August 14, 2023 • 24 mins
How was Stonehenge built? And, what if those iconic Bluestones had healing properties? This episode promises to transport you back in time, shedding light on the enigmatic monument and its myriad of secrets. Alongside our co-host Phoenix, we will guide you through a captivating exploration of Stonehenge's construction, its historical significance, and the intriguing theories around the healing attributes of the Bluestones.
But wait, there's more! We're not only delving into Britain's rich history, we're also tasting it. Drawing on historical cooking traditions, we introduce you to the rustic charm of traditional British breakfast foods, including Bacon Fraise- a hearty dish dating back to the 15th century. From the recipe of this quintessential dish to a lively debate on the art of cooking eggs, we're serving history, mystery, and a delightful culinary experience all in one episode! So, join us on this multifaceted journey and savor the cultural marvels of Britain.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Smart against Hell's History.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Alright, enough with the Echo and Fanfare.
You're here for history, right,and not that boring crap you
learned in high school.
This stuff's actuallyinteresting, like things you've
never heard about the Civil War,cleopatra, automobiles,
monopoly, the Black Plague andmore Fascinating stories,
interesting topics and somedownright weird facts from the
(00:27):
past.
It's a new twist on somestories you may know and an
interesting look at some thingsyou may have never heard.
So grab a beer, kick back andenjoy.
Here's your host, smarticus.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Smarticus
Tells History, where we exploresome of the most fascinating
stories from history.
I am your host, smarticus,accompanied by my co-host,
phoenix.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Hello.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Today, we'll be exploring the mysteries of
Stonehenge, one of the world'smost famous prehistoric
monuments.
Located in Wiltshire, england,it is an iconic symbol of
Britain, attracting millions ofworldwide visitors every year.
But despite centuries of studyand excavation, stonehenge still
holds many secrets.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yes, but first food.
Today we're eating a workingman's breakfast food called
Bacon Phrase.
This dish goes all the way backto the 15th century and is
considered a working man'sbreakfast.
It was typically eaten byagricultural workers to keep
them going through the long,hard day.
A comparison would be toad inthe hole with sausage.
Bacon Phrase comes fromWiltshire, where Stonehenge is,
(01:30):
and, interestingly enough, israther synonymous with pig
farming.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Okay, what in the Tarnation is toad in a hole?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
sausage with sausage, you don't know what that is.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
No, is that like a?
Is that like a pig in a blanket?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Kind of it's, it's one of their, I mean like it's a
national dish, Okay, and it'skind of like.
The way I understand it, it's awhat are they called?
I'm trying to think of themPopovers, so it's kind of like a
popover, but it has it has asausage link in it.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
That makes any sense.
You should look it up there.
It looks delicious.
I can't.
I would love to make it.
I haven't had the opportunityto yet.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
I think I know what you're talking about.
I think I have seen that before.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know honestly the way this recipe turns out.
I think you could make itreally sweet, uh-huh, really
delicious if you add it infruits and stuff.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Yeah, oh yeah, yes, but that's a good idea.
When I do my eggs and stufflike scrambled eggs or whatever,
well, scrambled over or anomelet, I guess If I have Irish
cream, coffee creamer, I willuse that instead of milk.
Okay, and it is super good.
I have tried a handful of otherlike coffee creamers in there.
Now I see the liquid kind.
(02:39):
Don't go putting the powder inthere, oh God, no Case.
Anyways, you know, questioningor thinking about doing it and
all they have is the powder.
Don't go do that, no, but usethe.
You know, use the refrigeratedliquid creamer which, by the way
, the international delightsIrish creamer is extremely hard
to find now.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Really, I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah, at least here in Oklahoma City you go to
Dollar General, the CommissaryWalmart Crest, which is like our
dillens Uh-huh it's, you can'tfind it, wow.
And yet somehow 7-Eleven stillmanages to get it.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Um maybe they bought the rights.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Maybe we.
I went into 7-Eleven one dayand they had the bottle there.
Now I did go to the commissaryone day it was a commissary at
Walmart and they had it.
They had like moved it intolike the center aisle instead of
in the fridges by the milk andstuff.
They moved it into the centeraisle and they had a whole bunch
of coffee creamer in there andthere was like three bottles in
(03:44):
there, so I grabbed two of them.
I really wanted to grab thethird one, but I was like I
don't want to be that personthat just takes them all for
himself, so I only took twoinstead of three.
But anyways, um, yeah, I seethis here.
I don't think I've had this toein the hole Before.
(04:05):
It does look familiar, thoughit's possible.
I did have it.
It seriously does remind me ofpigs in the blanket, except it's
in there just like bundledtogether instead of like in a
croissant.
Yep, that's more or less whatit looks like to me.
But yeah, you can go look thatup if you guys are interested.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Remember it's not from Wiltshire, where Stonehenge
is from, it's just a generalnational ditch.
But back to the bacon phrase.
It's pretty simple.
It's needs self-rising flour,nutmeg, salt pepper, four large
eggs, some milk and some baconand you do it all in one dish,
in one pan, and it's kind oflike like my grandma used to
(04:45):
make something called flapjacksand she was from Louisiana and
they're they're a thick likethis, and I know you said it was
really flowery for you but I Ican't.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Yeah, I just put it into this one and it's not.
I mean, it's still flowery, butit's not as flowery as like as
the first couple I had, and Imight've just had some that
didn't cook all the way.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
That makes sense.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, and that might be part of why I was stationed
at Moore, because this one saysit's just one.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Hmm, yeah, I will say that this recipe made I mean, I
made two ginormous hands of thebacon.
Phrase One my husband tried toeat in one sitting and couldn't
get through.
I'm eating a fourth of mine.
Yeah, I'll be eating it therest of the week for breakfast.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
I put some in some containers to take to work
tomorrow, nice.
But I got probably I don't knowhalf of it here in that large
skillet that I had.
I may or may not eat it all, Idon't know.
I didn't eat much today, sothere's a good chance that I
might eat it all.
Just for that reason it ispretty good.
The closer that I get towardsthe center it does have more,
(05:50):
have more flavor.
Now I put a whole bag of cheesein mine.
It wasn't like one of those youknow five pound bags or like a.
It was one of those smaller,you know smaller bags that you
can get.
Sure it was, it was.
And cheese is like chocolatechips I love you measure that
(06:16):
with heart.
You don't let the rest of youtell you how much to put on
there.
Yeah, I love cheese so muchthat I've been seriously
considering getting a cheesebudget and just signing up for,
like, different kinds of cheese,like those, like those monthly
things that they do.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yes, we were thinking about doing that too, actually,
which is so funny.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
And it's like it's like $100 a month or whatever.
But you get a large amount ofexotic cheeses and stuff.
And I was like man, like I dolove my cheese.
We have a company here it'scalled a hot and cheesy, not a
sponsor.
That's hilarious.
They get their cheese from likewhat is it?
(06:55):
Like Fisher's Market orwhatever it's called.
They're down in Texas andthey're a supplier for them, so
they get all kinds of differentcheese from them and they get
summer sausage and stuff fromthem.
So I usually get a roll orsummer sausage and a roll, or
they come in like cubes, theblocks, yeah, and like a block
(07:17):
it's a big.
It's a big block though it'slike a.
It's like a two square inchblock.
That's maybe I don't know, sixinch, six to eight inches long.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So it's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
It's pretty good size block of cheese.
They have smoked garlic andit's really good, I have no
doubt.
But yeah, so I put a wholebunch of cheese in mine and and
then I also put.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I wonder if that play part in it too, because I just
put cheese on top of mine afterI finished cooking it.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Yeah, I did not do that.
I mixed it all in all at thesame time together.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Hmm, I know.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
And I also put green peppers, red peppers, yellow
peppers and onions in mine aswell.
Again, with the frozen, I'm abig fan.
I mean I've done this like sixthe past six times that we've
done this.
What do I usually do?
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I put onions in it.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I always add the green pepper and it's 99 percent
time the green peppers, theonions because I just bomb the
bags and it's so easy to justthrow it in there.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Oh, and then you get your veggies for the day and
your gun.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, and now we were also talking.
You said you put potato hash inyours.
Clarify potato hash.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
I made some potato hash and I made it to go with it
.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
I was going to do the same thing with the shredded
potato hash browns that I have,or the cubed hash browns I
didn't know which one.
I was just going to mix it inagain all together, all at the
same time.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I was thinking about doing that next time, because
I'm definitely making this againbecause it's pretty good.
Like I said, if you get therecipe right no, if you get the
recipe right it comes out so bigthat you should be able to eat
off of it all week.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah, mine's.
It's roughly a half inch, maybea little bit more maybe three
quarters of an inch.
I mean it feels that prettygood.
I mean I'm eating mine like apizza.
Nice, I even use a pizza slicerto cut it up into pieces.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I used a big old honking knife, Did you?
I did Well remember.
I told you, I got that reallythick, thick bacon.
Oh, yeah.
From well, I got it from Yoder,but it's not paid advertisement
.
But right.
It's locally sourced, just acouple of miles north.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
That's where I get my milk Yoder.
No, locally sourced milk, Imean Gotcha and my a lot of my
cheese, except for that cheese Iwas just talking about.
Right, like if I buy like aColby Jack, you know, like if I
buy like a cube cheese, I get itfrom Brahms.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Brahms Market, because the Brahms Farm, the
Brahms Dairy Farm, is literallylike five miles away from my
house.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
No way really.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Five or ten miles away from my house.
Yeah, how funny.
So Brahms milk is also cheaper.
Again, not a sponsor.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I've heard that.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
It is much because it's there.
They don't have to send it toanybody.
They don't.
It's their own farms, your owncows.
So a gallon of Brahms milk isless than three dollars Wow.
So, it was like it was like two, two, eighty five or something
when I paid for it.
That's awesome.
That's probably also in partbecause it is right here.
So the Brahms is also only inthe Midwest Right and I don't
(10:25):
know how far, how far south ornorth they go, but there's like
a, there's a really goodquestion.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
I have to look it up.
It doesn't matter, becausewe're not.
We're not paid.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Yeah, we're not paid.
It doesn't matter.
Brahms, you want to sponsorthis man.
Like, hey, like yeah hit us up.
Your ice cream is beautiful.
You're I, I love your ice cream.
Yeah, I love your cheese andyour milk.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
So We've all pretty much heard a Stonehenge at least
I would hope Majority of thepopulation has had you know
somewhat of a, even up to amiddle school education.
We've all, at least, heard ofStonehenge.
Um, I you know again, I hope um, if not Stonehenge, um, like we
(11:13):
said, is uh over in England, um, and it's believed to have been
built over a period of 1500years, beginning around 3000 BCE
.
The stones are made of twotypes of rock the larger sarson
stones, which were solidifiedsandstone block, and blue stones
, which is a convenience label,meaning foreign stone, though it
is generally accepted thatthese particular stones came
(11:34):
from Priscilla Hills, which isin modern day Pembrokeshire and
Wells.
The sarson stones, which arethe bigger of the two, are
arranged in a large outer circle, some topped with stone lentils
, while others have lost theirsto weather and gravity.
The inner U shape is fivetrilithons, which is two
vertical stones topped by ahorizontal lentil in the center.
Within each segment there areblue stone erections, some still
(11:57):
standing, others are gone andsome have fallen.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
The construction of Stonehenge was an incredible
feat of engineering, using thelimited technology available at
the time and considering thatthe stones weighed up to 25 tons
each.
The stones were transportedover long distances using
sludges, rollers and possiblyboats.
The sarson stones were shapedusing stone hammers and chisels,
and the blue stones werecarefully selected and shaped to
(12:21):
fit together.
The stones were then erectedusing complex systems of levers,
ramps and pulleys.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Of course, the question has to be asked what
was the purpose of Stonehenge?
Well, this is a question thathas puzzled archaeologists for
centuries.
Many theories have beenproposed, ranging from an
astronomical observatory to ahealing center, to an ancient
burial site, or even May Daycelebration and winter solstice.
One of the most populartheories is that Stonehenge was
a place of ritual and ceremony,possibly associated with the
(12:50):
worship of the sun and moon.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
The astronomical alignment of Stonehenge is one
of the most striking features ofthe monument.
The stones are arranged in acircle with a diameter of
approximately 100 feet, theorientation of which is such
that on the summer solstice thelongest day of the year, the sun
rises directly over the heelstone, a large sarson stone
located outside the main circle.
Similarly, on the wintersolstice, the sun sets directly
(13:13):
between two of the trilophonsand the horseshoe.
This suggests that Stonehengewas used as an astronomical
calendar, with the movements ofthe sun and moon being tracked
and recorded.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
But Stonehenge was not just a passive observatory.
Evidence suggests that it wasalso a site of active rituals
and ceremonies.
Ants have revealed the remainsof several individuals who were
buried at Stonehenge, includinga man who was buried with a
stone axe and a boar's tusk.
This suggests that Stonehengewas a place of burial and
possibly also a site ofinitiation and rites of passage.
Other artifacts found atStonehenge include antler picks,
(13:44):
flint tools and animal bones,indicating that it was also a
site of hunting and gathering.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
One of the most intriguing mysteries of
Stonehenge is how the bluestones, which were brought from
whales, were transported oversuch a long distance, that being
150 miles.
The journey would have involvedcrossing rivers, valleys and
hills.
Theories about how the bluestones were transported include
dragging them on sledges orrollers, putting them down
rivers on rafts, or even using atype of ancient railway system.
(14:12):
Whatever method was used, it isclear that it would have been a
major undertaking requiringsignificant resources and
manpower.
Still, we have to once againask but why?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Why were the blue stones so important that the
builders of Stonehenge went tosuch great lengths to bring them
from so far away?
Some researchers believe thatthe Bluestones may have had
healing properties and that theywere transported to Stonehenge
because of their perceivedtherapeutic value.
In fact, it has been suggestedthat Stonehenge was originally a
healing center where peoplecame to be treated for various
(14:44):
ailments.
Some researchers have evensuggested that the builders of
Stonehenge believed that theBluestones had come from the
heavens and that they wereimbued with divine energy.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Whatever the case, one of the most puzzling aspects
of Stonehenge is how it wasconstructed over such a long
period of time.
It is believed that the firstphase of construction, which
involved digging the circularditch and bank that surrounds
the stones, took place around3000 BCE.
The second phase, whichinvolved the erection of the
Bluestones, took place around2100 BCE.
(15:14):
The third phase, which includedthe erection of the Sarsen
stones and the rearrangement ofthe Bluestones, took place
around 1500 BCE.
This means that theconstruction of Stonehenge
spanned over 1500 years andinvolved several generations of
builders, which, if you thinkabout it, is a really
interesting concept, thoughhonestly, I can't imagine why in
(15:35):
the world they would havecontinued that for that many
generations.
That's a lot of generation.
I mean like the Great Stonewallof China, right, that big, huge
wall.
Yeah, it was three emperorswork.
Yeah, but it was consecutive,yeah.
It had a huge plan.
This is way more than threeemperors or three chiefs or
(15:58):
whoever.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Yeah, yeah, it would have been well kings back then,
probably Maybe, yeah, I'm notsure.
I'm not sure what the headhoncho was there, but what could
have been yarls Could have beenno, no, because those are yarls
3000 BCE.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
That's way before.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know what it was.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
It would have been different clans, yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Yeah, I don't know.
It just, it's very makes youquestion things, things that
make you go, hmm, hmm.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I personally don't think that humans are that
stupid.
I think we could have done it.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Yeah, I mean so it could have been.
I'm not a historian.
I think it could have been.
It could have been it couldhave been like slave work,
possibly, or like, notnecessarily like slave work, but
as like punishment like, hey,you did something you shouldn't
(17:02):
have to or you shouldn't have.
We're going to send you overhere to go move these stones
into this formation as as partof the workforce, to work off
your debt or whatever, anddenture servitude or possibly
people who are wanting to getinto the workforce possibly
people who are wanting clans whoyou know want to get into the
workforce.
(17:23):
Right, because back then thatwas popular.
I mean that was, I mean slaveryhas been around for millennia,
so I mean it's very possiblethat something like that was the
case, or it's very possiblethat, for whatever reason, that
was just deemed the form of workfor respectable, you know, for
(17:47):
certain families or whatever.
Like you have your blacksmith,your, you know, your smithy,
your, you know whatever.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
This would be stone-based, since I bet you.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Probably.
Yeah, so something of that youknow along those lines, possibly
Because that's how it stuff wasback then.
I mean, that's just what theydid.
Yeah, you just nobodyquestioned why are we doing this
?
Nobody questioned anything,everybody just did it.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
And then you know, once we started questioning
things, you know when technologystarted to come about.
Why does this?
You know, why did the applefall from the trees?
Things like that.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So could we make this a little bit faster?
And all of a sudden, a smithybecomes an architect.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, now, I did say that they use logs and stuff to
roll them.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
I would think surely they could have used oxen or
something to pull the stones, Imean, and if you had enough logs
, right?
I mean, I'm not sure how theEgyptians did it, I mean, they
had woolly mammoths, smart kids.
Yeah, that too, you're right.
But they had people too, thatboob stuff, oh for sure, with
the logs and whatnot.
(18:56):
Yeah, but you're right.
You're right, they had woollymammoths and stuff.
But as far as their back tothis, yes.
Going back, how they involveseveral generations of builders
and stuff like that's for thatlong, I mean.
That's why, and first of all,it's not like it's the Great
Wall of China, that's you know,spans a thousand miles.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
It's 100 feet wide.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
It's 100 feet wide, is what it said.
Like, why did it take them 1500years to build something that's
, you know, only 100 feet wide?
Come on.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
It's part of that's because of the distance that
they had to go, and I get that,but it was only what 150 miles
or something is what it was thatthey had to travel.
Yes, yeah, surely they couldhave found again.
Like I said, you know, usedoxen or horses, whatever, bowls,
whatever they had.
One theory is that theconstruction of Stonehenge was a
(19:53):
communal effort, with differentgroups of people contributing
to the building process overtime.
This would have required a highdegree of organization and
cooperation, and may have beenfacilitated by shared cultural
beliefs and values.
It is also possible that theconstruction of Stonehenge was a
way for different communitiesto come together and establish a
sense of shared identity andpurpose.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
In recent years, new technologies have allowed
archaeologists to gain a betterunderstanding of Stonehenge and
its surrounding landscape.
For example, ground penetratingradar has been used to map the
subsurface features of the area,revealing previously unknown
structures and monuments.
In 2014, a team ofarchaeologists discovered a
previously unknown circle ofstones dubbed Superhenge,
(20:35):
located just a few miles fromStonehenge.
This discovery has shed newlight on the complexity and
extent of prehistoric monumentsin the area.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
I feel like I heard something about that when they
made that discovery.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yes, it was huge, but you know it's really wild is
around there in southern, thesouthern area of um of actually
of England, not the UK, but ofor of Britain or whatever.
Down there in the southern partthere are tons of stone
structures set up like circlesor half circles.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I was gonna say there's probably more things to
this um that they haven't foundyet.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
There's a lot of them .
None of them are as big or asintact as Stonehenge, but
there's a whole bunch.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
So that also reminds me um of Easter Island, how they
recently discovered oh, there'sbodies attached to those heads.
They're not just heads, there'sbodies down there too.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Yes, and uh, why bury ?
Them, so maybe they weren'tburied, it's possible, but how
could they have sunk that far?
I mean, those structures arehuge, I know, and they all sunk
that far.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
All of them.
Well, I was thinking more of,over time, the dust and stuff
gathers on them and so on and soforth, and over, uh, you know
so many years, um that yeah,they sink, and stuff too.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
But yeah, they've.
They've found a whole bunch ofdifferent ones and there's
actually one, I think, that theyfound up.
Ehh, what was it?
It's somewhere here in theUnited States.
It's over on the East Coast, Ithink, but it's up north.
They found something similar,really.
Yeah, it's not nearly as big.
(22:21):
Like I said before, stonehengeseems to be one of the biggest.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Uh, in addition, advances in DNA analysis have
allowed researchers to study thegenetic makeup of the people
who lived in the area during thetime of Stonehenge.
This research has revealed thatthe builders of Stonehenge were
likely descended from the samegroup of people who built the
earlier monument of Ave Burry,located just a few miles away.
This and several other stonecircles in the British Isles
(22:46):
suggest that there was a highdegree of continuity and
cultural transmission betweendifferent prehistoric
communities in the area.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Well.
In conclusion, stonehenge is amonument that continues to
fascinate and intrigue peoplefrom all over the world.
Its sheer size and complexity,combined with its enigmatic
purpose, makes it one of themost mysterious and
awe-inspiring ancient sites inthe world.
While we may never fullyunderstand the meaning and
significance of Stonehenge,ongoing research and
investigation continue to shednew light on this monument and
(23:16):
its place in prehistoric Britain.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
We hope that you have enjoyed learning more about
this iconic monument and itsrich, mysterious history.
Join us next time as we exploreanother fascinating topic from
around the world.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Thanks for listening to Smarticus Tells History.
If you enjoyed this episode,don't forget to rate and review,
and make sure to subscribe andbe sure to follow the show at
facebookcom slash SmarticusTells History or just click the
link in the show description.
Thanks again for listening.
See you next time.
Welcome to.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Smart against Hell's History.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Alright, enough with the Echo and Fanfare.
You're here for history, right,and not that boring crap you
learned in high school.
This stuff's actuallyinteresting, like things you've
never heard about the Civil War,cleopatra, automobiles,
monopoly, the Black Plague andmore Fascinating stories,
interesting topics and somedownright weird facts from the
(00:27):
past.
It's a new twist on somestories you may know and an
interesting look at some thingsyou may have never heard.
So grab a beer, kick back andenjoy.
Here's your host, smarticus.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Smarticus
Tells History, where we exploresome of the most fascinating
stories from history.
I am your host, smarticus,accompanied by my co-host,
phoenix.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Hello.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Today, we'll be exploring the mysteries of
Stonehenge, one of the world'smost famous prehistoric
monuments.
Located in Wiltshire, england,it is an iconic symbol of
Britain, attracting millions ofworldwide visitors every year.
But despite centuries of studyand excavation, stonehenge still
holds many secrets.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yes, but first food.
Today we're eating a workingman's breakfast food called
Bacon Phrase.
This dish goes all the way backto the 15th century and is
considered a working man'sbreakfast.
It was typically eaten byagricultural workers to keep
them going through the long,hard day.
A comparison would be toad inthe hole with sausage.
Bacon Phrase comes fromWiltshire, where Stonehenge is,
(01:30):
and, interestingly enough, israther synonymous with pig
farming.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Okay, what in the Tarnation is toad in a hole?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
sausage with sausage, you don't know what that is.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
No, is that like a?
Is that like a pig in a blanket?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Kind of it's, it's one of their, I mean like it's a
national dish, Okay, and it'skind of like.
The way I understand it, it's awhat are they called?
I'm trying to think of themPopovers, so it's kind of like a
popover, but it has it has asausage link in it.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
That makes any sense.
You should look it up there.
It looks delicious.
I can't.
I would love to make it.
I haven't had the opportunityto yet.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
I think I know what you're talking about.
I think I have seen that before.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know honestly the way this recipe turns out.
I think you could make itreally sweet, uh-huh, really
delicious if you add it infruits and stuff.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Yeah, oh yeah, yes, but that's a good idea.
When I do my eggs and stufflike scrambled eggs or whatever,
well, scrambled over or anomelet, I guess If I have Irish
cream, coffee creamer, I willuse that instead of milk.
Okay, and it is super good.
I have tried a handful of otherlike coffee creamers in there.
Now I see the liquid kind.
(02:39):
Don't go putting the powder inthere, oh God, no Case.
Anyways, you know, questioningor thinking about doing it and
all they have is the powder.
Don't go do that, no, but usethe.
You know, use the refrigeratedliquid creamer which, by the way
, the international delightsIrish creamer is extremely hard
to find now.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Really, I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah, at least here in Oklahoma City you go to
Dollar General, the CommissaryWalmart Crest, which is like our
dillens Uh-huh it's, you can'tfind it, wow.
And yet somehow 7-Eleven stillmanages to get it.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Um maybe they bought the rights.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Maybe we.
I went into 7-Eleven one dayand they had the bottle there.
Now I did go to the commissaryone day it was a commissary at
Walmart and they had it.
They had like moved it intolike the center aisle instead of
in the fridges by the milk andstuff.
They moved it into the centeraisle and they had a whole bunch
of coffee creamer in there andthere was like three bottles in
(03:44):
there, so I grabbed two of them.
I really wanted to grab thethird one, but I was like I
don't want to be that personthat just takes them all for
himself, so I only took twoinstead of three.
But anyways, um, yeah, I seethis here.
I don't think I've had this toein the hole Before.
(04:05):
It does look familiar, thoughit's possible.
I did have it.
It seriously does remind me ofpigs in the blanket, except it's
in there just like bundledtogether instead of like in a
croissant.
Yep, that's more or less whatit looks like to me.
But yeah, you can go look thatup if you guys are interested.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Remember it's not from Wiltshire, where Stonehenge
is from, it's just a generalnational ditch.
But back to the bacon phrase.
It's pretty simple.
It's needs self-rising flour,nutmeg, salt pepper, four large
eggs, some milk and some baconand you do it all in one dish,
in one pan, and it's kind oflike like my grandma used to
(04:45):
make something called flapjacksand she was from Louisiana and
they're they're a thick likethis, and I know you said it was
really flowery for you but I Ican't.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Yeah, I just put it into this one and it's not.
I mean, it's still flowery, butit's not as flowery as like as
the first couple I had, and Imight've just had some that
didn't cook all the way.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
That makes sense.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, and that might be part of why I was stationed
at Moore, because this one saysit's just one.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Hmm, yeah, I will say that this recipe made I mean, I
made two ginormous hands of thebacon.
Phrase One my husband tried toeat in one sitting and couldn't
get through.
I'm eating a fourth of mine.
Yeah, I'll be eating it therest of the week for breakfast.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
I put some in some containers to take to work
tomorrow, nice.
But I got probably I don't knowhalf of it here in that large
skillet that I had.
I may or may not eat it all, Idon't know.
I didn't eat much today, sothere's a good chance that I
might eat it all.
Just for that reason it ispretty good.
The closer that I get towardsthe center it does have more,
(05:50):
have more flavor.
Now I put a whole bag of cheesein mine.
It wasn't like one of those youknow five pound bags or like a.
It was one of those smaller,you know smaller bags that you
can get.
Sure it was, it was.
And cheese is like chocolatechips I love you measure that
(06:16):
with heart.
You don't let the rest of youtell you how much to put on
there.
Yeah, I love cheese so muchthat I've been seriously
considering getting a cheesebudget and just signing up for,
like, different kinds of cheese,like those, like those monthly
things that they do.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yes, we were thinking about doing that too, actually,
which is so funny.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
And it's like it's like $100 a month or whatever.
But you get a large amount ofexotic cheeses and stuff.
And I was like man, like I dolove my cheese.
We have a company here it'scalled a hot and cheesy, not a
sponsor.
That's hilarious.
They get their cheese from likewhat is it?
(06:55):
Like Fisher's Market orwhatever it's called.
They're down in Texas andthey're a supplier for them, so
they get all kinds of differentcheese from them and they get
summer sausage and stuff fromthem.
So I usually get a roll orsummer sausage and a roll, or
they come in like cubes, theblocks, yeah, and like a block
(07:17):
it's a big.
It's a big block though it'slike a.
It's like a two square inchblock.
That's maybe I don't know, sixinch, six to eight inches long.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So it's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
It's pretty good size block of cheese.
They have smoked garlic andit's really good, I have no
doubt.
But yeah, so I put a wholebunch of cheese in mine and and
then I also put.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I wonder if that play part in it too, because I just
put cheese on top of mine afterI finished cooking it.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Yeah, I did not do that.
I mixed it all in all at thesame time together.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Hmm, I know.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
And I also put green peppers, red peppers, yellow
peppers and onions in mine aswell.
Again, with the frozen, I'm abig fan.
I mean I've done this like sixthe past six times that we've
done this.
What do I usually do?
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I put onions in it.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I always add the green pepper and it's 99 percent
time the green peppers, theonions because I just bomb the
bags and it's so easy to justthrow it in there.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Oh, and then you get your veggies for the day and
your gun.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, and now we were also talking.
You said you put potato hash inyours.
Clarify potato hash.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
I made some potato hash and I made it to go with it
.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
I was going to do the same thing with the shredded
potato hash browns that I have,or the cubed hash browns I
didn't know which one.
I was just going to mix it inagain all together, all at the
same time.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I was thinking about doing that next time, because
I'm definitely making this againbecause it's pretty good.
Like I said, if you get therecipe right no, if you get the
recipe right it comes out so bigthat you should be able to eat
off of it all week.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah, mine's.
It's roughly a half inch, maybea little bit more maybe three
quarters of an inch.
I mean it feels that prettygood.
I mean I'm eating mine like apizza.
Nice, I even use a pizza slicerto cut it up into pieces.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I used a big old honking knife, Did you?
I did Well remember.
I told you, I got that reallythick, thick bacon.
Oh, yeah.
From well, I got it from Yoder,but it's not paid advertisement
.
But right.
It's locally sourced, just acouple of miles north.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
That's where I get my milk Yoder.
No, locally sourced milk, Imean Gotcha and my a lot of my
cheese, except for that cheese Iwas just talking about.
Right, like if I buy like aColby Jack, you know, like if I
buy like a cube cheese, I get itfrom Brahms.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Brahms Market, because the Brahms Farm, the
Brahms Dairy Farm, is literallylike five miles away from my
house.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
No way really.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Five or ten miles away from my house.
Yeah, how funny.
So Brahms milk is also cheaper.
Again, not a sponsor.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I've heard that.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
It is much because it's there.
They don't have to send it toanybody.
They don't.
It's their own farms, your owncows.
So a gallon of Brahms milk isless than three dollars Wow.
So, it was like it was like two, two, eighty five or something
when I paid for it.
That's awesome.
That's probably also in partbecause it is right here.
So the Brahms is also only inthe Midwest Right and I don't
(10:25):
know how far, how far south ornorth they go, but there's like
a, there's a really goodquestion.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
I have to look it up.
It doesn't matter, becausewe're not.
We're not paid.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Yeah, we're not paid.
It doesn't matter.
Brahms, you want to sponsorthis man.
Like, hey, like yeah hit us up.
Your ice cream is beautiful.
You're I, I love your ice cream.
Yeah, I love your cheese andyour milk.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
So We've all pretty much heard a Stonehenge at least
I would hope Majority of thepopulation has had you know
somewhat of a, even up to amiddle school education.
We've all, at least, heard ofStonehenge.
Um, I you know again, I hope um, if not Stonehenge, um, like we
(11:13):
said, is uh over in England, um, and it's believed to have been
built over a period of 1500years, beginning around 3000 BCE
.
The stones are made of twotypes of rock the larger sarson
stones, which were solidifiedsandstone block, and blue stones
, which is a convenience label,meaning foreign stone, though it
is generally accepted thatthese particular stones came
(11:34):
from Priscilla Hills, which isin modern day Pembrokeshire and
Wells.
The sarson stones, which arethe bigger of the two, are
arranged in a large outer circle, some topped with stone lentils
, while others have lost theirsto weather and gravity.
The inner U shape is fivetrilithons, which is two
vertical stones topped by ahorizontal lentil in the center.
Within each segment there areblue stone erections, some still
(11:57):
standing, others are gone andsome have fallen.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
The construction of Stonehenge was an incredible
feat of engineering, using thelimited technology available at
the time and considering thatthe stones weighed up to 25 tons
each.
The stones were transportedover long distances using
sludges, rollers and possiblyboats.
The sarson stones were shapedusing stone hammers and chisels,
and the blue stones werecarefully selected and shaped to
(12:21):
fit together.
The stones were then erectedusing complex systems of levers,
ramps and pulleys.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Of course, the question has to be asked what
was the purpose of Stonehenge?
Well, this is a question thathas puzzled archaeologists for
centuries.
Many theories have beenproposed, ranging from an
astronomical observatory to ahealing center, to an ancient
burial site, or even May Daycelebration and winter solstice.
One of the most populartheories is that Stonehenge was
a place of ritual and ceremony,possibly associated with the
(12:50):
worship of the sun and moon.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
The astronomical alignment of Stonehenge is one
of the most striking features ofthe monument.
The stones are arranged in acircle with a diameter of
approximately 100 feet, theorientation of which is such
that on the summer solstice thelongest day of the year, the sun
rises directly over the heelstone, a large sarson stone
located outside the main circle.
Similarly, on the wintersolstice, the sun sets directly
(13:13):
between two of the trilophonsand the horseshoe.
This suggests that Stonehengewas used as an astronomical
calendar, with the movements ofthe sun and moon being tracked
and recorded.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
But Stonehenge was not just a passive observatory.
Evidence suggests that it wasalso a site of active rituals
and ceremonies.
Ants have revealed the remainsof several individuals who were
buried at Stonehenge, includinga man who was buried with a
stone axe and a boar's tusk.
This suggests that Stonehengewas a place of burial and
possibly also a site ofinitiation and rites of passage.
Other artifacts found atStonehenge include antler picks,
(13:44):
flint tools and animal bones,indicating that it was also a
site of hunting and gathering.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
One of the most intriguing mysteries of
Stonehenge is how the bluestones, which were brought from
whales, were transported oversuch a long distance, that being
150 miles.
The journey would have involvedcrossing rivers, valleys and
hills.
Theories about how the bluestones were transported include
dragging them on sledges orrollers, putting them down
rivers on rafts, or even using atype of ancient railway system.
(14:12):
Whatever method was used, it isclear that it would have been a
major undertaking requiringsignificant resources and
manpower.
Still, we have to once againask but why?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Why were the blue stones so important that the
builders of Stonehenge went tosuch great lengths to bring them
from so far away?
Some researchers believe thatthe Bluestones may have had
healing properties and that theywere transported to Stonehenge
because of their perceivedtherapeutic value.
In fact, it has been suggestedthat Stonehenge was originally a
healing center where peoplecame to be treated for various
(14:44):
ailments.
Some researchers have evensuggested that the builders of
Stonehenge believed that theBluestones had come from the
heavens and that they wereimbued with divine energy.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Whatever the case, one of the most puzzling aspects
of Stonehenge is how it wasconstructed over such a long
period of time.
It is believed that the firstphase of construction, which
involved digging the circularditch and bank that surrounds
the stones, took place around3000 BCE.
The second phase, whichinvolved the erection of the
Bluestones, took place around2100 BCE.
(15:14):
The third phase, which includedthe erection of the Sarsen
stones and the rearrangement ofthe Bluestones, took place
around 1500 BCE.
This means that theconstruction of Stonehenge
spanned over 1500 years andinvolved several generations of
builders, which, if you thinkabout it, is a really
interesting concept, thoughhonestly, I can't imagine why in
(15:35):
the world they would havecontinued that for that many
generations.
That's a lot of generation.
I mean like the Great Stonewallof China, right, that big, huge
wall.
Yeah, it was three emperorswork.
Yeah, but it was consecutive,yeah.
It had a huge plan.
This is way more than threeemperors or three chiefs or
(15:58):
whoever.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Yeah, yeah, it would have been well kings back then,
probably Maybe, yeah, I'm notsure.
I'm not sure what the headhoncho was there, but what could
have been yarls Could have beenno, no, because those are yarls
3000 BCE.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
That's way before.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know what it was.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
It would have been different clans, yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Yeah, I don't know.
It just, it's very makes youquestion things, things that
make you go, hmm, hmm.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I personally don't think that humans are that
stupid.
I think we could have done it.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Yeah, I mean so it could have been.
I'm not a historian.
I think it could have been.
It could have been it couldhave been like slave work,
possibly, or like, notnecessarily like slave work, but
as like punishment like, hey,you did something you shouldn't
(17:02):
have to or you shouldn't have.
We're going to send you overhere to go move these stones
into this formation as as partof the workforce, to work off
your debt or whatever, anddenture servitude or possibly
people who are wanting to getinto the workforce possibly
people who are wanting clans whoyou know want to get into the
workforce.
(17:23):
Right, because back then thatwas popular.
I mean that was, I mean slaveryhas been around for millennia,
so I mean it's very possiblethat something like that was the
case, or it's very possiblethat, for whatever reason, that
was just deemed the form of workfor respectable, you know, for
(17:47):
certain families or whatever.
Like you have your blacksmith,your, you know, your smithy,
your, you know whatever.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
This would be stone-based, since I bet you.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Probably.
Yeah, so something of that youknow along those lines, possibly
Because that's how it stuff wasback then.
I mean, that's just what theydid.
Yeah, you just nobodyquestioned why are we doing this
?
Nobody questioned anything,everybody just did it.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
And then you know, once we started questioning
things, you know when technologystarted to come about.
Why does this?
You know, why did the applefall from the trees?
Things like that.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So could we make this a little bit faster?
And all of a sudden, a smithybecomes an architect.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, now, I did say that they use logs and stuff to
roll them.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
I would think surely they could have used oxen or
something to pull the stones, Imean, and if you had enough logs
, right?
I mean, I'm not sure how theEgyptians did it, I mean, they
had woolly mammoths, smart kids.
Yeah, that too, you're right.
But they had people too, thatboob stuff, oh for sure, with
the logs and whatnot.
(18:56):
Yeah, but you're right.
You're right, they had woollymammoths and stuff.
But as far as their back tothis, yes.
Going back, how they involveseveral generations of builders
and stuff like that's for thatlong, I mean.
That's why, and first of all,it's not like it's the Great
Wall of China, that's you know,spans a thousand miles.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
It's 100 feet wide.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
It's 100 feet wide, is what it said.
Like, why did it take them 1500years to build something that's
, you know, only 100 feet wide?
Come on.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
It's part of that's because of the distance that
they had to go, and I get that,but it was only what 150 miles
or something is what it was thatthey had to travel.
Yes, yeah, surely they couldhave found again.
Like I said, you know, usedoxen or horses, whatever, bowls,
whatever they had.
One theory is that theconstruction of Stonehenge was a
(19:53):
communal effort, with differentgroups of people contributing
to the building process overtime.
This would have required a highdegree of organization and
cooperation, and may have beenfacilitated by shared cultural
beliefs and values.
It is also possible that theconstruction of Stonehenge was a
way for different communitiesto come together and establish a
sense of shared identity andpurpose.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
In recent years, new technologies have allowed
archaeologists to gain a betterunderstanding of Stonehenge and
its surrounding landscape.
For example, ground penetratingradar has been used to map the
subsurface features of the area,revealing previously unknown
structures and monuments.
In 2014, a team ofarchaeologists discovered a
previously unknown circle ofstones dubbed Superhenge,
(20:35):
located just a few miles fromStonehenge.
This discovery has shed newlight on the complexity and
extent of prehistoric monumentsin the area.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
I feel like I heard something about that when they
made that discovery.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yes, it was huge, but you know it's really wild is
around there in southern, thesouthern area of um of actually
of England, not the UK, but ofor of Britain or whatever.
Down there in the southern partthere are tons of stone
structures set up like circlesor half circles.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I was gonna say there's probably more things to
this um that they haven't foundyet.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
There's a lot of them .
None of them are as big or asintact as Stonehenge, but
there's a whole bunch.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
So that also reminds me um of Easter Island, how they
recently discovered oh, there'sbodies attached to those heads.
They're not just heads, there'sbodies down there too.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Yes, and uh, why bury ?
Them, so maybe they weren'tburied, it's possible, but how
could they have sunk that far?
I mean, those structures arehuge, I know, and they all sunk
that far.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
All of them.
Well, I was thinking more of,over time, the dust and stuff
gathers on them and so on and soforth, and over, uh, you know
so many years, um that yeah,they sink, and stuff too.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
But yeah, they've.
They've found a whole bunch ofdifferent ones and there's
actually one, I think, that theyfound up.
Ehh, what was it?
It's somewhere here in theUnited States.
It's over on the East Coast, Ithink, but it's up north.
They found something similar,really.
Yeah, it's not nearly as big.
(22:21):
Like I said before, stonehengeseems to be one of the biggest.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Uh, in addition, advances in DNA analysis have
allowed researchers to study thegenetic makeup of the people
who lived in the area during thetime of Stonehenge.
This research has revealed thatthe builders of Stonehenge were
likely descended from the samegroup of people who built the
earlier monument of Ave Burry,located just a few miles away.
This and several other stonecircles in the British Isles
(22:46):
suggest that there was a highdegree of continuity and
cultural transmission betweendifferent prehistoric
communities in the area.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Well.
In conclusion, stonehenge is amonument that continues to
fascinate and intrigue peoplefrom all over the world.
Its sheer size and complexity,combined with its enigmatic
purpose, makes it one of themost mysterious and
awe-inspiring ancient sites inthe world.
While we may never fullyunderstand the meaning and
significance of Stonehenge,ongoing research and
investigation continue to shednew light on this monument and
(23:16):
its place in prehistoric Britain.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
We hope that you have enjoyed learning more about
this iconic monument and itsrich, mysterious history.
Join us next time as we exploreanother fascinating topic from
around the world.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Thanks for listening to Smarticus Tells History.
If you enjoyed this episode,don't forget to rate and review,
and make sure to subscribe andbe sure to follow the show at
facebookcom slash SmarticusTells History or just click the
link in the show description.
Thanks again for listening.
See you next time.
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