Stonehenge

Location and Stages of Construction

Stonehenge is a multicomponent site situated in the present-day town of Amesbury, located in the county of Wiltshire in southern England. Covering several acres, the site of Stonehenge includes earthen mounds and a ditch along the site's periphery, a series of pits constructed at multiple stages over time, and megaliths of sedimentary and igneous rock, some of which were extracted [Page 1200]from locations that would have required Stonehenge's architects to travel over 100 kilometers to acquire them. Although Stonehenge was long believed to be a Bronze Age construction, radiocarbon dates indicate that the oldest sections of Stonehenge date further back in time to the end of the western-European Neolithic era, circa 5,000 years before the present, and were followed by multiple stages of construction during the 1,500 years that followed.

Figure: Stonehenge as it might have looked in prehistoric times. There have been many theories about who built Stonehenge and much speculation as to its function

Source: Fortean/Topham/The Image Works.

The first recognized stage of construction at Stonehenge included the formation of embankments and a ditch, all of which were positioned toward the periphery of the site. Additionally, a series of various-sized pits encircling the interior of Stonehenge's embankments were excavated, presumably during the first stage of construction. These “Aubrey holes,” which were named after the man who discovered them, are believed to have served as postholes, although questions remain as to their exact purpose and date of origin.

The second major stage of Stonehenge's construction was completed during the half-dozen centuries following the first stage's activities and saw the filling of Aubrey holes with cremated remains and the partial filling of the ditch erected along the site's periphery through natural processes and human activity. Cremated remains were also placed elsewhere at the site during this period.

The third stage of construction at Stonehenge, ending roughly 1,500 years after the initial stage of construction began, saw the erection of the megaliths that form the heart of what most people envision when they think of the site. The actual stone used for the construction of the megaliths included sandstone and “bluestone,” the latter being an assortment of blue-colored igneous and sedimentary stones, including sandstone, dolerite, and limestone variants. Unfortunately, stones used in the site's construction have been rearranged, removed, and damaged throughout the centuries. Consequently, questions remain as to the original arrangement of Stonehenge's megaliths and what their purpose was initially.

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