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🇪🇪 Estonia /Culture & Society

“Chained to the Sun and Moon”: The surprising 1960s theory that Stonehenge was a prehistoric computer

From Postimees · () Estonian

Translated from Estonian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency Context piece
  • In 1966, Boston University astronomy professor Gerald Hawkins told the BBC that he had solved the mystery of Stonehenge.
  • Hawkins believed the Neolithic stone circle in southwest England served to predict solar and lunar eclipses.
  • His theory relied on a special numerical arrangement and an early IBM computer.

In August 1966, American astronomy professor Gerald Hawkins presented the BBC with what he described as a solution to Stonehenge’s ancient mystery: the stone circle was a prehistoric computer for predicting eclipses.

Hawkins, a professor at Boston University, told the BBC program “Chronicle” that he had reached his conclusion by studying a distinctive arrangement of numbers and using an early IBM computer.

Experts have long debated the purpose of the Neolithic monument in southwest England. Theories have included a memorial for the dead, an altar for sacrifices and a site for other religious rituals. Hawkins offered a very different explanation, arguing that Stonehenge was built to predict both solar and lunar eclipses.

Chronicle

· BBC program titleThe program where Gerald Hawkins presented his theory about Stonehenge.
About this summary

Originally published by Postimees in Estonian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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