ABSTRACT
Stone was a crucial element in the consciousness of the Stonehenge people. Their greatest monuments were virtual glorifications of the stone out of which they were made and we sense that the builders had a truly unique empathy with whatever rock they elected to use. In some instances, such as the bluestones at Stonehenge, the stone was clearly supposed to possess powerful magical properties, although it is impossible now even to speculate what those ‘marvellous Operations’ might have been. Often the stone provided more obvious material help, supplying the raw materials for the axes needed for land clearance, house building, fences, palisades, boat building and fuel gathering.
