David Royle

About me:

Hi there! I'm the Executive Vice President of the Smithsonian Channel and I'm adding content live from the first excavation in almost 50 years at Stonehenge. The Smithsonian Channel is filming the dig, but you can get a sneak peak here by viewing my photos and reading my posts.

Post #1: Blogging from Stonehenge

Stonehenge. Its name alone evokes a sense of mystery and grandeur. When I tell people that I'm heading for Stonehenge, they are immediately drawn in, their curiosity provoked. It's estimated that every year around a million people visit the ancient site. They come from all over the world, drawn to this group of massive stones that stands sentinel over the English landscape. But I have an admission to make. Although I grew up in England, just a couple of hours drive from Stonehenge, I've never been there before. Why? Well, I suppose its like New Yorkers who never visit the Statue of Liberty. Or my family who live in Washington DC and have never climbed the Washington Monument (also known by my son Richard as "The Washington Rocket"; a confusion probably created by the shocking lack of a site visit. If only he'd seen the elevator inside he'd know it couldn't possibly be a rocket). It's just human nature for us to take what’s around us for granted and think it will always be there to experience on another day. Sometimes, we're mistaken. But in the case of Stonehenge there's never seemed a need to hurry. After all, it's been there for over 4,000 years.

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