From Ancient Sexual Organ to Aliens: The Radical Theories Behind Stonehenge

A popular tourist attraction, Stonehenge is never short of commentary, from groups and people claiming to know the mysteries behind the prehistoric monument.

The latest claim has come from University College London, where archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson has claimed that the 5,000 year old monument actually originated 140 miles away in west Wales, before being transported to its current location in Wiltshire.

This is the not the first claim to be made about the historic site, several others have been made over the years.

The Lourdes of the UK

Archaeologists Geoffrey Wainwright and Timothy Darvill claimed in 2008 that there was evidence to suggest that Stonehenge had healing properties.

The scientists claimed that the ancient chipping of the rocks was the equivalent of Lourdes, a French commune that allegedly possesses healing powers.

Both Wainwright and Darvill also stated that skeletons had been recovered from the area around Stonehenge which showed that many people who visited the site in ancient times were extremely unwell.

Sex Symbol

Anthony Perks, a researcher at the University of British Colombia claimed in 2003 that in fact the ancient site was a sex symbol, which had been constructed to look like the female sexual organs.

"Stonehenge could represent the opening by which Earth Mother gave birth to the plants and animals," Perks said in an interview.

Burial Site

Earlier this year, archaeologists found that Stonehenge could have been a graveyard for a community of elite families.

The British team analyzed the ancient remains of 63 bodies buried around Stonehenge, discovering that the first monument was originally a graveyard for a community of elite families, whose remains were brought to Stonehenge and buried over a period of more than 200 years. However, the team also discovered that the earliest burials predate the monument in its current form.

Team Building Exercise

The University College London also come up with a strange theory in 2012. They thought that Stonehenge had in fact been used for team building.

Scientists believed that construction coincided with a time of increased unity among the Neolithic people of Britain.

This was perhaps inspired by the natural flow of the landscape, which seems to connect the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset. It is believed that these ancient people may have got together to build the monument. 

Ancient Aliens

In 1968 in the book, 'Chariots of the Gods' by Erich von Daniken, it was claimed that the technologies as well as religions of ancient civilizations had been given to them by extraterrestrial beings, which had also influenced the building of Stonehenge.

Because the stones weigh around 50 tons, it is thought that help may have been required to lift them.

This, claims von Daniken, could only have come from outer space.