Stonehenge: A Burial Site In The World

Thesis Statement: The Stonehenge is a complex work of art; as it has been built over different periods of time representing wide range of ideas and thoughts. It is a monument that encapsulates the identity of a collective society of an era. It portrays the belief and value system, status, faith, relationship with the supreme being (god), and technological knowledge of the citizens of a society that is associated with the making of the Stonehenge. The large span of time and ambiguity of the society related to the Stonehenge has made most archeological surveys uncertain and thus, creating a mystery about, why was a monument containing, just stones weighing thousands of tones, in a relatively isolated area built? What was the motivations and purpose behind building it? And, how all these elements give an account of the civilization existing around the area.

Located in Wiltshire England, Stonehenge is a World Heritage site consisting of 4,500 year-old stones with some reaching heights up to 4.5m (15ft). Ever since the Middle Ages, the site has been one of the greatest mysteries in Europe being subject to multiple speculations and theories.

Although Stonehenge and the Pyramids are both marvels of the ancient world, the differ from each other in many ways. While the construction for both began around the same time period – construction for Stonehenge began around 3100 BCE (Dr. Senta German) while the pyramids began around 2580 BCE (The Great Pyramid of Giza) – the time spent building Stonehenge far exceeded the time spent building the Pyramids. Unlike the Pyramids, Stonehenge was built in three phases. The first phase of construction began “when a great circular ditch about six feet deep was dug with a bank of dirt within it about 360 feet in diameter, with a large entrance to the northeast and a smaller one to the south” (Dr. Senta German). Within this ditch, known as a henge, were 56 pits, known as Aubrey holes filled with either upright bluestones or upright wooden beams, whose original purpose is unknown. The second phase began approximately 100-200 years later and involved a circle of upright wooden posts in the center of this henge. More upright posts were also erected near the northeast and southern entrances. During this phase, the site of Stonehenge was used for burials; “at least 25 of the Aubrey holes were emptied and reused to hold cremation burials and another 30 cremation burial pits were dug into the ditch of the henge and in the eastern portion within the henge enclosure” (Dr. Senta German). During the third and final stage, occurring 400-500 years later, Stonehenge was completely remodeled. The central wooden beams from stage two

The Sarsen Circle at one time had 30 upright sandstones but now only 17 left. They are approximately 13 feet tall and 6.5 feet wide at the bottom and 3 feet towards the top which is thicker and taper. Also adding sarsen lintels to the top that have been shaped to fit the curve of the circle. Their length ranged in about 10 feet and 6 inches. Eventually in sub-phase 3iv, the Bluestone Oval and the Bluestone circle was added that was consisted of igneous rocks including dolerites, rhyolites, and volcanic ash. Finally, in the last sub-phase 3vi, the Slaughter Stone, Avenue, Heel Stone, and Altar Stone were added. The Slaughter Stone is on the northeast side that is the entrance. The Avenue extends north to east from the break in the bank-and-ditch. Along side of this was the Heel Stone which is abut 20 feet tall, including the 4 feet underground. Now the stone leans vertical but it use to stand upright. The Altar stone is about 16 feet long, 3 feet and 6 inches wide, and 1 foot and 9 inches thick. Its placement is embedded in the ground in front of the central and largest trilithon pair. The stone is supposedly suppose to be a Cosheston Bed Sandstone from

The Stonehenge is one of the great seven wonders around of the world. For decades, archaeologists are puzzled by this unique structure. They ask questions like what was its purpose, how was it built and by whom. Archaeologists believe it was built around 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Stonehenge holds many mysteries and theories that brought many tourists to visit over the years. Many stories have been told due to these mysteries and theories. Stonehenge is a complicated ancient megalithic whose complexity involves not only its construction but also a calendar for archaeologist. Numerous investigation has gone into discovering those theories on Stonehenge. Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire, England. One theory suggested that it was a places of burial

Over a span of 2,000 years, monuments have been added to Stonehenge. While most are buried today, they are still visible and well preserved. Stonehenge’s features include the Aubrey Holes, 350 burial mounds, Cursus, Woodhenge, Durrington Walls Henge, Stonehenge Avenue, and West Amesbury Henge. The Aubrey Holes were the first monuments in Stonehenge, built around 3,000 BCE. The Aubrey Holes were 56 pits inside of a circular enclosure formed by a bank and a ditch. Its main purpose was to store cremated ashes of dead bodies. After the Aubrey Holes were made, bluestones and sarsens were dragged from long distances to construct the circular stone monument. The 350 burial mounds were long barrows meant to cremate and bury the dead. The Cursus, built from 3600 to 3400 BCE, were two long earthwork enclosures. Both Woodhenge and Durrington Walls Henge were timber circle monuments built in 2,300 and 2,500 BCE, respectively. Stonehenge Avenue was an ancient road that lead to Stonehenge monument and was built from 2,500 to 1,700 BCE. Finally, West Amesbury Henge was a stone circle monument built in 2,400

Stonehenge was built during three distinct periods. Each took centuries to built, its unknown why each stage ended abruptly

Imagine you standing among a large group of stones the sun is rising over a large heel stone in front of you and you are one Buy one of The worlds greatest mysteries in the world Stonehenge in the passage Stonehenge Majorie Frank describes the Enormous stones laid out in a perfect circle as being one of the greatest mysteries in the world some questions are you still asked today at our who what's the stones there? How did they get them there? And why did they put them there?

The Stonehenge is a distinctive monumental stone that appeared in the late Neolithic period. It is located in Salisbury, White shire, England. The artifact is believed to have been built between 3000 and 1500 BCE. The artifact has artificially shaped stones arranged in a post and lintel

Stonehenge is complex yet, simple place. The name Stonehenge comes from the name “Stonehengen” meaning “stone hanging” or “gallows.” Stonehenge was believed to have been created during 3000 - 1520 B.C.E. This was during the Neolithic period and Bronze age. The people who created Stonehenge were very advanced. By the time came to make Stonehenge the Mesolithic and Neolithic people already found a spot that was special in someway to them and started constructing. Stonehenge was built in six different

To begin with, Stonehenge is one of the most famous sites in the world. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument and was meant to show off the solstices. It has been around for more than eight centuries and was made between 3100 and 2800 B.C. It is located in Wiltshire county in England. There are eighty-three bluestones all together which weigh four tons each. The stones glistened a grey-white color when the sun set on the shortest day of the year and in the dawn

While I can't say with any degree of certainty what it was for, we can say that it wasn't constructed for any casual purpose. Only something very important to the ancients would have been worth the effort and investment that it took to construct Stonehenge. I believe with all the information I have gathered I can only ask myself this question:

     There are few ancient structures in the world that captivate the imagination and the critical mind of both the scholarly and ordinary individual as Stonehenge. This intriguingly mysterious Neolithic monument is located near Amesbury in Wiltshire, England and draws thousands of spectators to its arena each year.

Stonehenge was a stone structure established a long time ago by civilizations before the Druid age. More than 4,000 years ago, the people of the Neolithic period supposedly decided to build a massive monument using earth, timber and eventually, stones.They placed it high on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England about 137 kilometres southwest of London. The purpose to build Stonehenge still remains a mystery. Stonehenge could have been a temple, an astronomical calendar, or a guide to the heavens. Stonehenge acts as a prehistoric timepiece, allowing us to speculate on what it would have been like during the Neolithic Period, and who could have built this megalithic wonder.

Architecture: Very few architectural structures from this period have survived (none from before); the most famous is Stonehenge, constructed using the post and lintel system and thought to be something like a sundial.