![]() ![]() Even today, people who identify as modern druids continue to gather at Stonehenge for the summer solstice. This theory was widely popularized by the antiquarian William Stukeley, who had unearthed primitive graves at the site. Radiocarbon dating has revealed that work continued at Stonehenge until roughly 1600 BCE, with the bluestones in particular being repositioned multiple times.īut who were the builders of Stonehenge? In the 17th century, archaeologist John Aubrey made the claim that Stonehenge was the work of druids, who had important religious, judicial and political roles in Celtic** society. Some 50 of these stones are now visible on the site, which may once have contained many more. At this point, sandstone slabs – known as ‘sarsens’ – were arranged into an outer crescent or ring some were assembled into the iconic three-pieced structures called trilithons that stand tall in the centre of Stonehenge. The third phase of construction took place around 2000 BCE. Most archaeologists have remained sceptical about this theory, however, wondering how the forces of nature could possibly have delivered the exact number of stones needed to complete the circle. Challenging the classic image of industrious builders pushing, carting, rolling or hauling giant stones from faraway Wales, some scientists have suggested that it was glaciers, not humans, that carried the bluestones to Salisbury Plain. More recent archaeological hypotheses have them transporting the bluestones with supersized wicker baskets on a combination of ball bearings and long grooved planks, hauled by oxen.Īs early as the 1970s, geologists have been adding their voices to the debate over how Stonehenge came into being. They then transferred the boulders onto rafts and floated them first along the Welsh coast and then up the River Avon toward Salisbury Plain alternatively, they may have towed each stone with a fleet of vessels. How, then, did prehistoric builders without sophisticated tools or engineering haul these boulders, which weigh up to four tons, over such a great distance?Īccording to one long-standing theory among archaeologists, Stonehenge’s builders fashioned sledges and rollers out of tree trunks to lug the bluestones from the Preseli Hills. These stones have been traced all the way to the Preseli Hills in Wales, some 300 kilometres from Stonehenge. Several hundred years later, it is thought, Stonehenge’s builders hoisted an estimated 80 bluestones, 43 of which remain today, into standing positions and placed them in either a horseshoe or circular formation. Deep pits dating back to that era and located within the circle may have once held a ring of timber posts, according to some scholars. First, Neolithic* Britons used primitive tools, which may have been fashioned out of deer antlers, to dig a massive circular ditch and bank, or henge. Located on Salisbury Plain in southern England, it is comprised of roughly 100 massive upright stones placed in a circular layout.Īrchaeologists believe England’s most iconic prehistoric ruin was built in several stages with the earliest constructed 5,000 or more years ago. Stonehengeįor centuries, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument that took an estimated 1,500 years to erect. ![]() You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. ![]()
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