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Science Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. Science The controversial sale of 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops. Science Coronavirus Coverage How antivirals may change the course of the pandemic. Built in several stages, Stonehenge began about 5, years ago as a simple earthwork enclosure where prehistoric people buried their cremated dead. The stone circle was erected in the centre of the monument in the late Neolithic period, around BC.
Two types of stone are used at Stonehenge: the larger sarsens, and the smaller bluestones. Most archaeologists believe that the sarsens were brought from Marlborough Downs 20 miles away , while the bluestones came from the Preseli Hills in south-west Wales miles. The exact method is not known, but the stones were probably hauled across the land or carried to the site using water networks. Avebury, several miles to the north, is probably the most famous real henge.
The sarsen stones at Stonehenge may look big they are but around a quarter of their bulk is buried underground for support. Stone 56, the largest surviving upright of the inner sarsen trilithon, stands 6. The earliest depiction of Stonehenge appears in the Scala Mundi Chronicle of the World , compiled around The monument is drawn rather unrealistically, appearing rectangular rather than circular in plan. There were originally only two entrances to the enclosure, English Heritage explains — a wide one to the north east, and a smaller one on the southern side.
Today there are many more gaps — this is mainly the result of later tracks that once crossed the monument. A circle of 56 pits, known as the Aubrey Holes named after John Aubrey, who identified them in , sits inside the enclosure. Its purpose remains unknown, but some believe the pits once held stones or posts.
Roman pottery, stone, metal items and coins have been found during various excavations at Stonehenge. An English Heritage report in said that considerably fewer medieval artefacts have been discovered, which suggests the site was used more sporadically during the period. Stonehenge has a long relationship with astronomers , the English Heritage report explains. In , Dr Halley used magnetic deviation and the position of the rising sun to estimate the age of Stonehenge.
He concluded the date was BC. And, in , John Smith mused that the estimated total of 30 sarsen stones multiplied by 12 astrological signs equalled days of the year, while the inner circle represented the lunar month.
In the s, after carrying out some of the first scientifically recorded excavations at the site, Charles Darwin concluded that earthworms were largely to blame for the Stonehenge stones sinking through the soil. Find out more about how to visit Stonehenge and book tickets with English Heritage. Sign in. Back to Main menu Virtual events Masterclasses. All products were chosen independently by our editorial team. This article contains affiliate links and we may receive a commission for purchases made.
Please read our affiliates FAQ page to find out more. Follow the links below to jump to each section:. Geoffrey of Monmouth suggested that the stones had been erected as a memorial to commemorate murdered British leaders. What it was for and how it was built are just two of the questions that have been vexing archaeologists.
Damaged and distant though it undoubtedly is, Stonehenge remains awe inspiring. Stonehenge continues to mystify historians, archaeologists and geologists. A crane at the ancient monument of Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, Revellers watch the sun rise at Stonehenge on 21 June According to the 12th-century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose tale of King Arthur and mythical account of English history were considered factual well into the Middle Ages , Stonehenge is the handiwork of the wizard Merlin.
In the mid-fifth century, the story goes, hundreds of British nobles were slaughtered by the Saxons and buried on Salisbury Plain. The soldiers successfully defeated the Irish but failed to move the stones, so Merlin used his sorcery to spirit them across the sea and arrange them above the mass grave. In the 17th century, archaeologist John Aubrey made the claim that Stonehenge was the work of the Celtic high priests known as the Druids, a theory widely popularized by the antiquarian William Stukeley, who had unearthed primitive graves at the site.
Even today, people who identify as modern Druids continue to gather at Stonehenge for the summer solstice. However, in the midth century, radiocarbon dating demonstrated that Stonehenge stood more than 1, years before the Celts inhabited the region, eliminating the ancient Druids from the running.
Many modern historians and archaeologists now agree that several distinct tribes of people contributed to Stonehenge, each undertaking a different phase of its construction. Bones, tools and other artifacts found on the site seem to support this hypothesis.
The first stage was achieved by Neolithic agrarians who were likely indigenous to the British Isles. Later, it is believed, groups with advanced tools and a more communal way of life left their stamp on the site. Some have suggested that they were immigrants from the European continent, but many scientists think they were native Britons descended from the original builders.
If the facts surrounding the architects and construction of Stonehenge remain shadowy at best, the purpose of the arresting monument is even more of a mystery.
While historians agree that it was a place of great importance for over 1, years, we may never know what drew early Britons to Salisbury Plain and inspired them to continue developing it. There is strong archaeological evidence that Stonehenge was used as a burial site, at least for part of its long history, but most scholars believe it served other functions as well—either as a ceremonial site, a religious pilgrimage destination, a final resting place for royalty or a memorial erected to honor and perhaps spiritually connect with distant ancestors.
In the s, the astronomer Gerald Hawkins suggested that the cluster of megalithic stones operated as an astronomical calendar, with different points corresponding to astrological phenomena such as solstices, equinoxes and eclipses. More recently, signs of illness and injury in the human remains unearthed at Stonehenge led a group of British archaeologists to speculate that it was considered a place of healing, perhaps because bluestones were thought to have curative powers.
Stonehenge has undergone several restorations over the years, and some of its boulders have been set in concrete to prevent collapse. Meanwhile, archaeological excavations and development of the surrounding area to facilitate tourism have turned up other significant sites nearby, including other henges.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. For centuries, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument that Neolithic builders toiled over for an estimated 1, years.
While many modern scholars now agree that it served as a sacred burial ground, they have yet
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