The Study in England program took us on another fine one day field trip via coach (bus) to Bath and Stonehenge.
The city of Bath is a World Heritage site located in Somerset, England. It is the location of the only hot springs on the island and has been treated as a shrine for thousands of years. The Romans built a huge temple which was dedicated to Minerva but prior to that, Iron Age Britons dedicated it to the Goddess Sulis. The temple which is open to visit was originally constructed in 60-70 AD. Over the next 300 or so years, rooms for different temperature baths and other uses were added. Floors were created by piling stone tiles at various heights over the water so that there would be enough air circulating between the water and the floor to prevent people from burning their feet. The spring still produces hot water at a temperature of 115 °F and rises at the rate of 257,364 gallons every day.
The city of Bath has many buildings in the Georgian architectural design which was popular between 1720 - 1840. According to Wikipedia, this architectural style coincides with the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United Kingdom, and George IV of the United Kingdom—who reigned in continuous succession from August 1714 to June 1830.
While in Bath, we ran across a couple of pig sculptures from a trail building project a few years back. We just couldn't help but take a few pictures of of them.
After a lunch in Bath, we all climbed back on the coach for a ride to Stonehenge. This is even more impressive than I thought it would be. Also a World Heritage site, it is believed to have been begun some 3100 BC with the earthwork comprising a ditch, bank, and the Aubrey holes. The Aubrey holes are round pits in the chalk with steep sides and flat bottoms. After this construction, it was left untouched for over 1000 years.
The second stage in construction started around 2150 BC. Some 82 bluestones from the Preseli Mountains in southwest Wales were transported to the site. The distance from Stonehenge is nearly 240 miles and is close to the place we visited in Wales. They were probably moved by raft and on rollers. Once on site, these stones were set up in the center to form an incomplete double circle.
More changes were made about 4000 years ago when stones were brought from about 25 miles north of Stonehenge. The largest of these weighs 590 tons and transportation by water would have been impossible, the stones could only have been moved using sledges and ropes.
The final changes took place soon after 1500 BC when the bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that is seen today. The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60; these have long since been removed or broken up.
Seeing these ancient sites is very humbling. They stones were lifted and fitted, obviously without the use of machinery as we know it. The drive and determination shown by the people who constructed these places of worship, respect for their beliefs or understanding of their world is astonishing. While we will never know the true reason for their action it is a thrill to walk on the land and see the work that they created.
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