This past Friday brought another fantastic excursion – this time to Bath and Stonehenge, two great pillars of human ingenuity.
Bath is a pretty little spa town, home to many baths (never would have guessed, right?), including the over 2,000 year old Roman Baths, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – “a masterpiece of human creative genius whose protection must be the concern of all.”
After seeing the Roman Baths on travel show after travel show and studying them on and off for years in school, I was thrilled to finally be there!
At the Great Bath
Another shot of the Great Bath
Much of the site centers around the Great Bath, but it is only one of a series of baths used for worship and medicinal treatments. What made Bath so fascinating to the Romans was that the springs found here are hot springs. They considered this to be a miracle of the goddess Minerva. The native Britons had a similar goddess, Sulis, whom they also worshiped here. The Romans thus dubbed Bath as “Aquae Sulis.”
The recovered head of a golden Minerva statue
In its earliest Roman days, a vast, impressive temple was built on the site of the Roman Baths, dedicated to Minerva. Roman citizens could travel the many miles to Bath in order to bring sacrifices and dedications to the goddess. Excavation has uncovered not only the old structure of the baths, but also everything from pots, drinking cups, and valuables to prayers and curses scribbled on rolled pieces of lead.
The waters, warm and rich in minerals, continued to be a place of interest as history marched on. In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Bath was a thriving spa town, offering treatments, rest, and entertainment to its many visitors. If you had the financial means, you would most likely have spent at least one summer holiday in Bath. There was strict regiment of “taking the waters” – by bathing and drinking – and evening entertainment – balls, theater, cards, etc. When in Bath, one lived in the lap of luxury, even being carried about in sedan chairs (the ones with the box, and the poles for the carriers).
Roman soldier looking in the direction of Bath Abbey – known as “lantern of the west” for the unusual brightness created by its clear glass windows
Today, Bath continues as a sleepy little spa town. Though no longer at the Roman Baths, you can still take the water at one or two of the older baths, and in the modern Thermae Bath Spa. Sally Lunn’s is a lovely tea house, one of the oldest houses in Bath – still serving their original “Bath buns,” and the Bath Abbey, location of the first “English” coronation, is also worth a visit.
From Bath, we continued on our way to Stonehenge. I have heard many a traveler say that they found Stonehenge to be much smaller and less grand than they expected. I beg to differ.
Stonehenge
Although Stonehenge is a relatively small stop off the side of the road, located in simple field, it should not fail to impress. The structure has gone through three phases, profoundly named, Stonehenge 1, 2, and 3. Stonehenge 1 was created around 3100 BC!!! It consisted mainly of a large, circular ditch, and a few rocks. Then came Stonehenge 2 (3000BC) – of which little evidence remains. Around 2600 BC, construction of Stonehenge 3 began. This is where the story starts to get really impressive. Mankind somehow managed to float up to 80 “blue stones” weighing around a total of 260 tons down the coast from the Preseli Hills (yay!) in Wales – about 150 miles away. They then dragged these from the river to the field where some of them still stand – another overwhelming feat of human ingenuity. As if this weren’t enough, between 2600 and 24000 BC, 30 mammoth “sarsen” stones, weighing in at about a total of 1,700 tons were brought from 20 miles away. The Sarsen stones were erected in a circle, and topped with lintel stones. It would have taken nearly 600 men to accomplish this task
Sarsen and Lintel stones
Making this feat even more impressive, is that the stones were actually fitted together using a tongue and groove method common in woodworking. Although there are many other stone structures like Stonehenge, but this is the only one found that is actually fitted together. As to how the lintels were placed on top of the sarsen stones, no one really knows – it’s all part of the mystery.
The mystery of Stonehenge continues when we try to discover it’s significance and purpose. It is thought to involve the cycles of the sun and moon. In fact, on the summer solstice, the sun rises directly between two “heel stones” (of which one remains), shines through the arches, and would have landed directly on a flat stone that, unfortunately, now lies flat. That must have been a sight to behold! We do know that the structure was associated with many pagan rituals, including worship and sacrifice – a very significant center of ancient religion.
Standing where mankind stood and built over 5,000 years ago
Seeing both the Roman Baths and Stonehenge in one day leaves a great impression. Both are great symbols of early man’s genius and creativity, so much so that they still serve to move and inspire humankind today. It is in these places that man has sought to understand nature and the cosmos, ask for healing and restoration, and to search for God – the very things that still occupy our intellect and imagination today.
Worth a Journey 