So here's a Stonehenge theory we haven't heard before.
A historian claims "cowboy builders" are responsible for Stonehenge, and apparently, they might have left the job half-done. (Via National Geographic)
Ronald Hutton is the man behind the theory. He's been called an expert on paganism. (Via YouTube / TomHortus)
The Telegraph reports Hutton thinks the building of Stonehenge was "botched."
"The building of stone circle on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, was a botched job by a group of people 'insane enough to want to try the experiment of working enormous stones as if they were wood.'" (Via The Telegraph)
Hutton spoke about his theory at the Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival. He said Stonehenge was as much a triumph as it was a disaster.
"It is a triumph, he said, 'because the darned thing's still there and it's the most famous prehistoric monument in the entire world.'"
He explained he thought the job was left half-finished and the people building it were working under pressure, which is why they didn't fix things such as broken stones. In modern terms, a cowboy builder is a term for someone who does a crummy job and isn't really that committed to the project.
But Hutton's theory is far from the first. If cowboys just don't suit your fancy, there are a few other possibilities to choose from. (Via Flickr / Bill Gracey)
"Stonehenge is the work of ancient Britons, a primitive and little-known people." (Via National Geographic)
"Perhaps one royal family marshaled the power to create Stonehenge, and across the British Isles, other families or clans built their own stone circles." (Via Nova)
For whomever built the massive structure 5,000 years ago, it was certainly a feat — with or without cowboys.
