STONEHENGE DECODED

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 1965

For untold centuries Stonehenge, a circle of monolithic stones standing ""deep in history"" on Salisbury Plain in England, has been a subject of controversy, mystery lost in legend. In this scholarly volume an internationally known astronomer, Prof. Hawkins, tells of the legends and the known facts surrounding the monument, and also gives a detailed account of his own work in ""decoding"" the secrets of Stonehenge with a computer. Starting with the thesis that anything he learned about Stonehenge was also known to its builders in 1500 B.C., the author based his researches on one important fact: that ""the principle line of the edifice points to the northeast,"" where on midsummer day the sun rises over a huge stone, the ""heel stone,"" standing. outside the main circle. Using mathematical and astronomical calculations to determine the alignments of the different stones, the arches and the 56 ""Aubrey holes,"" he fed his findings into the computer, which presented him with its ""decodings."" From these the author evolved the theory that Stonehenge is itself a Neolithic computer, a stone observatory tightly oriented to the sun and moon, which enabled its builders to predict precise dates for harvests, plantings, eclipses and solstices. Not for lazy readers, this erudite but far from dull study will appeal to astronomers, archaeologists, and serious students of Stonehenge, as well as to viewers of the recent TV documentary on the Subject. An essential reference on Stonehenge, the book includes in its appendices two previous articles on stonehenge by Prof. Hawkins, and one on a similar stone circle at Callanish in the Hebrides.

Pub Date: Nov. 5, 1965

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1965

Categories: NONFICTION