Stonehenge

%%Stonehenge%% - Giant neolithic stone structure that tracks the solstices and served as burial ground.

%%Lith%% - Latin Prefix for ^^Stone^^

Erection of Stonehenge

• Stonehenge is comprised of roughly ^^100 stones^^ in total.

• ^^Erected 3,000 BC^^

  • Built using ^^stone tools and antlers.^^

• ^^Most stones^^ in Stonehenge have ^^remained upright since they were erected.^^

• During ^^3000 BC, ditches were built around Stonehenge with many pits.^^

  • These ditches were called ^^Aubrey holes^^ after John Aubrey, who discovered them in the 17th century.

• During ^^2500 BC, the builders of Stonehenge added bluestones.^^

  • Out of the ^^80 starting bluestones, 43 still remain today.^^
  • Bluestones were ^^transported from South Wales.^^

• During ^^2000 BC, builders rearranged the blue-stones into a circle and added Sarsens and Lintels^^.

  • The ^^Sarsens were brought from Marlborough,^^ 25km north of Stonehenge.
  • Sarsens ^^dig deep into the ground.^^
  • Stonehenge made of ^^dense sandstone.^^

• Stonehenge was ^^built on chalk soil.^^

• ^^At the time, Stonehenge would have been white^^ (The stones became darker over the years)

• ^^Lintels rounded off to shape a circle.^^

• Stonehenge was on a slight slope. However, it is built so the ^^top is level. The lintels are completely flat.^^

Significance of Stonehenge

• Stonehenge is ^^aligned to Solar Calendar, and tracks solstices.^^
  • Winter Solstice is more important because days started to get longer.
• Stonehenge may have been a ^^religious monument^^, and also served as a ^^burial ground.^^
• Many people came and made their mark on Stonehenge.
• Stonehenge ^^may have never been completed.^^
• Building Stonehenge may have been an effort around Europe.
  • This leads to evidence that there were trade and political similarities across Europe, even in the Stone Age.
  • ^^People from all over Europe were brought to Salisbury Plain^^ to take part in building Stonehenge.

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