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Stonehenge evolved in several construction phases spanning at least 1500 years. There is evidence of large-scale construction on and around the monument that perhaps extends the landscape's time frame to 6500 years.
- Archaeology
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- Early history
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The earliest structures known in the immediate area are four or five pits, three of which appear to have held large pine totem-pole like posts erected in the Mesolithic period, between 8500 and 7000 BC.[1] It is not known how these posts relate to the later monument of Stonehenge. Within the bank and ditch were possibly some timber structures and s...
At this time, when much of the rest of southern England was largely covered by woodland, the chalk downland in the area of Stonehenge may have been an unusually open landscape.[2] It is possible that this is why it became the site of an early Neolithic monument complex.
In about 2500 BC the stones were set up in the centre of the monument. Two types of stone are used at Stonehenge the larger sarsens and the smaller bluestones. The sarsens were erected in two concentric arrangements an inner horseshoe and an outer circle and the bluestones were set up between them in a double arc.[7]
One of the last prehistoric activities at Stonehenge was the digging around the stone settings of two rings of concentric pits, the so-called Y and Z holes, radiocarbon dated by antlers within them to between 1800 and 1500 BC. They may have been intended for a rearrangement of the stones that was never completed.[8]
The small town of Amesbury is likely to have been established around the 6th century AD at a crossing point over the Avon. A decapitated man, possibly a criminal, was buried at Stonehenge in the Saxon period.[15] From this time on, sheep husbandry dominated the open downland around Stonehenge.[16] The earliest surviving written references to Stoneh...
Since 1897, when the Ministry of Defence bought a vast tract of land on Salisbury Plain for army training exercises, the activities of the military have had an impact on the area. Barracks, firing ranges, field hospitals, airfields and light railways were established.[17] Some of these, such as the First World War Stonehenge airfield, have long sin...
This was the start of a sequence of campaigns to conserve and restore Stonehenge the last stones were consolidated in 1964.[19]
The monument remained in private ownership until 1918 when Cecil Chubb, a local man who had purchased Stonehenge from the Atrobus family at an auction three years previously, gave it to the nation.[20] Thereafter, the duty to conserve the monument fell to the state, today a role performed on its behalf by English Heritage.
From 1927, the National Trust began to acquire the land around Stonehenge to preserve it and restore it to grassland. Large areas of the Stonehenge landscape are now in their ownership. More recent improvements to the landscape including the removal of the old visitor facilities and the closure of the section of the old A344 that ran close to the ...
Feb 14, 2022 · Q: How old is Stonehenge? Damaged and distant though it undoubtedly is, Stonehenge remains awe inspiring, especially when one considers it was put together 4,500 years ago by a pre-industrial farming society using tools made of bone and stone.
- Rachel Dinning
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5 days ago · The ring of massive standing stones, each around 13 feet high and weighing up to 30 tons, is an awe-inspiring sight that raises enduring questions: Just how old is Stonehenge, and who built this marvel of ancient engineering?
Jul 5, 2018 · Created by a people who left no written records, the monument is shrouded in mystery and the questions of how and why it was built remain unanswered and are the subject of endless debate and fascination. What is known for sure, however, is that Stonehenge is very, very old.
Discover the rise, influence and decline of Stonehenge across 6,000 years of history. Lying some 150km west of London in the Wiltshire countryside, Stonehenge is perhaps the world's most awe-inspiring ancient stone circle. Older than the Great Pyramids and the Roman Empire, the origin of its story began some 9,000 years ago.
Dec 7, 2021 · Stonehenge was constructed about 4,500 years ago at around the same time as the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Despite their differences, these distant sites had much in common. Most importantly, the desire and ability to bring together – often over long distances – the people, materials, objects and ideas required to ...
