"Woodhenge" in Ohio

[Rokcet Scientist]

For your reading pleasure:

Wooden "Stonehenge" Emerges From Prehistoric Ohio
Timber circles, like U.K. monument, aligned to summer solstice, study reveals.

Just northeast of Cincinnati, Ohio, a sort of wooden Stonehenge is slowly emerging as archaeologists unearth increasing evidence of a 2,000-year-old ceremonial site.

Among their latest finds: Like Stonehenge, the Ohio timber circles were likely used to mark astronomical events such as the summer solstice.

Formally called Moorehead Circle but nicknamed "Woodhenge" by non-archaeologists, the site was once a leafless forest of wooden posts. Laid out in a peculiar pattern of concentric, but incomplete, rings, the site is about 200 feet (57 meters) wide. [...]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... t-science/

[Tiompan]

Can anyone point me in the direction of any plans of these monuments please ?
Archaeos often suggest archaeoastronomy that subsequently collapses upon examination ,I'd like to see if that is the case here .


George

[kbs2244]

This should get you started.

http://www.ancientohiotrail.org/

http://www.geekosystem.com/new-stonehenge/

http://www.ablogabouthistory.com/2010/0 ... d-in-ohio/

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/lo ... henge.html

Also look up Fort Ancient, Ohio

They are parts of the same site.

And remember, there is a Woodhenge at Cahokia in southern Illinois.

[E.P. Grondine]

Can anyone point me in the direction of any plans of these monuments please ?
Archaeos often suggest archaeoastronomy that subsequently collapses upon examination ,I'd like to see if that is the case here .
George

Hi George -
You might want to read the henge materials here:
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/ce090400.html

which were significantly corrected, updated, and improved for my book Man and Impact in the Americas, available through http://cosmictusk.com

[Tiompan]

This should get you started.

http://www.ancientohiotrail.org/

http://www.geekosystem.com/new-stonehenge/

http://www.ablogabouthistory.com/2010/0 ... d-in-ohio/

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/lo ... henge.html

Also look up Fort Ancient, Ohio

They are parts of the same site.

And remember, there is a Woodhenge at Cahokia in southern Illinois.

Thanks KBS , but none of the links have plans . I was particularly interested in these comments "This year archaeologists began using computer models to analyze Moorehead Circle's layout and found that Ohio's Woodhenge may have even more in common with the United Kingdom's Stonehenge than thought—specifically, an apparently intentional astronomical alignment." and wondered if there was any plans to support or test the claim . And "Riordan said Moorehead Circle might have had something to do with astronomy. The centre of the works might point to the sunrise on the summer solstice. " mmm , the centre without another point to create an orientation could be aligned on anything but if there is something that could be seen as a marker, like the Heel stone in relation to the centre of Stonehenge then that's what I'm interetsed in .Thanks again .

George

[Tiompan]

Can anyone point me in the direction of any plans of these monuments please ?
Archaeos often suggest archaeoastronomy that subsequently collapses upon examination ,I'd like to see if that is the case here .
George

Hi George -
You might want to read the henge materials here:
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/ce090400.html

which were significantly corrected, updated, and improved for my book Man and Impact in the Americas, available through http://cosmictusk.com

Thanks E.P. , not a lot on henges but some other interesting stuff . I wonder if the use of term is the same as we would use over here . A henge for us is a monument that is roughly circular with an internal ditch and outer bank with 1-4 "entrances " usually dated to the late Neolithic (approx. 3000-2000 BC ) .From that description it can be seen that Stonehenge is not a typical henge in that it has inner bank .Some henges did have timber circles as part of the monumnet ,usually predating the later henge .

George

[Rokcet Scientist]

I wonder if the use of term is the same as we would use over here . A henge for us is a monument that is roughly circular with an internal ditch and outer bank with 1-4 "entrances " usually dated to the late Neolithic (approx. 3000-2000 BC ) .From that description it can be seen that Stonehenge is not a typical henge in that it has inner bank .Some henges did have timber circles as part of the monumnet ,usually predating the later henge .

I wonder if that strict an adherence to that definition of a henge accomplishes anything. I would suggest that it is more important that we try to agree if the sites seem 'connected' or 'inspired' by similar concepts, and go from there. Imo it's more productive to concentrate on the similarities for now. Not on the differences.

[Tiompan]

I wonder if the use of term is the same as we would use over here . A henge for us is a monument that is roughly circular with an internal ditch and outer bank with 1-4 "entrances " usually dated to the late Neolithic (approx. 3000-2000 BC ) .From that description it can be seen that Stonehenge is not a typical henge in that it has inner bank .Some henges did have timber circles as part of the monumnet ,usually predating the later henge .

I wonder if that strict an adherence to that definition of a henge accomplishes anything. I would suggest that it is more important that we try to agree if the sites seem 'connected' or 'inspired' by similar concepts, and go from there. Imo it's more productive to concentrate on the similarities for now. Not on the differences.

Typology can be useful and a nuisance Henges have enough problems with their differing classes , depending on how many entrances etc but at least it does help differentiate them from other types of monuments .
A lot would depend on what sites are being considered and what is considered to to be the connection .Do you mean the similarity between the timber circles ? Inspiration is problematic I couldn't possibly be a fair judge of what may have inspired the construction of a henge a rock art site a mound or large enclosed space like Newark or any non-utilitarian monument ,I could suggest something as anyone could but I doubt it would any more enlightening than the usual e.g. , land rights for burial monuments , meeting places for causewayed camps , ritual centres for henges etc . My main concern in this case Moorhead "woodhenge" "though was discovering the likelihood of the putative archaeoastronomy

George

[kbs2244]

I couldn’t find one quickly on the Ohio woodhenge, but this is the one at Cahokia.

http://www.museum.state.il.us/RiverWeb/ ... ayout.html

BTW,
they do seem to share some other construction similarities to the British, (and even the French?) henge’s.

They have a ditch around the outside, etc.

[E.P. Grondine]

I couldn’t find one quickly on the Ohio woodhenge, but this is the one at Cahokia.

http://www.museum.state.il.us/RiverWeb/ ... ayout.html

BTW,
they do seem to share some other construction similarities to the British, (and even the French?) henge’s.

They have a ditch around the outside, etc.

I ought to be being paid large amounts of money for this.

What I related in the piece at the URL is all the ethnographic material we have on North American henges.

There is a henge in Africa (Nakbe?) 8,000 BCE, built by Sahara River descendants, the same folk who crossed to Pedra Furada ca 35,000 BCE, and who later moved north across the Caribbean (Clovis), and later became Savanah River, in other words Yuchi and Ocanochee.

That's how far back the use of henges goes - when those folks and European ancestors were close.

That far back.

The British and French henges were built by piling up dirt, digging holes down through it where the stones were to be dropped; the stones were brought up the hill on sledges, dropped into the holes. The dirt was then removed, leaving the rings.

The henges appear to have been built in response to major impact events.

[Tiompan]

I couldn’t find one quickly on the Ohio woodhenge, but this is the one at Cahokia.

http://www.museum.state.il.us/RiverWeb/ ... ayout.html

BTW,
they do seem to share some other construction similarities to the British, (and even the French?) henge’s.

They have a ditch around the outside, etc.

I ought to be being paid for this.

What I related in the piece at the URL is all the ethnographic material we have on North American henges.

There is a henge in Africa (Nakbe?) 8,000 BCE, built by Sahara River descendants, the same folk who crossed to Pedra Furada ca 35,000 BCE, and who later moved north across the Caribbean (Clovis).

That's how far back the use of henges goes - when those folks and Europeans were close.
That far back.

E.P. I think your'e probably thinking of Nabta Playa , it's a stone circle not a henge .
Ethnography does have it's uses but when in reference to a prehistoric period salt is required .

George

[E.P. Grondine]

E.P. I think your'e probably thinking of Nabta Playa , it's a stone circle not a henge .
Ethnography does have it's uses but when in reference to a prehistoric period salt is required .
George

Yes, that's it. And yes, ethnography definitely has to be used with discernment, particularly in proto-historical periods, and always accounting for observer and reporter bias. You also have to account for excavation bias.

That said, I need to correct myself. The url I cited gives all the materials I know of on Eastern henges.

You can go there and then use the find function to locate them.

They are also contained in my book, and have been for the last 4 years.
As have the YD impact accounts.
That's why it is a "landmark" book.

[Tiompan]

I couldn’t find one quickly on the Ohio woodhenge, but this is the one at Cahokia.

http://www.museum.state.il.us/RiverWeb/ ... ayout.html

BTW,
they do seem to share some other construction similarities to the British, (and even the French?) henge’s.

They have a ditch around the outside, etc.

Thanks KBS .I don't know much US archaeology but was aware of this site ,very interesting too .Not particularly henge like though what was most striking in relation to European monuments , despite the huge spatio-temporal difference ,are the mounds and timber circles .Monks mound is reminiscent of a major UK mound Silbury Hill .The timber circles are supposed to have a very obvious mathematical sequence ( based on multiples of 12 ) which is never found in the much older UK examples . The oldest Henge is found in Scotland , there are none in France but there are central European monuments ,Roundels , that pre-date henges and have some similarities .

George