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Stonehenge was a 'site of battles'

9:04am Friday 7th March 2008

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STONEHENGE was the site of Stone Age battles to the death, an archaeologist has claimed.

Dennis Price, a Stonehenge expert and former archaeologist with Wessex Archaeology, says he thinks a skeleton discovered in a ditch around the ancient monument in 1978 is evidence that the site was used for ritual combat.

The skeleton belonged to a man who had been killed by arrows in 2,300 BC and after being analysed was donated to Salisbury Museum.

Mr Price says skeletons found at or close to Stonehenge have often been found buried with weapons - suggesting those close to the mysterious monument could have died violent deaths.

"There is firm evidence of a long-standing tradition of sentinels at Stonehenge going back to when it was originally built in 2,600 BC and possibly before," he said.

"The function of these individuals was to symbolically guard the temple.

"But I think they could only be replaced by someone who physically defeated them in a ritual combat.

"I think that remains of one of these Stonehenge Sentinels is on display at Salisbury Museum."

Mr Price also points to evidence from an Italian site, similar to Stonehenge, where similar finds were made.

Museum director Adrian Green said: "Dennis Price's idea conjures up a harsh image. But it also has a certain romantic quality to it."

For more information see www.eternalidol.com.

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Your Say YourThe Wiltshire Gazette and Herald

Yali, Ex-Melksham says...
10:30am Fri 7 Mar 08

Bit like Melksham town centre on a saturday night then ?

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andy, melksham says...
12:00pm Fri 7 Mar 08

All town centre's have their share of trouble on a saturday night.
Your comments are worthless.
As for the stonehenge storyline its fascinating and i feel really pleased that as a child on a school trip in the 70's i could actually touch the stones.
What a wonderfull historic site.

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Yali, Not ex-Trowbridge says...
4:22pm Fri 7 Mar 08

OK, Trowbridge town centre on a saturday night not Melksham then Andy.

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
8:16pm Fri 7 Mar 08

After Woodhenge Warriors' Men's Football loss in the 3100 (BC) Olympic Games to the Durrington Wallers (7-6) at Stonehenge Amphitheatre (alternatively Amphitheater), the Warriors changed their Olympic Men's and Women's Teams' name to the Willers. In the 3096 (BC) Olympics, it was the Woodhenge Willers over the Durrington Wallers in that infamous Sudden Death Match overtime thriller. 1-0 final score. In the Women's Archery competition it was the Willers over the Wallers also, following their Men's Archery competition victory. Willers' Olympic Men's and Women's Teams dominated the '96 (BC) Games and were so popular after those Olympics that even the River Wylye (one of eight rivers draining the area) was renamed (previously called Warriors River).

The Sudden Death of 'the body from the ditch' (Stonehenge discovery of 1978) caused by multiple Arrow Wounds in the back, said body on display at Salisbury Museum, sadly occurred during the 2300 (BC) Olympic Games' Women's Archery competition at Stonehenge Amphitheatre. Arrow Judge Willers Wallers' (known as Backside Bullseye here at State Press) untimely death, referred to as a Stonehenge Sentinel Skeleton (SSS) by Dennis Price, archaeologist (Stonehenge expert) and described in This Is Wiltshire Network (Gazette & Herald, 7 March 2008), unfortunately occurred at the Amphitheatre when Arrow Judge Willers Wallers (Backside Bullseye) made an untimely movement from behind the Judge's Honor Guard (target and shield) causing His Sudden Death.

Later the town of Wilton and county of Wiltshire adopted their names, in their Honor.

G. Willy Wally

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
2:37pm Sat 8 Mar 08

Was SSS's name The Right Hon. Archery Judge Wallers Willers who got killed in that Target Archery accident, or was SSS's name The Right Hon. Archery Judge Willers Wallers who got killed in that Target Archery accident?

I can't remember which. Please help. Thanks.

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Grant, Marlborough says...
4:20pm Sat 8 Mar 08

Denke your a complete nutter!
Stop spamming everywhere with this nonsense...

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
10:40pm Sat 8 Mar 08

Stonehenge Archery's deceased Field Target Archery Judge's last name must have been Willers, not Wallers, because Wiltshire would be called Waltshire if it was, which of course it is not, Grant Marlborough. Likewise, Stonehenge Archery's deceased Field Target Archery Judge's first name must have been Wallers, not Willers, because Wiltshire would be called Waltshire if it was, which it is not, Marlborough Grant. US here at State Press, therefore, are going with "Stonehenge Archery Judge Wallers Willers", not "Stonehenge Archery Judge Willers Wallers", unless you have a better foundation of historical information at your disposal.

Here is how it will be printed with His name unreleased: "UK, Wiltshire, Salisbury Museum exhibit 'the body from the ditch' SKELETON was a Stonehenge Archery Judge who inspected an Archery Field Target at Stonehenge prematurely, a volley of Archers' Arrows accidently causing His death from behind." And here is how it will be printed with His name released: "UK, Wiltshire, Salisbury Museum exhibit 'the body from the ditch' SKELETON was Stonehenge Archery Judge Wallers Willers, deceased, who inspected an Archery Field Target at Stonehenge prematurely, a volley of Archers' Arrows accidently causing His death from behind."

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Grant, Marlborough says...
11:04pm Sat 8 Mar 08

Denke you should seek professional help.
You are completely nutz

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
11:55pm Sat 8 Mar 08

Our difference rests in the etymology of the noun Sentinel: Middle French sentinelle, from Old Italian sentinella, from sentina vigilance, from sentire to perceive, from Latin, year 1579, and its definition in this context; an Archery Judge is a Sentinel of Archery, vigilant and perceptive. SSS Theory unified.

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walter, wilshur says...
6:27am Sun 9 Mar 08

You mean he was a sentry, not a century?

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old jarge, wiltshire says...
6:42am Sun 9 Mar 08

andy wrote:
All town centre's have their share of trouble on a saturday night. Your comments are worthless. As for the stonehenge storyline its fascinating and i feel really pleased that as a child on a school trip in the 70's i could actually touch the stones. What a wonderfull historic site.
You pompous ****! He's entitled to his opinion, what's more, he's right. The centre of Melksham on a Saturday night is full of brain-dead drunken louts.

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old jarge, wiltshire says...
6:44am Sun 9 Mar 08

Grant wrote:
Denke you should seek professional help. You are completely nutz
Or as they say, the only good thing which ever came out of the USA was the flight to London.

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
10:26am Sun 9 Mar 08

If walter, wilsur wants to call Olympic Sports Archery Judge Wallers Willers a century sentry, then walter, wilsur will call Olympic Sports Archery Judge Wallers Willers a century sentry; However walter, wilsur there is no "sentry" or "century" in the article.

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
11:50am Sun 9 Mar 08

Speaking of those British rendition flights from the USA to the greater London area, old jarge, we cannot speak of them because London has gagged through UK democracy Speech. The function of course to "symbolically guard" against being arrowed in the back, old jarge, by authors of noble contest in sacred "ritual combat" between two righteous gladiators.

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
3:45pm Sun 9 Mar 08

Grant wrote:
Denke your a complete nutter! Stop spamming everywhere with this nonsense...
Skeleton could hold secret to Stonehenge (Salisbury Journal, 5 March, 2008) Grant, "an arena of gladiatorial combat" Grant, "an ancient arena".

http://www.salisbury
journal.co.uk/news/s
alisbury/salisburyne
ws/display.var.20939
45.0.skeleton_could_
hold_secret_to_stone
henge.php

Grant, "Marlborough"

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Grant, Marlborough says...
6:09pm Sun 9 Mar 08

what the hell are you trying to do now denke?
Make out I'm posting your nonesense theories?
Get a life!
You've posted this same rubbish all over the place now go and seek help.

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Garry Denke, Plano, Texas, USA says...
8:08pm Sun 9 Mar 08

Point This Grant

The Royal Society - Council of British Archaeology - Wessex Archaeology - Dennis Price - claim that a sacred temple "ritual combat" consisted of One (1) Stonehenge Challenger shooting One (1) Stonehenge Sentinel in the back with a simultaneous volley of arrows is illogical and mechanically impossible to perform.

Grant This Point

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SILVERARROW, AMESBURY says...
7:01pm Tue 18 Mar 08

Interesting idea. At least it's not 'fluffy'like a fair amount of Stonehenge theories. However, the Stonehenge Archer is only ONE body,placed at a cardinal point near the entrance to the henge. More likely he is a 'dedication burial',given to the henge so that his spirit can guard it & warn away malevolent forces (supernatural & otherwise). At Woodhenge there was a also ayoung teenager found in the ditch,a similar youth found just outside the Sanctuary at Avebury, and also at the entrance of a timber ritual site in Wales. The latter skeleton was found in a very similar position to the stonehenge archer--and also had an arrow still embedded in him.

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