Romans and Stonehenge

[Viggen]

I was wondering, what did the Romans make of Stonehenge when they saw it the first time? (any written accounts from the time?)

....and was it actually still in use around the Romans entered by the locals?

[caldrail]

I'm not aware of any written accounts but the Romans almost certainly knew it was there and had checked it out, since the site had been a major religious focus in times past. The last observable modification was around 1600BC and it may well be that by Roman times the site was well past its best. Both roman and medieval artifacts have been found there which indicates the site was still being visited. Perhaps it was a tourist site back then too?

 

The location of Stonehenge is two miles from Vespasians Camp, which although has no formal links to roman occupation, indicates habitation in the Iron Age prior and pssibly throughout the roman period. A decapitated man buried in the 7th century was found at Stonehenge in 1923, so the site had some significance in the Dark Ages, which is probably unavoidable because the site is close to Amesbury, recognised as a possible refuge for troops under the command of Ambrosius Aurelianus in the late 5th century, who warred against the Thames Valley Saxons for a considerable time, and it's know that Saxons were living in Wiltshire at this time.

 

I suspect the Romans left it alone to a large degree. They were superstitious and observed the influence of local gods where-ever they went. The religious nature of the monument must have been obvious to them, and since it was no longer the focus of religious life that it had once been, there was little reason to assimilate the 'local god'.

[caldrail]

I've been doing some reading on this point and although Diodorus may have inherited information from the explorer Pytheas, he does no more than mention the regular astronomical cycle of the moon in Britain. Hardly firm evidence. Attempts to portray Stonehenge as a Roman monument have not proven credible.

 

There is no further mention of anything which might be identified with Stonehenge in classical texts, either from Julius Caesar, writing c.55 BC, or from any other writer during the whole of the 360 years or so that Britain was a province of Rome. Apart from what may have been a single inscribed lead tablet, nio archaeological evidence has been found to suggest that any formal or organised religious activity took place around Stonehenge at this time; the absence of significance interest is probably part due to its relative remoteness, as the occaisiaonal finds of pottery and coins suggest no more than the casual detritus left by passing travellers. The obvious conclusion is that the site had been deserted and its associations forgotten long before Britain became part of the Roman Empire, its outward appearance already one of abandonment and decay.

Solving Stonehenge (Anthony Johnson)

Edited September 20, 2010 by caldrail

[Trethiwr]

I can't give you any facts about what the Romans made of Stonehenge although I can't believe they were a. unaware of it or b. unimpressed, or c. left it completely undisturbed (there's always someone who will mess with stuff that should be left alone)

 

I do know however that Stonehenge was a product of people living in the neolithic to bronze age and was never of any interest to the iron age Celts. It had fallen into disuse even before the Celts arrived as far as I understand.