people who built the statues were of Peruvian descent, due to a similarity between Rapa Nui and Incan stonework. Some have suggested that Easter Island is the remnant of a lost continent, or the result of an extra-terrestrial influence . Archaeological evidence, however, indicates discovery of the island by Polynesians at about 400 AD - led, according to legend, by Hotu Matua. Upon their arrival, an impressive and enigmatic culture began to develop. In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script; the only written language in Oceania. The island is also home to many petroglyphs (rock carvings), as well as traditional wood carvings, tapa (barkcloth) crafts, tattooing, string figures, dance and music. The population of Easter Island reached its peak at perhaps more than 10,000, far exceeding the capabilities of the small island's ecosystem. Resources became scarce, and the once lush palm forests were destroyed - cleared for agriculture and moving the massive stone Moai. In this regard, Easter Island has become, for many, a metaphor for ecological disaster.

Thereafter, a thriving and advanced social order began to decline into bloody civil war and, evidently, cannibalism. Eventually, all of the Moai standing along the coast were torn down by the islanders themselves. All of the statues now erected around the island are the result of recent archaeological efforts.

Answer 2

Stonehenge Easter Island

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

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Where did Stonehenge and Easter Island come from?
Where did Stone Henge And Easter Island Come from?

Answer 4

Further to the very full answers on Stonehenge, 'henges' are common neolithic constructions in all parts of the UK, from the south to Scotland and the Orkney Islands (see the source I quote). The size (in area) of Stonehenge is dwarfed by Avebury Circle. There were also circles comprised of wood (see the source for Woodhenge) and , indeed, henges found in the sea.

What makes Stonehenge so special is the sheer size of the stones. The smaller could have been found on the nearby Marlborough Downs, but the large 'blue stones' could only have come from the Prescelli Mountains in S. Wales, nearly 100 miles away. The amazing thing is that our so called 'primitive' ancestors managed to transport them over this distance and then raise them to a vertical position.

Answer 5

Stonehenge is a megalithic monument on the Salisbury Plain in England, about 85 miles southwest of London. It consists of a ditch and bank surrounding huge stones -- many weighing between one and 45 tons -- arranged in circle and horseshoe patterns, along with a lane connecting it to the nearby River Avon. Construction began around 3,000 B.C. and continued until about 1,100 B.C.

Unfortunately, the people who built Stonehenge didn't leave much evidence of why they built this massive structure. So writers and researchers through the ages have pondered the stones and come up with their own stories about this prehistoric creation.

The most common theories suggest Stonehenge is an astronomical calendar, a religious site, or a combination of the two. From John Aubrey in the 17th century to William Stukeley in the 18th century to Sir J. Norman Lockyer and Gerald Hawkins in the 20th century, scholars have found that the position of Stonehenge's earthworks and stones coincides with solstices and cycles of the moon. But these scholars have interpreted this information differently.

Early theorists believed the Celtic priesthood called the Druids built Stonehenge as a temple, but there are no records of Druids existing in the same time period that Stonehenge was created. However, other ancient peoples could have built Stonehenge as a temple that marked the solstices as holy days.


Rapa Nui -- christened "Easter Island" by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen because he first arrived there on Easter Day in 1722 -- is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. It's 2,300 miles from Chile and 2,500 miles from Tahiti. The nearest land is Pitcairn Island (population 54) about 1,400 miles away. The island was colonized by Chile in the late 19th century and remains a Chilean possession. In Chile, the official name for the island is Isla de Pascua, and the islanders call it both Rapa Nui and Te Pito te Henua (the navel of the world).
Aside from its isolation, Easter Island is best known for the giant stone heads called moai that dot the otherwise barren landscape. Almost 900 moai exist, and they average 13 feet tall and nearly 14 tons in weight. They were probably erected between 1400 and 1600 AD. Most researchers believe the moai represent important ancestors, such as chiefs. It doesn't appear that the statues were worshipped, but they may have acted as spiritual conduits between the people and their gods.

Unfortunately, little of the culture that created the moai remains. Between 1600 and 1722, the island's population decreased dramatically. Evidence suggests that deforestation and soil depletion lead to food shortages, causing the population decrease.

After European contact, Easter Island's history took an even darker turn. Peruvian slavers kidnapped about one-third of the island's population in the mid-19th century. These slavers also brought smallpox to the Rapa Nui people. In 1888, Chile claimed possession of Easter Island. Later, a Chilean business turned the island into a sheep ranch. Native islanders were treated like prisoners, and it wasn't until 1916 that the company's rule was overthrown.

The Chilean Navy took control of Rapa Nui in 1952, and, once again, islanders were subject to autocratic controls. Islanders secured the right to vote for their governors through a revolt in 1964, and the military influence diminished. Some military sites remained -- the United States built a tracking station in the 1960s and later expanded the island's airport runway as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle.

Today, Easter Island has a population of several thousand people. Agriculture, cattle ranching, fishing, artwork, and tourism are the main industries. Flights from Santiago, Chile, land on a regular basis.

The moai still stand around the island with their backs to the ocean, while various research teams ponder how they were moved from an inland quarry to their coastal locations

Answer 6

I can see why the Pyramids and the Easter Island heads are jealous. Spinal Tap never wrote a song about them.

Answer 7

Both built by local inhabitants..
Thousands of years apart..

Answer 8

captain kirck build them Dr.Spock designed them