Watched a doc claiming Stonehenge was a 'healing center' and nearly threw my remote

How do people still think this? There's literally no evidence of sick people being treated there, just a lot of dead bodies buried near by. I spent 3 summers digging at a site in Salisbury and not one specialist I worked with buys into that theory. Has anyone else heard a TV show totally botch a site's real purpose?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_robinson2020d ago

Ha, you definitely caught the right one there. That healing center idea got popular from one book in the 2000s and now every TV producer runs with it because it sounds mystical. You're spot on that the actual archaeology just shows a burial site with no real evidence of healing rituals or sick pilgrimages.

maxl9320d ago

Wait, you're telling me that whole healing center thing was basically made up? Dang, I totally bought into that story from the documentaries. I guess I never really looked at the actual archaeology, that's wild.

colescott20d ago

Start digging through the actual excavation reports from the site instead of watching more docs. I fell for the same thing until I started reading the primary sources myself. @miles_robinson20 is dead on that the healing interpretation barely holds up under scrutiny, the burial goods and structural evidence point to a more straightforward cemetery. Grab a copy of the original survey report from the 90s, it lays out exactly what they found and what they didn't find, and it'll save you from getting fooled by the next TV producer who needs a hook.