Comment by Theodores | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Theodores | Hacker News Reader

The funniest thing about Stonehenge is the obsession that it was all about some type of religion. Read any BBC article on Stonehenge for an example of this or watch any BBC documentary.

It is the default myth where all specifics can be imagined or presented earnestly in a learned TV programme. Many assumptions go into this including the idea that our ancestors needed some convoluted religion instead of some connection with the world around them. Anyone can project their fictional quasi-religion onto what our obviously ill educated ancestors thought, it is so easy, like a mirror.

I wonder if in 5000 years time there will be people making similar observations regarding airports and placing their own idea of what our primitive religion must have been to have created these things, making connections regarding the orientation of the runways and some variant of the Mayan calendar.

Stonehenge is a gift that keeps on giving for the industry that surrounds it. People that are involved on this gravy train are up there with firemen and nurses in that their work is so much more worthy than that of your typical office admin worker or shop assistant.

I mean, who wouldn't want to protect England's most treasured monument?

Meanwhile the more interesting history of England does require some intellectual curiosity rather than idle thoughts about embellished mystery. Stonehenge invites tourists in to engage with some mystical bullshit. Who cares that there are many, many other vintage monuments and stone circles in South West England, there for anyone with a proper Ordnance Survey map and walking boots to discover and enjoy. The thing is that Stonehenge creates a spectacle, other neolithic stone circles are just that, some stones in a circle and can be seen as that without having to go into some quasi-religious awe.

Also quite useful for this awe and wonder is that most things from pre-history was made from bio-degradable materials. Our ancestors could have had the most amazingly crafted houses with furniture made from willow but we would never know they just louched about on comfy willow couches as all that remains are a few things like Stonehenge, meaning that BBC TV programmes insist that everything was all about some mystery religion.

> I wonder if in 5000 years time there will be people making similar observations regarding airports and placing their own idea of what our primitive religion must have been to have created these things

Airports today are treated as a kind of holy site.

* Certain types of speech are considered blasphemy in airports. Try and say the word bomb near the security line and see what happens.

* We have purification rituals we have to undergo, some would say trials even, before we can enter the inner sanctum. We have to shed our old self and be blessed before we can enter.

* We all become like children in airports, obedient and servile while in the presence of the security deity.

* Blessed goods such as alcohol and cigarettes from the duty free shops and 'holy water' (water purchased inside the secure zone) are available inside.

* The is a ritual for re-entering the normal world: customs, and all of the inspections and mortifications associated with that.

I'm sure some will argue that these rituals are in place for a good reason. But to me they make no more sense than the arbitrary rituals and superstitions of any of our most ancient religions.

That made me chuckle. I will be elaborating on this mentally over the next few weeks. At least a trip to the airport does take you to the heavens above. I am now imagining the staff in Catholic style robes.

My mom bought a shadow box filled with coffee beans a tiny grinder, miniature mugs and other scaled down coffee accessories. The word "Coffee" was written prominently in 3 dimensional letters.

She doesn't even particularly like coffee. She just bought it to cover up her old landline phone jack on the kitchen wall, but I keep telling her it looks like she built a coffee shrine.

I'm certain that if archeologists found it 5,000 years in the future, they'd construct elaborate stories about our daily devotions to the deity we called Coffee.

>> I'm certain that if archeologists found it 5,000 years in the future

I am certain they would not.

Wait until future civilizations start digging up Startbucks's

Or tanning salons. Future generations will be horrified people cooked themselves and willingly gave themselves cancer in the name of "beauty."

Honestly the closest thing to a religious experience I have most days (weeks...months...) is getting rid of the foggy feeling in the morning with a cup of coffee while reading whatever I'm interested in at the moment. I've often wholeheartedly thanked the coffee in front of me for saving my mental state. It's certainly a ritual at this point.

I guess I'm saying... Would they really be far off?

It's a running joke in archaeology that any artifact of unknown usage has "religious" purposes, whatever that might mean. The whole druids thing (as it's presented today) is a recent invention, basically the 19th century so there is no guarantee that they have any clearer understanding of the stones' purpose than the rest of us do. Regrettably, pre-Roman Britain did not preserve anything in writing.

As you say, for anyone visiting that area: skip Stonehenge which is noisy, crowded and fenced off, and go to West Kennet Long Barrow or Avebury (about 20 miles down the road?) where you can actually walk amongst and touch the stones. Avebury is literally a village built in and around an ancient monument, it's quite something.

https://goo.gl/maps/mHUyxecZ4EE2

Something like what you are describing is documented in Tripoli. In the late 19th century, archeologists found large stone structures.

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/remains-of-the-olive-oi...

These were thought to be religious in nature. The structures had grooves in the rock, which were thought to be grooves for the the blood of the sacrifices to run out. Later investigation showed that these were in fact olive presses from the Roman era, and that the grooves were for the olive oil to run out.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259417162_Roman_Sit...

Religion is just the easy way out for archeologists when they can't explain it properly.

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