Stonehenge was ‘ancient Mecca on stilts’

Inside the circumference of Stonehenge. Image by Danny Sullivan / CC BY 2.0

A new theory suggests that the famous prehistoric monument of Stonehenge was actually a vast platform that could support hundreds of worshippers as well as a giant altar. Julian Spalding, who is an art critic and a former museum director, believes that the megaliths visible today provided the base of the structure, and that ramps or staircases reached up to the platform. Sacred monuments across the world have been built reaching towards the sky, and Spalding argues that Stonehenge, in southwest England, is no exception and was ‘an ancient Mecca on stilts’. Historians have questioned the claims, which are made in a new book. Read more: guardian.com