Stonehenge Solved Its Three Observatories, Who built them, How and Why

Many straight ways criss-crossed the Stonehenge landscape and were spontaneously created and abandoned according to need, Fig 60, (i), (see chapter 2 and Fig 4). Some may have been created before commencement of the Early henge, some afterwards. A traveller's task of keeping to his way and avoiding confusion was often made more difficult by intersecting animal tracks, and other ways (active or recently defunct) crossing it at acute angles. It was made more difficult in the area of the henge by the nature of the terrain. This has many shallow, random undulations of various shapes and sizes, as shown by the contour lines. The constantly changing slope of the ground underfoot was often misleading for travellers in an environment different from the grassland and crops which prevail today: As with ourselves, when in doubt the tendency was to err towards higher ground.

There are traces of two lengthly earthworks in this area whose ditches were designed to reduce these hazards, partly by preventing travellers inadvertently leaving their ways, and partly by reorientating others when lost, Fig. 61.. Additionally, by cutting across redundant ways they served to rationalise an otherwise complex nexus. As with all guiding ditches, here and elsewhere, these were not created in anticipation of hazards, but in response to them. They therefore reflect the movements and difficulties of traffic at the time and thus provide us with valuable insights. One earthwork is now conventionally called the Stonehenge Cursus and consists of two roughly parallel ditches running east-west for about 3km (2m), with their spoil thrown inwards towards one another (ii).

The second earthwork is known as The Avenue (in the past, variously named Stonehenge Avenue, and The Avenue and Extended Avenue), consisting of seemingly parallel ditches, approximately 0.6m (2ft) deep and 1.5m (5ft) wide, and again with their spoil thrown inwards (iii). It leaves the vicinity of the henge's northeast entrance, straight for 550m (600 yards), notionally towards northeast, after which it bends eastwards at an 'elbow'. After another straight length it sweeps in a seemingly smooth curve to southeast before running straight to south southeast, until reaching the west bank of the River Avon. The gap between the ditches on the first straight length is nominally 21m (69ft), and for the rest, wider at nominally 25m (82ft). This difference probably reflects two phases of construction. The continuous ditches revealed by magnetometer surveys running continuously through the 'elbow'' (iv) are possibly the consequence of the rationalisation of ways as described below. The first phase is seen to be the straight length which has the appearance of being conjoint with the henge.

The names of these earthworks are conventional, but they are in fact inappropriate and misleading. 'Cursus', from the Latin means 'avenue', or 'course', and 'avenue' means a broad road, or path, especially one lined with trees, or a means of approach; neither was these. The sides of the Avenue are invariably depicted as parallel, which diverts attention from its true nature. (While the Cursus and Avenue had similar functions and shared common, universally used waymarking features, their application of these differed.)

In general, a ditch was inevitably accompanied by an adjacent spoil-bank of equal length and this was always thrown up on the non-operational side, away from the way, Fig 61. Travellers knew what to do when they came upon the lip of a ditch, either at its flank, or its ends, but not so when coming across a spoil- bank; it was known that ditches were deliberately man made, whereas local, rising ground, commonly occurs naturally. A mistake at a spoil-bank, especially in poor visibility, could result in the traveller pitching forwards into the ditch, and to injury and possible ultimate death. Thus there were three possibilities concerning the lip of a ditch: it could flank the margin of a way, closely following the wear marks resulting from many passing feet; one of its ends could coincide with the margin of a way, thus reorientating a traveller who had just inadvertently departed it; lastly it could act as a parallel 'fender', preventing a disorientated traveller coming upon a spoil-bank. In this case, when coming upon the lip of a fender ditch the traveller turned along it to left or right until he came upon a way. Generally, at all times the sudden drop of a ditch was sought and observed, always respected, never entered: its lip was used as a guide. Fierce animals in zoos are sometimes separated from the public with deep, dry moats, and it would appear our ancestors possessed an animal-like sixth sense in this respect.

It is helpful to consider the Cursus first of all. Up to thirteen ways are thought to have been associated with it, Figs 4 and 60. The designers of this earthwork must have commenced its creation by making a study of the locations where difficulties most frequently occurred. The outcome was this long narrow loop sandwiched between two ways. Its east end flanked a single way, its west end possibly four of them. Summarising, the Cursus acted as a guide when flanking a way; as a 'sieve' for disorientated travellers moving to north, or south; and as a confirming signal for those passing along it.

Coming now to the Avenue, in contrast to the Cursus its conception was a direct outcome of the Stone henge's existence. It was created during the Learner team's construction phase when the arch was dismembered and its primary ditch spoil was thrown over one of the stake holes used to manipulate the prostrate arch upright (chapter 15). Up to twelve ways are associated with the Avenue. As with the Cursus, the ways relating to it existed before its creation, as evidenced by the termination pit which obstructed the mast pillar 56 (chapters 14 and 16). The people concerned with the Avenue are thought by the author to have been those travelling back and forth between the henge and settlements in the localities of either Amesbury Down, or Clarendon Park, or both. The earthworks of both these places are on the same way: an extended SU 1342-3T in Fig 60. The former is 3.5km (8m) southeast of the henge as the crow flies, the latter is 13km (8m) south southeast. However, it is possible the commuters came from even further away.

The route they took was an indirect one on intersecting successive ways, these being already established and known to them. It is conjectured that what we, today, can see to be a possible shorter direct route, was not envisaged, because the destinations were not to be seen from a distance. In any case such thinking was outside the bounds of their mindset. The Avenue is comprised of a primary ditch facing generally north and east, with an accompanying fender ditch facing generally south and west. It runs from the vicinity of the henge's northeast entrance, to the west bank of the River Avon at a point not far from Vespasian's Camp. Seemingly, it did not reach today's bank, but this is what one would expect. The stream, then, probably was without weirs and running in a ditch during droughts, while occasionally hosting wide flows at other times. A wide swathe of boggy ground would have resulted for much of the year.

Close examination of the primary ditch reveals straight lengths alternating with joining curves. The straight lengths are seen to have flanked ways, the curves occur at the obtuse intersections of ways where traffic 'cut the corners off', the ditch being dug to follow the margin of the footfall. The straight lengths themselves are slightly 'wavy' for this reason, Fig 62. The gap between the primary and fender ditches varies because, as we have seen, it was unimportant. Like the Cursus, the Avenue also acted as a 'sieve' for a number of ways passing through it. It is noteworthy that the author discovered the principles of ways and waymarking at monuments elsewhere, before turning his attention to the district of Stonehenge.