Click the audio play button above to hear me talk about my Avebury insights.
Avebury
POINTING WITH STONES…
The avenue at Avebury is a winding path nearly two miles long, delineated by pairs of standing stones, which runs southward from the great stones of the southern entrance to the henge. It’s in a shallow valley between Waden hill to the west and a ridge of hills, part of Avebury Downs, on the eastern side.
Alignment 1
This
was
mostly
as
a
result
of
work
by
Alexander
Keiller
who
bought
and
partially
restored
the
whole
of
the
Avebury
henge
site
and village in the 1920’s.
Alignment 2
It’s
a
nice
walk
up
the
avenue
to
approach
the
great
stones
of
the
enormous
village-engulfing
henge
from
the
south.
Some
years
ago,
as
part
of
another
investigation,
I
became
aware
of
the
line
of
tumuli
visible
up
along
the
ridge
to
the
east
of
the
avenue.
Nearly
all
of
these
mounds
are
crowned
by
clumps
of
mature
beech
trees,
probably
planted
to
improve
the
landscape
by
Victorian
landowners.
The
trees
draw
one’s
eyes
to
the
sites
of
the
ancient
mounds.
But
in
one
case,
a
very
special
one,
there
is
a
remaining,
bare grassy tumulus.
When
I
walked
up
to
take
a
look
at
this
anomaly
something
else
drew
my
attention.
From
ground
level
on
the
hill
the
western
horizon
is
formed
by
the
smooth
ridge
of
Waden
Hill
but
as
soon
as
you
climb
the
last
6
or
7
feet
to
the
top
of
the
mound
the
crest
of
the artificial mound of Silbury Hill comes into view.
And,
of
course,
you
become
visible
from
Silbury.
Somebody
thousands of years ago must have set this up.
The
compass
bearing
between
Silbury
and
the
mound
is
49oN.
So
sunrises
looking
N.E.
and
sunsets
looking
S.W.
at
the
Summer
and
Winter
solstices
would
have
been
marked
by
this
line
which
also
crosses
the
place
where
the
Falkner
circle
once
stood
in
the
valley
near
the
henge.
There’s
work
to
be
done
about
the
significance
of
that
and
the
southern
extension of the line to the tumuli on the Wansdyke
Alignment 3
Alignment 4
My
interest
in
the
bare
mound
was
originally
stimulated
by
another
line
of
intervisibility
between
the
mound
across
the
north
end
of
the
avenue,
over
a
barrow
at
Beckhampton
and
down
to
the
barrow
on
Kingsplay
hill
and
other
significant
ancient
sites.
This
line
when
extended
leads
to
the triple circles at
Alignment 5
However
this
particular
piece
is
about
my
observation
of
the
fact
that
the
positioning
of
the
pairs
of
stones
across
the
Avebury
avenue
seems
to
relate
to
the
location
of
this
mound
up
on
the
eastern
ridge.
The
arrangement
of
these
stones
demonstrates
a
way
of
reading
alignments
across
stone
circles
in
a
different
and
more
accurate
way
than
the
usually
accepted
one
of
simply
lining
up
two
stones.
This
method
is
capable
of
extreme
accuracy
as
the
line
of
closure
between
two
uprights
can
be
precise
down
to
fractions of a degree.
How to view the alignment
Experimenting with a pair of upright sticks in
a field will confirm the simplicity and
effectiveness of the system.
The drawing below here demonstrates the method.
Alignment 6
One
sunny
morning
last
year
I
went
for
a
stroll
up
the
avenue
armed
with
my
camera
and
took
the
pictures
shown
here.
At
this
small
scale
the
tumulus
is
only
just
visible
and
can
be
made
out
just
to
the
left
of
the
clump
of
trees
on
the
horizon.
In
each
case
the
mound
is
framed
between
the
pairs
of
stones
with
the
nearest
stone being the left hand one.
For
a
person
with
a
dominant
right
eye
this
produces
a
natural
way
of
sighting.
For
what
it’s
worth,
in
this
case
the
framing
is
not
tremendously
tight
and,
although
consistent,
seems
to
leave
room
for
a
person
to
stand
on
the
far
side
of
the
avenue
in
line
with
the
distant
mound.
This
is
a
ceremonial
processional
way
not
an
astronomical sighting line.
Alignment 7
The
other
thing
to
note
is
that
because
the
avenue
is
not
straight
and
that
as
you
pass
along
it
the
bearing
of
the
mound
changes
the
indicated
lines
of
sight
are
not
all
at
the
same
bearing
but
allow
for
these variations and consistently point to the mound.
Also
to
make
these
sightings
the
ancient
surveyors
would
have
had
to
observe
from
a
position
on
the
western
side
of
the
western
stones.
Alignment 8
Alignment 9
It’s
interesting
that
my
fairly
cursory
morning’s
stroll
produced
nine
alignments
(shown
here)
from
the
ruined
remainder
of
the
ancient
ceremonial
trackway.
I
suspect
that
the
complete
and
undisturbed
original lines of stones would have given more sightlines.
I
took
the
last
picture
of
the
huge
stone
on
the
right
of
the
south
entrance
to
the
henge
to
show
that
here
also
a
line
across
the
face
of the stone reveals the bare mound on the horizon.
Finally
I’m
showing
a
picture
of
a
couple
of
the
people
from
a
party
of
New
Zealanders
I
met
that
day.
I
explained
the
alignments
to
them
and
also
shared
an
experience
I’d
had
at
one
of
the
stones
in
the S.W. quadrant of the henge.
They
are
enjoying
the
reverberations
produced
by
humming
into
a
recess in the “Bee” stone. Of which more elsewhere and anon.
Use this Google map to explore Avebury.
How to view the alignment
Experimenting with a pair of upright sticks in
a field will confirm the simplicity and
effectiveness of the system.
Click here for pictures of Swallowhead spring near Avebury
Jon Appleton
Click on the videos below to see more and fly around the Avebury sites .
.
Click the audio play button above to hear how to contact me…
The
path
makes
its
way
down
to
the
“Sanctuary”
a
ring
of
posts
on
a
hilltop
at
the
southern
extension
of
the
ancient
trackway
known
as
the
Ridgeway.
This
runs
out
to
the
N.E.
along
the
crest
of
the
downs
back
past
Waylands
Smithy
and
the
Uffington
White
Horse
.
The
Sanctuary
is
close
to
the
old
Bath
road, used by the Romans , and now called the A4.
From
this
ancient
ritual
site
there
is
a
clear
view
to
both
the
facade
of
the
West
Kennet
long
barrow
and
the
giant
earth
mound
of
Silbury
Hill.
A
special
place
for
the
builders
of
Avebury no doubt.
Most
of
the
stones
delineating
the
avenue
at
its
southern
end
near
the
Sanctuary
have
been
taken
away
in
the
more
recent
historical
past.
However
the
end
nearer
to
the
henge
has
been
better
preserved.
Some
of
the
stones
have
been
re-erected
in
their
original
post holes and the position of others marked by low concrete slabs.
Jon Appleton
Click the audio play button above to hear me talk about my Avebury insights.
Avebury
POINTING WITH STONES…
The avenue at Avebury is a winding path nearly two miles long, delineated by pairs of standing stones, which runs southward from the great stones of the southern entrance to the henge. It’s in a shallow valley between Waden hill to the west and a ridge of hills, part of Avebury Downs, on the eastern side.
The
path
makes
its
way
down
to
the
“Sanctuary”
a
ring
of
posts
on
a
hilltop
at
the
southern
extension
of
the
ancient
trackway
known
as
the
Ridgeway.
This
runs
out
to
the
N.E.
along
the
crest
of
the
downs
back
past
Waylands
Smithy
and
the
Uffington
White
Horse.
The
Sanctuary
is
close
to
the
old
Bath
road, used by the Romans , and now called the A4.
From
this
ancient
ritual
site
there
is
a
clear
view
to
both
the
facade
of
the
West
Kennet
long
barrow
and
the
giant
earth
mound of Silbury Hill. A special place for
Alignment 1
Most
of
the
stones
delineating
the
avenue
at
its
southern
end
near
the
Sanctuary
have
been
taken
away
in
the
more
recent
historical
past.
However
the
end
nearer
to
the
henge
has
been
better
preserved.
Some
of
the
stones
have
been
re-erected
in
their
original
postholes and the position of others marked by low concrete slabs.
This
was
mostly
as
a
result
of
work
by
Alexander
Keiller
who
bought
and
partially
restored
the
whole
of
the
Avebury
henge
site
and
village
in the 1920’s.
Alignment 2
It’s
a
nice
walk
up
the
avenue
to
approach
the
great
stones
of
the
enormous
village-engulfing
henge
from
the
south.
Some
years
ago,
as
part
of
another
investigation,
I
became
aware
of
the
line
of
tumuli
visible
up
along
the
ridge
to
the
east
of
the
avenue.
Nearly
all
of
these
mounds
are
crowned
by
clumps
of
mature
beech
trees,
probably
planted
to
improve
the
landscape
by
Victorian
landowners.
The
trees
draw
one’s
eyes
to
the
sites
of
the
ancient
mounds.
But
in
one
case,
a
very special one, there is a remaining, bare grassy tumulus.
When
I
walked
up
to
take
a
look
at
this
anomaly
something
else
drew
my
attention.
From
ground
level
on
the
hill
the
western
horizon
is
formed
by
the
smooth
ridge
of
Waden
Hill
but
as
soon
as
you
climb
the
last
6
or
7
feet
to
the
top
of
the
mound
the
crest
of
the
artificial
mound
of
Silbury
Hill
comes
into
view.
And,
of
course,
you
become
visible
from
Silbury.
Somebody
thousands
of
years
ago
must
have
set
this up.
The
compass
bearing
between
Silbury
and
the
mound
is
49oN.
So
sunrises
looking
N.E.
and
sunsets
looking
S.W.
at
the
Summer
and
Winter
solstices
would
have
been
marked
by
this
line
which
also
crosses
the
place
where
the
Falkner
circle
once
stood
in
the
valley
near
the
henge.
There’s
work
to
be
done
about
the
significance
of
that
and the southern extension of the line to the tumuli on the Wansdyke
Alignment 3
Alignment 4
My
interest
in
the
bare
mound
was
originally
stimulated
by
another
line
of
intervisibility
between
the
mound
across
the
north
end
of
the
avenue,
over
a
barrow
at
Beckhampton
and
down
to
the
barrow
on
Kingsplay
hill
and
other
significant
ancient
sites.
This
line
when
extended leads to the triple circles at
Alignment 5
However
this
particular
piece
is
about
my
observation
of
the
fact
that
the
positioning
of
the
pairs
of
stones
across
the
Avebury
avenue
seems
to
relate
to
the
location
of
this
mound
up
on
the
eastern
ridge.
The
arrangement
of
these
stones
demonstrates
a
way
of
reading
alignments
across
stone
circles
in
a
different
and
more
accurate
way
than
the
usually
accepted
one
of
simply
lining
up
two
stones.
This
method
is
capable
of
extreme
accuracy
as
the
line
of
closure
between
two
uprights
can
be
precise
down
to
fractions
of
a
degree.
How to view the alignment
Experimenting with a pair of upright sticks in
a field will confirm the simplicity and
effectiveness of the system.
The drawing below here demonstrates the method.
Alignment 6
One
sunny
morning
last
year
I
went
for
a
stroll
up
the
avenue
armed
with
my
camera
and
took
the
pictures
shown
here.
At
this
small
scale
the
tumulus
is
only
just
visible
and
can
be
made
out
just
to
the
left
of
the
clump
of
trees
on
the
horizon.
In
each
case
the
mound
is
framed
between
the
pairs
of
stones
with
the
nearest
stone
being
the
left
hand one.
For
a
person
with
a
dominant
right
eye
this
produces
a
natural
way
of
sighting.
For
what
it’s
worth,
in
this
case
the
framing
is
not
tremendously
tight
and,
although
consistent,
seems
to
leave
room
for
a
person
to
stand
on
the
far
side
of
the
avenue
in
line
with
the
distant
mound.
This
is
a
ceremonial
processional
way
not
an
astronomical
sighting line.
The
other
thing
to
note
is
that
because
the
avenue
is
not
straight
and
that
as
you
pass
along
it
the
bearing
of
the
mound
changes
the
indicated
lines
of
sight
are
not
all
at
the
same
bearing
but
allow
for
these variations and consistently point to the mound.
Also
to
make
these
sightings
the
ancient
surveyors
would
have
had
to
observe from a position on the western side of the western stones.
Alignment 8
Alignment 9
It’s
interesting
that
my
fairly
cursory
morning’s
stroll
produced
nine
alignments
(shown
here)
from
the
ruined
remainder
of
the
ancient
ceremonial
trackway.
I
suspect
that
the
complete
and
undisturbed
original lines of stones would have given more sightlines.
I
took
the
last
picture
of
the
huge
stone
on
the
right
of
the
south
entrance
to
the
henge
to
show
that
here
also
a
line
across
the
face
of
the stone reveals the bare mound on the horizon.
Finally
I’m
showing
a
picture
of
a
couple
of
the
people
from
a
party
of
New
Zealanders
I
met
that
day.
I
explained
the
alignments
to
them
and
also
shared
an
experience
I’d
had
at
one
of
the
stones
in
the S.W. quadrant of the henge.
They
are
enjoying
the
reverberations
produced
by
humming
into
a
recess in the “Bee” stone. Of which more elsewhere and anon.
Use this Google map to explore Avebury.
How to view the alignment
Experimenting with a pair of upright sticks in
a field will confirm the simplicity and
effectiveness of the system.
Alignment 7
Click here for pictures of Swallowhead spring near Avebury
Click on the image above to
fly down to the start of the avenue at Avebury.
Click on the image above to
fly to the Sanctuary at Avebury.
Click on the image above to fly down to the Sanctuary at Avebury.
Click the audio play button above to hear how to contact me…
