Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic monument on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, consisting of a ring of standing stones, each approximately 4 meters (13 feet) high and 2.1 meters (6.9 feet) wide, weighing about 25 tons. It is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world and, in Zecharia Sitchin’s Anunnaki narrative, served as an astronomical observatory within the global Anunnaki network.

Conventional Dating

Mainstream archaeology dates the construction of Stonehenge in three phases:

• Phase I (~3100 BCE): Circular ditch and bank (the henge)
• Phase II (~3000–2500 BCE): Wooden structures and the Aubrey holes
• Phase III (~2500–2000 BCE): The sarsen stones and bluestones

Sitchin’s Interpretation

While Sitchin focused primarily on Near Eastern sites, he included Stonehenge in his broader thesis of a global Anunnaki network. Key points:

1. Astronomical Alignments — Stonehenge is precisely aligned to the solstices and key lunar positions, suggesting advanced astronomical knowledge
2. Precessional Marker — Sitchin and other researchers noted that the monument encoded the precessional cycle (25,920 years) and served as a long-term observation post
3. Global Network — Stonehenge was part of a worldwide system of megalithic observatories established by the Anunnaki or their post-flood followers
4. Measuring the Earth — The dimensions and layout of Stonehenge have been linked to geodetic measurements (the Earth’s circumference)

The “Heel Stone” and the Solstice

The alignment of the Heel Stone with the rising sun on the summer solstice is the most famous astronomical feature of Stonehenge. Sitchin and others have argued that this alignment would have required centuries of observation to perfect — knowledge that could only have been inherited from a more advanced civilization.

Connection to the Anunnaki Narrative

Sitchin did not claim that the Anunnaki themselves built Stonehenge. Rather, he suggested that:

• The post-flood civilizations (particularly those associated with Enki’s son Ishkur/Adad) transmitted astronomical knowledge to northern Europe
• The megalithic builders of Atlantic Europe (including Stonehenge, Avebury, Carnac) preserved fragments of Anunnaki science
• The site’s function was calendrical — tracking the NERU and Shar cycles for anticipating the return of Nibiru

Sitchin Analysis

Where Sitchin Agrees with Mainstream

• Stonehenge is a real, phased monument: Both Sitchin and mainstream archaeology agree on the Salisbury Plain monument, its 25-ton sarsens, and its construction between roughly 3100 and 1600 B.C. This is not disputed.

• It aligns to the solstices: Both agree the axis and the Heel Stone mark the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset.

• The bluestones came from Wales: Both accept the long-distance transport of the bluestones.

• It required sustained observation: Both agree the alignments reflect careful sky-watching.

• Sitchin does not claim the Anunnaki built it: Both agree humans raised the stones; Sitchin attributes only the astronomy to inherited knowledge.

Where They Differ

• What it tracks: Sitchin says the precession, the NERU, and the Shar toward Nibiru’s return. Mainstream says the solar (and possibly lunar) year, for ritual and calendar.

• A global network: Sitchin places it in a worldwide Anunnaki observatory system. Mainstream reads an independent northwest-European megalithic tradition.

• The source of the knowledge: Sitchin credits Ishkur’s post-Flood followers. Mainstream credits local Neolithic communities.

• Geodesy: Sitchin reads Earth’s circumference in its layout. Mainstream reads numerology.

• Difficulty: Sitchin says only an advanced source could perfect it. Mainstream says generations of horizon observation suffice.

PRO vs CONTRA

Argument PRO (Sitchin)	Counterargument (mainstream)
Stonehenge is precisely aligned to the solstices	Agreed - a Neolithic community achieved it by generations of horizon observation
It encodes the 25,920-year precessional cycle	Its alignments track the solar year; no precessional encoding is demonstrated
It tracked the NÉRU and Shar cycles to anticipate Nibiru	These are Sitchin’s units; no Nibiru or long-cycle function is evidenced
It belonged to a global Anunnaki observatory network	It is part of an independent northwest-European megalithic tradition
Perfecting the alignment needed inherited advanced knowledge	Solstice sightlines are directly observable and refined over generations
Its dimensions encode Earth’s circumference	The geodetic “encoding” is numerology dependent on chosen units
Post-Flood followers of Ishkur brought the astronomy north	Britain’s megalith builders developed their monuments locally and independently

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See Also

• Precession — The precessional cycle
• Calendar — Calendrical systems
• Navigation-Beacons — Navigation beacons
• Megalithic-Archaeology — Megalithic archaeology
• Tiwanaku — A similar site in South America
• Archaeoastronomy-of-Giza — Giza’s astronomical alignments

Sources

• Sitchin, Z. (1993). When Time Began. Chapter 7.
• Sitchin, Z. (1990). The Lost Realms. Chapter 10.
• Hawkins, G. (1965). Stonehenge Decoded. New York: Doubleday.
• Thom, A. (1967). Megalithic Sites in Britain. Oxford University Press.