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THE secrets and techniques of Stonehenge have lastly been uncovered after a long time of archaeological analysis.
Here is what we all know concerning the origins and age of one of many world’s oldest historical sites.
Stonehenge is one among Britain’s most iconic landmarks and historic websitesCredit score: A.Pattenden
How previous is Stonehenge?
Stonehenge is round 5000 years previous.
Specialists say that the monument was constructed between 3000 and 2000 BC.
Immediately recognisable from the encircling roads, Stonehenge is made up of a hoop of standing stones – every of that are round 13ft (4.1 metres) excessive, 6ft 11in (2.1m) broad and weighing 25 tons.
The outer financial institution of Stonehenge was made in round 3000 BC, whereas the stone settings had been in-built 2500 BC.
A whole bunch of individuals helped to assemble the landmark – transporting the stones from the close by Marlborough Downs and Preseli Hills, in south-west Wales.
The stones had been then labored into form utilizing sarsen and flint hammerstones.
The stones are set inside a bunch of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, in addition to a number of hundred burial mounds.
The place is Stonehenge?
The location of Stonehenge is situated on Salisbury Plain in Amesbury, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England.
Stonehenge was added to UNESCO’s record of World Heritage Sites in 1986, and is one among the most Instagrammed tourist attractions in Britain.
It may be seen from the A303 as you drive previous.
The location is a two-and-a-half hour drive from London, and an hour from Tub or Southampton.
Scientists have now found the place the stones had been quarried
Who constructed Stonehenge?
A part of what makes Stonehenge so mysterious is that it was produced by a prehistoric tradition with no written data.
Scientists recurrently debate over how and why Stonehenge was constructed, and what it was used for.
Archaeologists consider it was constructed by three teams – the Neolithics, the Beaker folks and the Wessex Peoples – who’re stated to have finalised the positioning into what we see immediately.
The most recent idea, superior by archaeologist and author Mike Pitts, is that the rocks had been there “thousands and thousands of years earlier than people arrived”.
His idea, which was revealed in British Archaeology, recommend that the rocks’ alignment with the solstice sun was merely a coincidence.
It’s thought that lots of of historic folks constructed StonehengeCredit score: Bradshaw Basis
It was this unintended alignment that bought the boulders observed by early Brits, who then determined to construct it up into a correct monument.
One idea suggests Stonehenge was a sacred burial website, whereas one other proposes that it was used for celestial and astronomical alignments.
Some additionally suppose it was an historic place of therapeutic.
It was believed that it was created as a Druid temple however we now know that Stonehenge predated the Druids by round 2000 years.
What does Stonehenge should do with Summer time and Winter Solstice?
Stonehenge is a monument that aligns to the midsummer dawn and the midwinter sundown.
On the summer season solstice, the solar rises behind the Heel Stone, the traditional entrance to the Stone Circle, and rays of daylight are channelled into the centre of the monument.
Summer time solstice takes place as one of many Earth’s poles has its most tilt towards the solar and the solar reaches its highest place within the sky, guaranteeing the longest interval of daylight within the yr.
It’s believed that Winter and Summer time solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for 1000’s of years.
Is Stonehenge a part of English Heritage?
The location is managed by English Heritage – and is the third greatest view in Britain, in response to our poll.
The location is open to guests between 9.30am and 5pm, with final entry at 2.30pm.
It’s free to go to for members, in any other case it prices £21.10 per grownup, £12.70 for a kid, or £54.90 for a household of two adults and as much as three kids.
It’s essential to book online in advance attributable to coronavirus restrictions on the variety of guests allowed in.
