Vandals damage Stonehenge  |
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 Thu May 22, 7:22 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Vandals used a hammer and screwdriver to vandalize England's world-famous Stonehenge ancient monument, the first such incident for decades, officials said Thursday.
The night-time attack by two men last week involved the central megalith in the 5,000-year-old ring of standing stones, said the conservation body English Heritage, adding that they could have been looking for a souvenir.
A chip of stone about the size of a large coin was removed, while a 2.5-inch- (6.5 centimetre-) long scratch was left on the Heel Stone, at the centre of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, near Salisbury, southwest England.
"Thanks to the vigilance and quick action of the security team at Stonehenge, very minimal damage was caused," said a spokeswoman for English Heritage.
"A tiny chip was taken from the north side of the Heel Stone with a screwdriver and hammer, but as soon as the two men were spotted by security guards they escaped over the fence and drove off.
"This is now a matter for the police," she added.
A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Police said: "Two male offenders were seen disturbing the monument with a hammer and screwdriver... It is believed they could be two men seen acting suspiciously on a previous occasion."
Stonehenge is one of the world's best preserved prehistic monuments. In around 2,600 BC, 80 giant standing stones were arranged on Salisbury Plain, where there was already a 400-year-old stone circle.
Around two centuries later, even bigger stones were brought to the plain.
Today, only 40 percent of the originals remain. But around 850,000 visitors per year come to marvel at the 17 stones which are still intact.
The biggest stones came from a quarry some 30 kilometres (18 miles) away, while some of the others come from a range of hills in south-west Wales, a 250-kilometre (150 mile) journey away.
Don't you hope they catch these guys and find a way to suitably punish them.
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1.  mcat19 (501) | 4 months ago |  That is disgusting. I think these guys are just terrible. Stonehenge has been around a very long time. What a shame that some idiots think they have to have a piece of it. That's why cameras are around. Sheeesh.
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 ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | My roommate, who is visually impaired, was allowed to go walk among the stones and touch the alter stone, but only because she couldn't see them otherwise.
Lucky dog... | |
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | I've been there, I saw what was done, but that was before this, hopefully, more enlightened age. | |
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| 3. Randync (336) | 4 months ago |  What a bunch of trashy scumbags. It is a sad thing when something that old and historical can be messed with by trash.
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | That is so true, Randync. I really hope that someone puts a screwdriver into their back. | |
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4.  Maggiepie (246) | 4 months ago |  Grrr.....
Yes, I'm Orthodox Christian, but I must have some druidic genes in all that British in my family, because I wish I could be first in line when they sic the dogs on these cretins!
What IS it with...well, I was ABOUT to call them Neanderthals, but as I recall, those were a sensible, peaceful sort of folk (which is no doubt why they died out). Anyway, WHY is it some clowns seem to think the entire world is their oyster?!
(Tweeet!) Hounds! Git 'em!
Maggiepie
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | I knew you'd feel that way, Maggie. I just about hopped on the old jet to help them look for these creeps! | |
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5.  rosettaresearch (713) | 4 months ago |  Why, why, why do people do this? It's not yours, don't touch it. If everyone came a took a little piece there would be nothing left for future generatins to see. I hope there is a really big penalty for damaging a World Hereitage site.
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | Me too, rosettare, hey, lets take a screwdriver to one of their valued parts... low and between the legs! | |
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| 6. GreenMoo (1842) | 4 months ago |  I certainly do hope that they catch the people who vandalise things. Any things. Vandalism is such a pointless crime.
This isn't the first time I've heard similar stories, and the thing that never fails to confuse me is WHY someone would want to do that? It's not like they'd gain anything by doing so, so why?
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | That is such a good question and if you ask them the answer would probably really stupid - like - "I didn't think it would hurt anything." | |
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| GreenMoo (1842) | 4 months ago | Stupid people= stupid answer I guess. | |
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | Oh, that's so true! Sadly I know some people that stupid. | |
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| 7. jillmalitz (2758) | 4 months ago |  I certainly do hope those guys are caught! It is outrageous how people have no respect for things. Maybe they thought they could sell a piece and make some money. I remember in 1964 the Vatican sent the statue of Mary holding the body of Christ as part of the Vatican exhibit at the New York World's Fair. I feel lucky to have seen this hundreds of years old piece of art. No one could get near enough to touch it because we had to stand on a moving sidewalk to see it and it was encased in several layers of glass. I have always been interested in the history of Stonehenge and I hope that it will be around for many more years.
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | I know what you mean.
Ya know, I actually got to go to that World's Fair too! I don't think we got to that show. My grandfather and family live in NJ and he took us to it.
Believe it or not, I have dreams about Fair, they never made much sense because they involve Pop's car, and a wide brick decending ramp, that sometimes have stairs. | |
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| Maggiepie (246) | 4 months ago | I know how you felt, Jill. I vividly remember how _I_ felt when I heard vandal(s?) had taken a sledgehammer to the face of the Madonna on the Piata! Talk about a HATE crime; it almost felt like a hammer blow to my heart, as it's one of the most stunningly beautiful pieces of art ever made, certainly one of MY top 10!
Interesting trivia about the statue of the Piata, btw: the base of Our Lady's... um ... posterior ... is 4 feet wide, far too wide to be technically in true proportion (yet it doesn't LOOK it!). Michaelangelo made it so wide to support the weight of the body of the Christ!
Second bit of useless trivia: in those days, it was considered sacriligious & prideful to SIGN religious art, so he bowed to the Church's demand that it remain unsigned.
But he just couldn't stand it, so later he sneaked in at night & carved his name across her belt! I'd have loved to have been a fly on as wall to see the expressions of the clergy the next morning! LOL!
Maggiepie | |
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| 8. tess1960 (1457) | 4 months ago |  They need to string these guys up by their ba**s in the middle of the stonehedge circle.
OK, that was rude and I apologize. Things like this just make me sooo mad. Some eople just have no respect for anything.
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | Oh, tess, I want to string them up by more sensitive parts of their anatomy, but not in the circle, that would just be disrespectful. | |
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| 9. angelwhispers30 (1627) | 4 months ago |  This is wrong on so many levels. I can't believe that something that has been there for so long would be a target of vandals. Some people have NO respect!
On the other hand, although the area is fenced off, I do think they need better security. This is a World Famous site, and I kind of feel that the fencing isn't enough.
I give props to the security guards who acted very quickly to prevent damage to the monument, and I hope that the police catch the vandals responsible.
The thing is, even if caught, what would they be charged with? Vandalism? How do you punish someone for damaging a UNESCO World Heritage site?
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | I have been there and was surprised myself at how lax the security was. I hope they improve that.
I'm sure the security guys did their best, I hope they got more info than they showed and soon catch these men. | |
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| 10. whittby (1913) | 4 months ago |  Isn't this upsetting. You have to wonder why someone would feel the need to be so destructive. Thank goodness the damage was minimal.
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| ElicBxn (7478) | 4 months ago | True, but any distruction is bad. those men are such fools | |
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