AUBREY 56 · Discover
What is known about Stonehenge’s early ring of fifty-six pits, John Aubrey and the modern 56-Gate architecture of AUBREY 56.
John Aubrey
John Aubrey was a seventeenth-century English antiquarian who recorded features of Stonehenge long before modern archaeological methods existed. The ring of fifty-six pits later became known as the Aubrey Holes in recognition of his observations.
AUBREY 56 does not claim that Aubrey discovered an ancient Oracle. The historical pits and the app’s modern Gates must not be confused.
The Aubrey Holes
The holes form an early ring within the Stonehenge landscape. Their original function remains debated. They may have held posts, stones or deposits, and their use may have changed over time.
Their number provides AUBREY 56 with a disciplined circle: fifty-six places capable of holding seven solar states multiplied by eight lunar phases.
Stonehenge in the app
At Stonehenge, AUBREY 56 compares the highlighted celestial body with the monument’s principal northeast–southwest solar axis and with the eastern and western horizon. Other locations use their own local horizon instead.