The largest exhibition on the history of Stonehenge has just opened its doors at the British Museum in London. Works repatriated from all over the world to tell the story of this circle of stones built 4,500 years ago and still so mysterious.
With our correspondent in London, Marie Boeda
Gilly reserved her spot on the first day, first thing in the morning. “ It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful, terribly exciting, she says. The objects are fascinating, they have managed to bring it all together in one place. There was a huge gold belt buckle, God only knows how much it must have weighed. »
In the middle of the exhibition, wooden stakes arranged in a circle. It is called Seahenge: this structure was discovered twenty-four years ago on a secluded beach in the east of England. Its layout strangely resembles that of Stonehenge with inside the circle, an overturned tree with the roots towards the sky. This is the first time that these remains have been loaned to a museum.
The cathedral and the village church
“ Seahenge was preserved in the salt sea beside the coast, the water preserved the monument, says Jennifer Wexler, the curator of the exhibition. It is essentially a family sanctuary. It can be said that Stonehenge is the cathedral where everyone gathered and Seahenge was the village church. »
A few meters further on, a blue bronze circle catches the eye. It is the Nebra Celestial Disc, the world’s oldest star map with the moon, sun and stars studded in gold. It was discovered in Germany, but some of the materials used come from England. According to Jennifer Wexler, this exhibition relates, above all, the links that already existed between the different peoples throughout Europe 4,000 years ago.