The Avebury stone circle is massive. It’s so massive, in fact, the British dropped a pub halfway around the circle. The henge is over 4.5 American football fields across at its diameter, and the outer ditch is over 3.5 stories tall. It holds the distinction as the largest stone circle in Europe. It is a few hundred years older than Stonehenge. Like Stonehenge, the henge at Avebury would have been white from exposed chalk, making it an imposing feature on the landscape.
“Avebury” by Geoff Butts
A cold New Year’s Eve seeps in,
Walking along an unknown path,
Confronted suddenly by giant arcs of ditch and bank
Which draw the eye towards processions of stones.
Rings within rings,
Gauntly chiselled jewels bound by bracelets of mossy grass,
Their ancient faces careworn from witnessing millennia –
Sad, yet proud and wise, these forty ton leviathans.
Walking along an unknown path,
Confronted suddenly by giant arcs of ditch and bank
Which draw the eye towards processions of stones.
Rings within rings,
Gauntly chiselled jewels bound by bracelets of mossy grass,
Their ancient faces careworn from witnessing millennia –
Sad, yet proud and wise, these forty ton leviathans.
Echoes of long-forgotten rituals
Intangible yet close, a sense of collective aim.
Slowly we traverse the great circle,
Latter-day invaders, unsure of their purpose.
How much have we forgotten?
Over two hundred generations – what is remembered?
Slowly we traverse the great circle,
Latter-day invaders, unsure of their purpose.
How much have we forgotten?
Over two hundred generations – what is remembered?
Title quote: Geoff Butts, “Avebury” Source
Midwest Magellan 