How Stone Age man kept his pores clean... in the SAUNA
They unearthed the foundations of the building at Marden Henge, near Devizes in Wiltshire.
Located close to the River Avon, the neolithic sauna was in a key position overlooking a ceremonial area at the site.
Marden Henge, which has no standing stones, is located on a line which connects Stonehenge (pictured) and Avebury. The remains of a 4,500-year-old sauna have been discovered by archaeologists excavating the Stone Age templeEnglish Heritages Jim Leary said: The building brings to mind the sweat lodges of the native North Americans and the reason for that saunaor sweat lodge interpretation is that the floor plan was utterly dominated by a large hearth so large in fact there does not appear to be any space for living, cooking or doing anything much at all.
Itis also located very close to the River Avon and would have had a readysource of water, which is a necessary criteria for a sweat lodge.
If it was a sweat lodge then perhaps one could envisage it being used for purification ceremonies within the henge.
Unfortunately well never know exactly what it was for thats the nature of archaeology.Marden Henge, which has no standing stones, is located on a line which connects stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury but remains a mystery for archaeologists.
Some believe the huge Stonehenge megaliths were stored there after being dragged from Avebury.
Mr Leary said: The relationship between the three monuments is interesting. They are broadly contemporary and one wonders what the interaction between them must have been were they competing with one another or were they used by the same communities but for different occasions and ceremonies?
We dont know the answer yet but hopefully further work at Marden and at the other sites may ! help elu cidate this. Marden, situated between the two, may well hold the key.
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