On 22 Nov 2002, Garry Denke wrote:
| In the meantime, wouldn't a heavily forested area like England
| have had a 'Stonehenge' made first of big oak trees cut and
| fashioned to fit, long before making a monument out of stone?
|
|Which species of oak tree?
|(assuming you are serious)
|
|Quercus acuta
|Quercus acutissima
|Quercus agrifolia
|Quercus agrifolia
|Quercus alba
|Quercus aliena
|Quercus alnifolia
|Quercus berberidifolia
|Quercus borealis
|Quercus bicolor
|Quercus canariensis
|Quercus castaneifolia
|Quercus cerris
|Quercus chrysolepis
|Quercus coccinea
|Quercus cornelius-mulleri
|Quercus dentata
|Quercus douglasii
|Quercus dumosa
|Quercus durata
|Quercus durata
|Quercus engelamnnii
|Quercus falcata
|Quercus frainetto
|Quercus garryana
|Quercus glandulifera
|Quercus glauca
|Quercus x heterophylla
|Quercus x hispanica
|Quercus ilex
|Quercus imbricaria
|Quercus incana
|Quercus infectoria
|Quercus john-tuckeri
|Quercus kelloggii
|Quercus x kewensis
|Quercus laurifolia
|Quercus x leana
|Quercus libani
|Quercus lobata
|Quercus x ludoviciana
|Quercus lyrata
|Quercus macedonica
|Quercus macranthera
|Quercus macrocarpa
|Quercus marilandica
|Quercus michauxii
|Quercus muehlenbergii
|Quercus myrsinifolia
|Quercus nigra
|Quercus nuttallii
|Quercus palustris
|Quercus petraea
|Quercus phellos
|Quercus pontica
|Quercus prinus
|Quercus pyrenaica
|Quercus robur
|Quercus x rosacea
|Quercus rubra
|Quercus x schochiana
|Quercus shumardii
|Quercus stellata
|Quercus suber
|Quercus variablis
|Quercus velutina
|Quercus virginiana
|Quercus wislizenii

Not all laymen can tell the difference between any two taxonomic
classifications of trees, and I doubt that the early inhabitants
of England could, either. But laymen can tell the difference
between young shoots and old trees, and I would expect the early
people around Stonehenge to have kept paths and ways free of
vines and shoots - as well as they could, not having "lawnmowers" -
and then have spent a fair amount of their time cultivating those
shoots that they knew would grow up big and tall. From the list
above, I see a few species of oak that I doubt grew in England (but
I should defer to your expertise, I suppose). Are you sure that
Quercus Macedonica is found in England? Or Quercus Virginiana?

But put yourself in their place, and imagine what kind of trees
to raise - if you had enough time, would not a 'stonehenge' made
of live oak trees have been as easy to build as bringing in huge
multi-ton boulders from nearby quarries?

Furthermore, why build Stonehenge on a plain instead of on a hill?

Could it be that the site was originally covered with oak trees
that were pruned down to the desired arrangement, instead?