Stonehenge, Wiltshire

Stonehenge

built around 3000 - 2200 BC

 

Despite the countless theories about the purpose of Stonehenge, from a sacrificial centre to an astronomical clock, or even built by aliens, but no one knows exactly why ancient Britons spent so much time and effort on its construction. However, recent archaeological findings show the surrounding area was sacred to local people for hundreds of years before construction began.

The stones and entrance of this ancient temple are aligned on the movements of the sun, and were erected about 4500 years ago by the prehistoric people of Britain, within an existing circular enclosure, or henge, which had been built 500 years earlier. 

 

Stonehenge is a masterpiece of engineering, built only using simple tools, before the arrival of metals and the invention of the wheel. Building the stone circle would have needed hundreds of people to transport, shape and erect the stones.

There are two types of stones at Stonehenge, the larger sarsen stones and the smaller bluestones.
Sarsen stones are found scattered accross the southern England and it's believed to be brought to the site from Marlborough area, about 30 km away. On average, a sarsen stone weighs 25 tons, while the largest stone, the Heel Stone, weighs 30 tons.
The bluestones (they have a bluish tinge when freshly broken or wet), weigh between 2 and 5 tons. They are believed to come from South Wales, or accordingly to recent studies, possibly from the Highlands in Scotland. 

You can learn more about this incredible Neolithic monument at the visitor centre at the entrance of the site. 
Archaelogical exhibits include axes, arrowheads, antler picks, and other finds at the site. 

Outside the visitor centre, there are replicas of thatched-roofed, white-chalk-walled Neolithic houses, similar to those used by Stonehenge's builders, constructed using local materials and ancient methods. 
These recreations are based on the archaeological remains of buildings excavated at Durrington Walls. The floors of 10 buildings were excavated, some within fenced enclosures, but there likely were many more. They date from the same time the stones were being raised at Stonehenge, about 2500 BC.

From the remains of animal bones and pottery found near the houses, it appears that people were gathering at Durrington Walls to feast, particularly at midwinter. This is not an ordinary settlement, but a place where people gathered to celebrate, conduct rituals, and perhaps live while they built Stonehenge.

To get to the Stone Circle from the visitor centre, you can take the shuttle bus (included in the ticket price) or walk via a 4km circular trail through this ancient landscape. We took the bus to the Circle and walked back through the Cursus Barrows and the fields scattered with sheep.

Access to the inner Stone Circle is restricted to protect the site and the delicate lichen that grows on the stones, but when walking the visitor path around the Stone Circle, you can get as close as 5m from the stones, and enjoy snapping photos without getting many people in it.

The circle's entrance is marked by the Heel Stone and, slightly further in, the Slaughter Stone. These stones were aligned to coincide with the sunrise at the midsummer solstice.  

Cursus Barrows 

The grassy round mounds are Bronze Age burial mounds (plenty of them in the surrounding fields). They take the name from the gigantic Stonehenge Cursus, the banks and ditches that run in the area. The Cursus was more than 1000 years old by the time the first people were buried beneath these mounds, but their position suggests it held some significance. The earliest burrow in the group contained a burial accompanied by a type of decorated pot known as a Beaker. The individuals buried with Beaker pots would have been among the first people in Britain to use metal.

Stonehenge is located on Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire, 145 kms west of London.