Stonehenge:history and mysteries of construction

Stonehenge it is the largest and best-preserved remains of the Neolithic Period, and to this day remains an enigma to scientists.

Located in Amesbury, England, the stone circle is dated to 3100 BC. to 2075 BC and may have served different uses over the centuries.

Situated 137 kilometers from London, Stonehenge is one of the most visited monuments in the UK, with over 1.3 million tourists a year.

Building Stonehenge

The construction of Stonehenge took about 2,000 years. The larger stones came from Marlborough Downs , located 32 kilometers away. In turn, the smaller stones would have come from the Preseli Mountains, which are in Wales, about 250 kilometers away.

How they were transported remains a mystery. Would the builders have taken advantage of the winters to make sliding easier? Were they pulled by animals and men? These questions are still open.

Building Utility

Currently, it is known that Stonehenge is the survivor of a large complex of structures that have been disappearing. Evidence of this is the ditch that surrounds the entire complex, the three stone monoliths nearby, and evidence of other similar structures throughout the field.

Thus, archaeologists work with the hypothesis that Stonehenge would be one of the temples that would be scattered in that region.

It is not known for sure what the monument was used for. For the duration of its construction there are scholars who ponder that Stonehenge was built to be a solar calendar and ended up being a cemetery. And there are those who maintain that it was both at the same time.

Recent archaeological research points out that Stonehenge was used for ceremonial burial after the body was incinerated. After all, 56 graves were discovered containing the cremated bodies of at least 64 people who lived during the Neolithic.

Likewise, it served as a calendar where during the Summer Solstice, on June 21, the sun rises exactly facing the main stone of Stonehenge.

This hypothesis reveals that Neolithic men already possessed advanced astronomical knowledge and hierarchy. Whoever was responsible for the burial ceremonies was certainly a prominent member of the community respected by the others.

In this way, Stonehenge is further proof of the Urban Revolution that prehistoric humans were going through.

Myths about Stonehenge

The construction of Stonehenge has been attributed to the Celts and the Wizard Merlin. However, these only reached the British Isles around the 5th century.

There is also, to date, no archaeological evidence that the druids held cults there. In any case, nowadays, the neo-pagan movement holds ceremonies on the stones.

Likewise, there are those who claim that Stonehenge served as an airfield for alien and extraterrestrial spacecraft. However, there is no evidence to confirm it.

Curiosities

• Stonehenge, Avebury and some surrounding towns have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.
• Currently, for safety reasons, visitors are not allowed to walk between the stones of the monument.