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Stonehenge: the prehistoric ‘computer’ that predicted eclipses? The theory that caused a stir
🇬🇷 Greece /Culture & Society

Stonehenge: the prehistoric ‘computer’ that predicted eclipses? The theory that caused a stir

From Ta Nea · () Greek

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

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Astronomy professor Gerald Hawkins argued that Stonehenge’s stone alignments and 56 Aubrey holes helped ancient Britons track the Moon and predict eclipses.
  • Hawkins developed the theory with diagrams, stone measurements and computer calculations at the Harvard-Smithsonian Observatory, then presented it on BBC television in 1966.
  • His proposal that Stonehenge served as an advanced astronomical observatory became widely influential, although experts have long disagreed about the monument’s purpose.

For decades, experts have disagreed over what Stonehenge meant to the people who built it. Some have viewed the monument in southwest England as a memorial to the dead, while others have suggested a sacrificial altar or a site for religious ceremonies.

matched a particular pattern of the Moon

— Gerald HawkinsHawkins used the 56 cavities in Stonehenge’s largest circle to support his eclipse-prediction theory.

Gerald Hawkins offered a more technological explanation. The Boston astronomy professor argued that the monument’s stones and arches allowed ancient Britons to observe the Moon and predict eclipses, effectively turning Stonehenge into a prehistoric computer.

Hawkins presented the theory on British television in August 1966, building on the ideas in his popular book, Stonehenge Decoded. He pointed to 56 cavities in Stonehenge’s largest circle, saying the number matched a particular lunar pattern and could have served as a simple tool for forecasting eclipses.

the first theory about the purpose of Stonehenge to be academically accepted and published in scientific journals

— Gerald HawkinsHe described the academic standing he believed his astronomical interpretation had achieved.

He believed eclipses held special meaning for the monument’s builders. The Moon’s eerie transformation during an eclipse, when it could appear red, may have been understood as a warning from the ancestors, according to his interpretation.

the computer produced some tantalizing results

— BBC presenterThe presenter characterized the computer calculations that linked Stonehenge’s alignments with solar and lunar positions.

Hawkins said his was the first theory about Stonehenge’s purpose to win academic acceptance and appear in scientific journals. He had visited the monument in 1961 to understand how it marked the sunrise, then returned to the United States and used charts and precise records of its stones, arches and cavities. With a computer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Observatory, he calculated which positions of the Sun and Moon could have been observed from the site during the era of its construction. The results appeared to connect many of the monument’s alignments with solar and lunar rising and setting points.

Stonehenge was connected with the Sun and Moon as closely as the tides are

— Gerald HawkinsHawkins summarized his view that the monument had a close astronomical relationship with the Sun and Moon.
About this summary

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. 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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