Britain’s Stonehenge is yet again a source of fascination ahead of the winter solstice
3 months, 1 week ago

Britain’s Stonehenge is yet again a source of fascination ahead of the winter solstice

Associated Press  

LONDON — It’s that time of year when crowds of pagans, druids, hippies and tourists head to Stonehenge in Britain to celebrate the winter solstice, with the shortest day and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. They base that on a recent discovery that one of Stonehenge’s stones — the unique stone lying flat at the center of the monument, dubbed the “altar stone” — originated in Scotland, hundreds of miles north of the site. suggests that the stone circle may have had a political as well as a religious purpose,” said lead author Professor Mike Parker Pearson from UCL’s Institute of Archaeology. Whatever its original purpose, Stonehenge today retains an important place in Britain’s culture and history and remains one of the country’s biggest tourist draws — despite the seemingly permanent traffic jams on the nearby A303 highway, a popular route for motorists traveling to and from the southwest of England. Stonehenge was built on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain in stages, starting 5,000 years ago, with the unique stone circle erected in the late Neolithic period, about 2,500 B.C.

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History of this topic

Why Stonehenge was ‘ultimately a failure’ in striking new theory on its origins
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Why Stonehenge was ‘ultimately a failure’ in striking new theory on its origins

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Now researchers have suggested that the stone circle at Stonehenge, built during this period, may …

Scientists may have discovered the true purpose behind construction of Stonehenge
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Scientists may have discovered the true purpose behind construction of Stonehenge

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. More than 900 stone circles have been discovered across the country but Stonehenge held unique …

Scientists may have discovered the true purpose behind construction of Stonehenge
3 months ago

Scientists may have discovered the true purpose behind construction of Stonehenge

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. More than 900 stone circles have been discovered across the country but Stonehenge held unique …

Stonehenge mystery is SOLVED after 5,000 years - as scientists finally crack why the mysterious monument was built
Trending News
3 months, 1 week ago

Stonehenge mystery is SOLVED after 5,000 years - as scientists finally crack why the mysterious monument was built

Daily Mail  

Why the mighty Stonehenge was built around 5,000 years ago has long been one of the great mysteries. Wiltshire's famous stone circle is one of the world's most iconic historic sites and a British cultural icon - but its intended purpose has long divided academics The new research comes a day before the winter solstice - the shortest day of …

Why was Stonehenge built? Scientists may have finally found an answer to 5,000-year-old mystery
3 months, 1 week ago

Why was Stonehenge built? Scientists may have finally found an answer to 5,000-year-old mystery

India Today  

Scientists may have finally uncovered the mystery of the UK's iconic Stonehenge, which has fascinated people for hundreds of years. The latest study said that the Altar Stone, a key monolith in the center of the circle, was brought from northeastern Scotland which is around 435 miles away. "The fact that all of its stones originated from distant regions, making …

Stonehenge may have united ancient Britons before European populations replaced them
3 months, 1 week ago

Stonehenge may have united ancient Britons before European populations replaced them

CNN  

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. “It shows that this site on Sailsbury Plain was important to the people not just living nearby, but across Britain, so much so that they brought massive monoliths across sometimes hundreds of miles to this one location.” A mysterious monument Construction on Stonehenge began as early as 3000 BC and occurred over …

Stonehenge may have united ancient Britons before European populations replaced them
3 months, 1 week ago

Stonehenge may have united ancient Britons before European populations replaced them

CNN  

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. “It shows that this site on Sailsbury Plain was important to the people not just living nearby, but across Britain, so much so that they brought massive monoliths across sometimes hundreds of miles to this one location.” A mysterious monument Construction on Stonehenge began as early as 3000 BC and occurred over …

Timothy Darvill, expert on prehistoric Britain who led excavations at Stonehenge
5 months ago

Timothy Darvill, expert on prehistoric Britain who led excavations at Stonehenge

The Telegraph  

Professor Timothy Darvill, who has died of cancer aged 66, was a leading authority on prehistoric Britain; in 2008 he co-directed the first excavations within the stone circle at Stonehenge for more than 40 years, featuring on the BBC’s Timewatch. Through the 1980s to the early 1990s Darvill and Professor Geoffrey Wainwright, later chief archaeologist at English Heritage, worked on …

Stonehenge's biggest remaining mysteries: The five key unanswered questions about the prehistoric monument - as research reveals the Altar Stone was sourced in Scotland
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Stonehenge's biggest remaining mysteries: The five key unanswered questions about the prehistoric monument - as research reveals the Altar Stone was sourced in Scotland

Daily Mail  

The mysteries of Stonehenge have left generations of archaeologists scratching their heads for more than 400 years. To explain how the stones may have been moved, researchers at Newcastle University suggest that the Stonehenge builders could have used 'greased sleds'. Studies of pig and cattle teeth found abandoned on the road to Stonehenge found that people were bringing the animals …

Stonehenge: What we know and don’t know about iconic megalith after shock discovery
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Stonehenge: What we know and don’t know about iconic megalith after shock discovery

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The monument has long given historians clues into how Neolithic …

The Altar Stone at the centre of Stonehenge may have come from more than 700km away in Scotland, Australian study suggests
7 months, 2 weeks ago

The Altar Stone at the centre of Stonehenge may have come from more than 700km away in Scotland, Australian study suggests

ABC  

The 6-tonne stone at the centre of Stonehenge may have come from a location in Scotland more than 700km away from its final placement, new research has suggested. The Altar Stone was long believed to have come from Wales, but may have been transported via sea, according to research led by Curtin University and published in science journal Nature. The …

Stonehenge’s ‘altar stone’ originally came from Scotland and not Wales, new research shows
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Stonehenge’s ‘altar stone’ originally came from Scotland and not Wales, new research shows

LA Times  

Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, England, was constructed around 5,000 years ago, with stones forming different circles brought to the site at different times. For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that Stonehenge’s central sandstone slab — long called the “altar stone” — came from much closer Wales. Stonehenge was constructed around 5,000 years ago, with stones forming different circles brought …

New mystery over origins of Stonehenge after remarkable discovery
1 year, 4 months ago

New mystery over origins of Stonehenge after remarkable discovery

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Thomas described the Stonehenge bluestones and attributed the Altar Stone to a source in south …

Stonehenge and the eerie allure of ancient stone circles
2 years, 9 months ago

Stonehenge and the eerie allure of ancient stone circles

BBC  

Stonehenge and the eerie allure of ancient stone circles English Heritage Ancient stone circles act both as portals and reminders of a different time, writes Rosalind Jana, as an exhibition at the British Museum explores the mysteries of the deep past. The exhibition compares Stonehenge with several other stone circles, as well as Seahenge: a timber circle with a tree …

Stonehenge through the ages: Exhibit brings builders to life
3 years, 1 month ago

Stonehenge through the ages: Exhibit brings builders to life

Associated Press  

LONDON — For a monument that has been drawing crowds for thousands of years, Stonehenge still holds many secrets. “We all feel we know Stonehenge,” lead curator Neil Wilkin said Tuesday. But often we don’t know much, or feel like we don’t know much, about the world, the people who built the monument and who came to worship at the …

Stonehenge through the ages: Exhibit brings builders to life
3 years, 1 month ago

Stonehenge through the ages: Exhibit brings builders to life

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We all feel we know Stonehenge,” lead curator Neil …

British Museum exhibition to explore mysteries of Stonehenge
3 years, 3 months ago

British Museum exhibition to explore mysteries of Stonehenge

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A major exhibition on Stonehenge featuring 430 objects and artefacts …

Ancient stone circle in Wales may have been rebuilt as Stonehenge, archaeologists discover
4 years, 1 month ago

Ancient stone circle in Wales may have been rebuilt as Stonehenge, archaeologists discover

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Archaeologists believe they may have discovered the “true origins” of the …

Stonehenge may have been first erected in Wales: Archaeologists
4 years, 1 month ago

Stonehenge may have been first erected in Wales: Archaeologists

Al Jazeera  

Researchers at University College London say they believe some of the stones originally formed an even older monument in Wales. Archaeologists believe they have discovered the origins of the Stonehenge prehistoric monument after they uncovered the remains of an ancient stone circle in Wales that may have been dismantled and rebuilt hundreds of years later in England. Now researchers at …

Scientists Have Finally Solved the Mystery About the Origin of the Stonehenge
4 years, 8 months ago

Scientists Have Finally Solved the Mystery About the Origin of the Stonehenge

News 18  

Stonehenge, a Neolithic wonder in southern England, has vexed historians and archaeologists for centuries with its many mysteries: How was it built? That last question may finally have an answer after a study published Wednesday found that most of the giant stones -- known as sarsens -- seem to share a common origin 25 kilometers away in West Woods, an …

Stonehenge ground scans uncover giant circle of pits buried near prehistoric monument
4 years, 9 months ago

Stonehenge ground scans uncover giant circle of pits buried near prehistoric monument

ABC  

Archaeologists have discovered a wide circle of deep pits surrounding an ancient settlement near Stonehenge, opening up new lines of investigation into the origins and meaning of the mysterious, prehistoric monument. Key points: The circle of pits is larger than any prehistoric monument in Britain Researchers have found 20 shafts, but there may have been more than 30 Each one …

Scientists say they discovered the origin of Stonehenge’s stones — 180 miles away
6 years, 1 month ago

Scientists say they discovered the origin of Stonehenge’s stones — 180 miles away

LA Times  

Washington Post Archaeologists in the United Kingdom say they have traced dozens of Stonehenge’s massive rocks to two quarries in west Wales. In some places, the charcoal was mixed with dirt and stones to form flat platforms, which may have been used like loading bays to distribute the massive pillars, said Michael Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at University College London …

Stonehenge exhibition shows ancient relations with Europe
6 years, 5 months ago

Stonehenge exhibition shows ancient relations with Europe

Daily Mail  

The ebb and flow of our ancient ancestors' relationship with the Continent will be revealed in a new exhibition at Stonehenge, experts have said. Objects in the display, which include prized items from the British Museum's collection of ancient Britain and Europe, range from a 6,500-year-old polished jade axe to an elaborate gold neck piece made around 4,000 years ago. …

HOW WAS STONEHENGE BUILT?
6 years, 11 months ago

HOW WAS STONEHENGE BUILT?

Daily Mail  

Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. According to the monument's website, Stonehenge was built in four stages: First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started …

WHO BUILT STONEHENGE?
6 years, 11 months ago

WHO BUILT STONEHENGE?

Daily Mail  

Stonehenge was built thousands of years before machinery was invented. To do this would have required a high degree of ingenuity, and experts believe the ancient engineers used a pulley system over a shifting conveyor-belt of logs. Historians now think that the ring of stones was built in several different stages, with the first completed around 5,000 years ago by …

Is Stonehenge giving up its secrets?
7 years, 8 months ago

Is Stonehenge giving up its secrets?

BBC  

We may have cracked the mystery of Stonehenge Vivien Cumming Stonehenge wasn't the only significant monument in the region The more archaeologists study Stonehenge, the more mysteries unfold. Vivien Cumming Stonehenge wasn't the only significant monument in the region The area, however, was occupied beginning around 9,000 years ago, suggesting it had significance long before Stonehenge was built. “The density …

Reason behind Stonehenge may be revealed thanks to Neolithic complex
8 years, 4 months ago

Reason behind Stonehenge may be revealed thanks to Neolithic complex

Daily Mail  

A new discovery could help shed light on why the mysterious Stonehenge was built. The large complex, found in a city around 1.5 miles from the famous stone circle, is thought to date back more than 1,000 years before Stonehenge. The large complex, found in a city around 1.5 miles from the famous stone circle, is thought to date back …

New research reveals the ‘spectacular’ secrets of Britain’s earliest stone circles
8 years, 7 months ago

New research reveals the ‘spectacular’ secrets of Britain’s earliest stone circles

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It’s the first time individual circles have been assessed to really know what’s going on,” …

Remarkable ancient structure found just two miles from Stonehenge
8 years, 7 months ago

Remarkable ancient structure found just two miles from Stonehenge

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Just two miles north-east of the World Heritage site, at an important archaeological complex known …

Stonehenge: The most unsual theories about why the mysterious monument was built
9 years, 3 months ago

Stonehenge: The most unsual theories about why the mysterious monument was built

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Alternatively, they could have a read Erich von Däniken's seminal book Chariots of the Gods?, …

Stonehenge was built in Wales and 'dragged off' to Wiltshire 500 years later, study suggests
9 years, 3 months ago

Stonehenge was built in Wales and 'dragged off' to Wiltshire 500 years later, study suggests

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Stonehenge could have been first built in what is now Wales …

Superhenge? Stonehenge archeologists find huge neolithic site with up to 90 standing stones
9 years, 6 months ago

Superhenge? Stonehenge archeologists find huge neolithic site with up to 90 standing stones

Firstpost  

Archaeologists on Monday said they had found the buried remains of a mysterious prehistoric monument close to Britain’s famous Stonehenge heritage site. London: Archaeologists on Monday said they had found the buried remains of a mysterious prehistoric monument close to Britain’s famous Stonehenge heritage site. “Not only does this new evidence demonstrate a completely unexpected phase of monumental architecture at …

Stonehenge mystery thickens
9 years, 6 months ago

Stonehenge mystery thickens

The Hindu  

Researchers have discovered what may be the largest surviving Neolithic stone monument in the U.K. — an enormous ‘superhenge’ with as many as 100 large standing stones — about three kilometres from the famous Stonehenge. The hidden arrangement of nearly 100 huge standing stones formed part of a C-shaped Neolithic arena that bordered a dry valley and faced the Avon …

Huge ritual arena discovered near Stonehenge
9 years, 6 months ago

Huge ritual arena discovered near Stonehenge

The Hindu  

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a massive stone monument buried under a thick, grassy bank only two miles from pre-historic monument Stonehenge in England, the media reported on Monday. The hidden arrangement of up to 90 huge standing stones formed part of a C-shaped Neolithic arena that bordered a dry valley and faced directly towards the Avon river, The …

Stonehenge was ancient party spot: researchers
12 years ago

Stonehenge was ancient party spot: researchers

ABC  

British researchers have unveiled a new theory about the origins of Stonehenge, saying the ancient stone circle was originally a graveyard and venue for mass celebrations. A team led by Professor Mike Parker Pearson of University College London said Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is both older and had a different function than previously thought. "In many ways our …

Geologists pinpoint exact source of Stonehenge rocks
13 years, 3 months ago

Geologists pinpoint exact source of Stonehenge rocks

Firstpost  

The discovery could put an end to the age-old debate over the source of the prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire and may throw new light on how those rocks were transported. London: Geologists have pinpointed the exact source of the rocks believed to have been used to create the famous Stonehenge’s first stone circle some 5,000 years ago. The discovery …

Stonehenge a monumental attraction since prehistory
14 years, 6 months ago

Stonehenge a monumental attraction since prehistory

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ongoing scientific research suggests that around 30 per cent of the wealthiest individuals buried around …

Archaeologists find wooden Stonehenge
14 years, 8 months ago

Archaeologists find wooden Stonehenge

ABC  

Archaeologists say they have discovered a monument similar to Stonehenge near the ancient British stone circle, dubbing it the most exciting find at the site for 50 years. "This is probably the first major ceremonial monument that has been found in the past 50 years or so," said Vince Gaffney, a professor from the University of Birmingham, who is leading …

Stonehenge is French imposter
28 years ago

Stonehenge is French imposter

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Stonehenge - the pre-eminent symbol …

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