This magnificent structure was modeled after a twelfth-century Stavkirke (Norwegian church). Note the dragon heads at the peak of the gables. It is only one of the many interesting structures to be found in the reconstructed Scandinavian pioneer settlement known as Little Norway.

Nestled in the woods a few miles west of Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin can be found "Little Norway". Named "Nissedahle", or "Valley of the Elves" by its f-ounder, this restored Scandinavian pioneer homestead is made up of several authentic Norwegian-styled buildings.

The most prominent of these buildings is the "Norway Building", a magnificent building built to resemble a "Stavekirke", or Norwegian church (see above). The Norway Building had originally been built in Norway for Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893 as an example of ancient Norse church architecture. Within this building can be found a large array of folk art, artifacts, and collectibles from Scandinavia and America.

Other interesting buildings in this restored Scandinavian pioneer homestead include a "Stubbur", or storage house, which was built on a raised foundation to protect it from contamination from both floodwaters and prowling animals; a sod-roofed cabin, a style of construction common to Norway; a Cowbarn, a barn used specifically for housing cattle of all types; a Spring House, which served as a repository for the water from a natural spring, which was used by the pioneers as a water source and as a means of refrigeration; a Bachelor's Cabin used by the family to house family and guests, and many other items of historical value.

Little Norway is located just west of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, nearby several other interesting attractions, including the Cave of the Mounds in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, and the House on the Rock . Little Norway is open May 1 through the last Sunday in October, and hours of operation vary from month to month. Guided tours are available. For more information about Little Norway, visit their site at www.littlenorway.com

Stonehenge as it appears today, in the Salisbury plain in the county of Wiltshire, England. The most visible remains are the upright "Sarsen" stones, arranged in a circle, complete with Sarsen lintels. Most of the circle has been dismantled, used for building materials, but enough remains of this outstanding monument to give us a good understanding of its purpose.

Standing in the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire County in southern England is a collection of upright stones popularly known as "Stonehenge". This stone circle represents only a part of the total structure, much of which has been destroyed by time and weather.

What we now know as Stonehenge today had its start at around 3000 b.c. as a circular "bank and ditch" structure around 330 feet in diameter. Just inside this circle of raised earth was another circle of 56 "Aubrey holes". The classical arrangement of standing stones that we are now familiar with was created around 2000 b.c. as a circle within the Aubrey hole circle. These upright sandstone blocks, commonly known as "sarsens", were originally around 30 in number, standing around 13 feet tall, and formed a circle 108 feet in diameter. Later additions to the circle took place in 2000 b.c. and 1500 b.c.

Placed atop these standing sarsens was a continuous ring of sarsen lintels, forming a complete stone circle. Five more pairs of these pi-like structures were placed inside the sarsen circle some time later. Two more concentric circles of smaller "bluestones" were put in place around the inner circle in 2000 b.c. and 1500 b.c., respectively.

It is not clear who created Stonehenge. Competing theories include the Druids, late Neolithic peoples, even Merlin, who some legends state magically transported the stones from Ireland (they had originally come from Africa, transported to Ireland by Giants), and set them up as a monument to English heroes who had been treacherously slain by the Saxon leader Hengest. The most likely explanation is the Neolithic one, as the Druids typically made their place of worship in the forest. The purpose of the monument was to chart the movements of the stars through the heavens, making Stonehenge in effect a huge astronomical calendar.

The "Khazheh", the first part of Petra visitors see when visiting, is also the most well known. Since the release of the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, (1989), part of which was filmed on location with the Khazneh serving as a backdrop, tourism to Petra has skyrocketed to the point where Jordanian officials have considered limiting access to the site to avoid permanent damage to the monuments.

Petra is an ancient fortress located in Jordan, a middle-eastern country that shares borders with Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. The rock-hewn fortress of Petra is believed to have been first built by the Nabatean Arabs, who settled in what is now Jordan around 600 b.c., though none have explained why a nomadic tribe would have such superior skill in architecture. Some believe that the rock carvings had actually been left by a much older people.

Petra remained under the control of the Nabatean Arabs for the next 700 years, until the Romans took control of the fortress in a.d. 100. It remained in the hands of first Rome and then the Holy Roman Empire, and then gradually declined in importance until the Crusaders built a fort there in the 12th century.

There are numerous interesting places to visit in around the area of Petra-Jordan (conveniently listed on this clickable map page hosted by raingod.com ). These include the Siq, the long, twisting natural corridor in the rock that leads to the open area wherein one first sees the Khazheh, shown above. Also, there is a necropolis (burial place), a Roman amphitheatre, a "High Place of Sacrifice", Royal Tombs, temples, a Crusader castle, and many more sites of interest.

This cross-section of Mound 72 shows the present ridgetop mound, which covers over three smaller mounds, as well as several surface burials and burial pits. Mound 72 is by far the richest source of artifacts and burial remains to be found at Cahokia.

Nevada has its Area 51, and Cahokia (covered later in this issue) has its Mound 72, one of the lesser-known wonders of the Cahokia acropolis. On its surface just another grass-covered mound, indistinct and unobtrusive amongst the array of much larger mounds scattered across the plain, Mound 72 has yielded the richest collection of artifacts to be found throughout the Cahokian acropolis.

Mound 72 is a ridgetop mound standing a mere 6 feet tall, so small that it was not even included in earlier maps of the area. However, archaeologists were tipped off that it might be an important archaeological site by three unusual characteristics: (1) it lay on the north-south axis of the city; (2) its orientation was diagonal, i.e., its corners faced the four cardinal directions, rather than its faces; (3) it was one of only six ridgetop (flat) mounds at Cahokia.

Excavation started in 1967, and continued on for five years, during which time it was discovered that Mound 72 actually covered over three lesser mounds, as well as a series of surface burials and burial pits. So far, tens of thousands of artifacts have been found in this site, as well as the remains of close to 300 people. These people were from all levels of society, all the way from sacrificial victim to tribal leader.

Based on radiocarbon dating, archaeologists believe that Mound 72 and the treasures within date from a.d. 950 to 1050. Also, one third of the mound has yet to be fully excavated, so stay tuned. Also, please make sure to visit our 2-part feature story on Cahokia, starting in this issue.