Curators' introduction to The world of Stonehenge

Join curators Dr Neil Wilkin and Dr Jennifer Wexler for an introduction to our new exhibition The world of Stonehenge.
Contemporary with the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge is one of the most famous monuments in the world. The ancient stone circle, located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, offers a unique gateway into the story of Britain and Europe between 4000 to 1000 BC; a period of dramatic cultural changes and long-distance connections that transformed society forever.
In this online event, curators Dr Neil Wilkin and Dr Jennifer Wexler will introduce the story, scope and themes of The world of Stonehenge, highlighting some of the key objects on display.
More information about the exhibition can be found here: www.britishmuseum.org/exhibit...
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Image credit: Stonehenge © oversnap/Getty Images.

[@Pagyptsian]

The atmosphere you were able to create was absolutely amazing and truly transports visitors back in time.

[@MrNas42]

Brilliant! I've visited the exhibition twice already and will go as often as I can to absorb the wonder of all those exhibits, never before collected together. There is so much to understand and wonder at.

[@Alun49]

I was there today and spent the best part of two hours exploring the exhibit. I am seriously considering going back before it closes because there is so much to absorb and reflect upon.

[@crazyjane6570]

Really want to visit but I’m 100s miles away up here in Scotland. Guessing it would be worth the journey though? X🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️

[@MossyMozart]

@@crazyjane6570 - I know what you mean. I have the great obstacle of an ocean. Due to these KZbin presentations, though, I get a small taste of the exhibit.

[@StephiSensei26]

Very exciting and informative. At one time I worked in the National Museum of Denmark as house photographer. So, I deeply appreciate the collective academic and Archeological effort put behind your exhibition. Kudos to you all, and thank you for your continued studies, to bring light to the history of all mankind.

[@the_mystery_of_stonehenge]

Stonehenge has actually been deciphered. These 'introduction to Stonehenge' docs are all outdated. Do these people even know?

[@jennyjeyarajah7672]

What a brilliant talk - thank you Jennifer Wexler and Neil Wilkin. I saw the exhibition at the British Museum on Sunday. Your passion, vitality and clarity in this talk didn't quite - for me - come across in the exhibition but I'm delighted to hear you both speak.

[@robertbrennan2268]

Really excellent introduction to the "World of Stonehenge" which I look forward to visiting. Thank you Jennifer and Neil - and to all the many contributing institutions. I am impressed by the opening out into the wider European/Eurasian context through integrating into the exhibition the latest archaeo-genomic and isotopic revolutions with their new emphasis on the importance of migration into cultural diffusion. Loved the open perspective allowing the possibility of multiple interpretation and debate. Thank you BM!

[@abisu5273]

Fabulous day thanks. Busting with stuff, info and people. So big up to whoever suggested the calming sound installations.

[@mradcaqbdb]

Thank you! That was absolutely fascinating. I probably won’t be able to make it across the pond before this exhibition ends (although I’m still trying), so I’ll be taking advantage of the discussions this one that you’ll be holding in the future.

[@spikewillow4552]

Thank you for sharing our past..

[@eastcoastartist]

Wow wow wow!

[@woodspirit98]

It seems the original henge being of wood may have represented just a large scaled up version of round houses. As if to show the land there belonged to the inhabitants. Perhaps serving as a meeting place also. One thing I've wondered also is that alot of monuments all over great britain served as maps. Maps of the heavens but also terrestrial. Which stone henge also was. By mapping the movement of the sun and moon it guided them in planting seasons. I don't know if the spiral circles on these monuments indicated distances or not but perhaps they measured distances or days required to travel.

[@catchaser52]

More Information for the next generations.

[@mostermeyer]

Excellent intro to the exhibition - I'm going tomorrow - but it's a shame that Dr Wexler's diction is not the best and on occasion I found her difficult to understand

[@lindas.1751]

I was wondering whether she was a bit nervous, maybe not accustomed (at the time) to presenting via Zoom. I'm American and still, found her sometimes tough to hear. (I don't know but I thought she sounded American rather than British)

[@woodspirit98]

Has anyone ever located bluestone in the english channel or the bay? It seems that there would be evidence of some of this stone along the route somewhere that never made it to stone henge.

[@douglasfell4199]

Sun, crescent moon, the arc of the milkyway also knowm as Apep in ancient Egyptian, and the arc of the constilation of drako arching over the northstar this was known as Set or Seth in ancient Egyptian.

[@woodspirit98]

When you think about these stone axes and how they were made, it makes me think of round grindstones which were certainly in use already by farmers for milling grains. It seems like a natural step from grinding grains to working with stone which would've been a huge improvement over making handaxes in paleo lithic times using flint and chipping away at it.

[@woodspirit98]

It also seems that antlers would have been displayed on staffs more than as head ornaments. They would be functional as well as for status.

[@andrewwhelan7311]

The stones have an ancient indigenous British name that states what the stones were used for. The Heel Stone or Heul in the ancient tongue of the Cymru, means Sun Stone. As recently as medieval times, the stones were referred to as the Giants Dance, which is Cawr Corelw in Welsh. Mutated to Gawr, which means dawn or hour. Then Corel, meaning aperture or circle. Gorel Gware means Aperture Of The Dawn / College or circle of Time. No confusion about the use of the site . By the way, the ancient tongue of the Britons has words for the celestial bodies and planetary movement which pre date Greek and Roman Latin. Hardly surprising since the stones are from the same culture as ancient Egypt. See Hugh Evans the astrophysicist's book entitled Origin of the Zodiac. Also the u tube channel. There are people out there who are year's ahead of the academic echo chamber bubble when it comes to Stonehenge. The recent ' new discovery ', regarding the original site being first built in Wales has been know for many decades. The people who originally proposed this were ridiculed and discredited.Then all of a sudden it's all over the news and the original people who did all the work are air brushed from view.

[@debrarobinson57]

No mention of the Aubrey holes & the original construction of wooden poles. Surely that is the first construction on this site?

[@harpo5420]

Thanks for the introduction, I will hopefully get a chance to visit the exhibition. One question: why is it assumed that the stones would have been dragged hundreds of miles over land - is it not more likely that they would have been transported by sea for much of the distance?

[@debrarobinson57]

Why we still assume that megaliths were dragged or rolled across distances astonishes me. We know that in India massive blocks were carried, by teams, on poles, & more recently, we have the example of the enormous stone block that was carved in situ, into the famous statue of Peter the Great in Russia. That was carried from Scandinavia, again using teams & poles.

[@MossyMozart]

@Harp O - If you have not yet viewed the entire video, they address this.

[@AncientHistorySecrets]

🌈🌟👍

[@Mrcool12684]

she sounds American! im happy to hear that! Meaning, I like that it is multicultural and multi national video!

[@piratessalyx7871]

Just a thought about the “blue stones” perhaps since they were blue opposed to gray they felt the “blue stones” were still alive....living rock...where they could communicate with the spiritual natural world. Just an idea.

[@missymoonwillow6545]

Spiritual tools were used to assist high priestesses and priests, sages, seers and oracles to lead the daily prayers of the people. Our connectivity to the natural world was stronger long ago. Our spirit essence was one with the ethers of this world. The LIFE FORCE that connects all living things, was something we once unified together in celebrations of prayer, as to promote more life. In atlantean times sun prayers began at dawn, all would participate, after thousands of years, these daily rituals grew boring for Atlanteans, so they let go over time, which led to their ultimate destruction. What we have are fragments of that old world, brought into the next age, which we now classify as our ancient histories. These relics are tools for amplifying prayer, and are to be utilized by the most pious and pure who devote themselves over to the God of Life. Much is corrupt now. Magic and holy prayer are negated by science, and our logic to understand how people looked at the world long ago, is lacking in creativity and imagination. Prayers, constellations, directions, wind compasses... all these were tools for connecting to that divine life force energy, or GOD. It's all fascinating to ponder on these objects of antiquity. May we return to the spirit essence of what we truly are. May our ancestors guide us to ultimate truths.

[@sallybennett7869]

I recently found that I can dowse, sometimes my rods actually vibrate where the energy is strong.

[@johnnicol64]

Why no uk tour ..Only one museum in uk . We all pay for this.

[@BritishMuseumEvents]

Hi John, we work with partnership Museums across the UK to develop displays and exhibitions - here is a relevant Spotlight Tour: www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/national/uk-touring-exhibitions-and-loans/current-tours/gathering-light-bronze-age-golden-sun.

[@katrinainman2471]

The Titans carried stone among other things all over the world. Several miles to us might only be a short walk for them.

[@brendaash8666]

Difficult to understand the woman's speech... fast and sometimes blurred audio.

[@lesley7634]

i agree. this one is better,kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGWaoWikatd5bLs

[@serendipity7749]

I'm glad I'm not the only one ... it's a pity; I'm sure I missed a few interesting points. The man, on the other hand, was admirably clear.

[@BritishMuseumEvents]

Hi there, thanks for your message. We will pass your feedback on to the relevant teams. If you would like to leave more feedback, please use our contact form: www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/contact-us

[@charlottebruce979]

Yes I agree, she needs to learn to slow down and speak clearer, we are hearing this for the first time, she's obviously not. Thankfully there are subtitles.

[@sa.8208]

we as a culture need to go back to the mushrooms.

[@CalvinKlown]

That's not a head-dress, that's a coat hook.

[@salmongrundyII]

Rubes

[@mariomiron2206]

Stone henge is not a real site. It's bin assembled by the British government years ago. Set in concrete in its configuration. The original placements of the stones was different than now. It is not a astronomical tool. It is the remains of a dome structure from antiquity. The age of the structure is tens of thousands of years old. Almost 70 thousand years old.

[@sallybennett7869]

I live near to it and I've always thought it originally had a roof of some sort. I also believe there were giants and I think they built it which explains how they got the blue stones there from west Wales.

[@MossyMozart]

@@sallybennett7869 - It sounds like you and @Maio Miron have found each other! I suppose that there are others who share such a belief system out there SOMEWHERE - keep looking and form a club.

[@spencerbeckingham1076]

I'm genuinely interested, what are your sources?

[@sallybennett7869]

There were dinosaures and some of us believe that there were giant humans, that changes everything.

[@igotadose]

The talk was poorly done. Dr. Wexler "uhhs" incessantly, in on 10 minute segment I counted 50 times she stumbled. The curator is OK as a speaker. The exhibit seemed sloppily done. For example, there is a wall covered with axe heads, but zero description of the individual axeheads. Likewise, a cabinet with 23 stone balls, only one described. The description timelines were confusing, sometimes in terms of "years BC" other times "years ago". This gets very tedious after the zillionth similar item, another fault of this overloaded show. Also, each area of the exhibit you had to guess which direction to walk- a loop starting on the left? The right? When do you look at the central items. The tour was packed with people. 2.5 hours to get through it. Not recommended.

[@BritishMuseumEvents]

Hi there, thanks for your message. We will pass your feedback on to the relevant teams. If you would like to leave more feedback, please use our contact form: www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/contact-us