Stonehenge

The monument we see today on the southern edge of Salisbury Plain is the final version of a henge and stone circle which has undergone many alterations since its instigation during the later Mesolithic era.

Evidence for the earliest monument consists of a series of holes, names after the antiquarian, John Aubrey. Some of the holes contained cremated human remains. Debate continues over whether on not these holes ever held posts or stones. Sometime between 3900 and 2950 BC a henge was added: a ditch with an internal bank, the reverse of most henges. The henge encompassed the holes. Of a similar date to the henge is the Heel Stone, sitting just outside the henge, to the north-west.

The next phase (circa 2900-2500 BC) saw timber post settings erected inside the henge. A large number of post holes were found during excavations in the centre of the henge as well as by the north eastern and southern entrances. Further post holes have been found outside the north-eastern entrance. It is unclear what purpose these served.

Sometime after 2500 BC the stone elements of the monument began to be put in place. Initially, these were the blue stones brought from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales. It remains a puzzle as to how such large quantities of stone were brought over such a distance. The blue stones were placed in a double crescent inside the henge.

In the Early Bronze Age gigantic sarsens from the Marlborough Downs were erected. While not such a vast distance as the blue stones had travelled, moving these would have still been a considerable challenge. These sarsens were worked in a similar way to wood with carpentry joints being used to construct uprights and lintels, forming trilithons. This treatment is unique within prehistoric Europe. The Avenue was also built around this time.

Later some of the blue stones were moved to form an oval while others were worked to form smaller trilithons. The altar stone was also added at this time. The full plan of this phase of the monument remains obscure and may not have been completed. In the final setting all the blue stones were arranged in a horseshoe and the small trilithons were removed. This is how we see Stonehenge today.

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