Stonehenge
5,000-year-old megalithic ring in Wiltshire whose construction methods, purpose, and exact astronomical function remain debated.
Overview
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, consisting of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones (up to 7m high, 25 tons each) topped by horizontal lintel stones. Inside is a ring of smaller bluestones, transported from the Preseli Hills in Wales, 240 km away. Construction occurred in several phases from c. 3000 to 2000 BCE. In 2020, a major academic paper in Antiquity confirmed the bluestones came from Carn Goedog and Craig Rhos-y-felin in Wales.
Timeline
- c. 3000 BCEEarliest earthworks (Stage 1).
- c. 2500 BCESarsen stones erected (Stage 3).
- 1620Inigo Jones surveys the site for King James I.
- 2008Excavations confirm cremation burials on site (5,000+ years old).
- 2020-02Antiquity paper confirms bluestone quarries in Wales.
- 2021Discovery of buried 'super-henge' Durrington Walls shaft pits.
Evidence on Record
- 01English Heritage / Stonehenge Riverside Project excavation records
- 02Antiquity Vol. 94, Issue 373 (2020) — Parker Pearson et al.
Theories & Disputes
Astronomical calendar / observatory (alignment with summer solstice sunrise).
Burial complex / ancestor memorial.
Healing site (Wainwright & Darvill, 2008).