How Was It Built?
Introduction
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The building of
Stonehenge began 5000 years ago, and was completed in 4 major stages over a
period of 2000 years. |
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Stage 1a : 3100 BC |
The DitchA ditch was dug, and
the earth raised to form a circular bank 110 metres in diameter. From remains found
at the site, it is believed that red deer antlers were used as hammers to
loosen the earth and chalk, and oxen shoulder blades were used as spades. |
The HeelstonesTwo sarsen stones
5 metres high and over a metre wide were sunk into the ground to a depth of
1½ metres. |
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The Altar StoneThe Altar Stone
was placed in the centre of the site as a focal point for all astronomical
observations. |
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Stage 1b : 2910 BC |
The Aubrey HolesThe Aubrey Holes,
56 round pits one metre wide and deep (here represented by round plinths)
were dug in a circle 87 metres in diameter. Now Stonehenge
could be used for its primary purpose: the prediction of midsummer's day, and
sun and moon eclipses. |
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Stage 2 : 2150 BC |
The Bluestones240 miles away in
the Preseli Mountains in South West Wales 80 bluestones were being quarried. These stones, some
weighing 4 tons each, were dragged on rollers and sledges through the
mountains and down to the coast. The stones were
loaded onto rafts at the headwaters of Milford Haven, then carried by water
along the south coast of Wales, then across the Severn Estuary. |
The journey
continued up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again
to near Warminster in Wiltshire. The final stage of the journey was mainly by
water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then on the Salisbury Avon to west
Amesbury. |
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After a journey of
nearly 240 miles the bluestones arrived at the Stonehenge site, and were
arranged in circles around the Altarstone. |
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The Station StonesThe final part of this
stage was the erection of 4 Station Stones and auxiliary smaller stones,
which were used for the sight alignment of the rising and setting of the sun
and the moon. |
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Stage 3a |
Quite soon after,
building began on the major feature of Stonehenge as we know it. Firstly, the Bluestones
were removed from the site. |
The Sarsens24 miles to the
north on the Marlborough Downs huge stones were being quarried; a type of
stone known as 'sarsen'. Sarsen stone is a hard-grained
sandstone with a silaceous cement. The stones were
dragged on sleds across the countryside to the newly prepared building site. |
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For a typical
upright sarsen a hole was first dug, and the sarsen was slid into position on
a sledge. A wooden frame was
used for leverage, and sheer ingenuity and manpower hauled the sarsen into
place. Remember, at this
time the people of the Bronze Age had not yet invented the wheel, so wheels
and pulleys could not have been used. |
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The lintel was then brought alongside, and a
stepped wooden tower of increasing height was used to raise the lintel, then
slide it on top of the uprights. |
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The Trilothons5 Trilothons were erected in the form of a horseshoe.
They were graded in height from 6 to 8 metres, and may possibly have
signified the 5 planets which were visible at that time with the naked eye -
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. |
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The Outer Sarsen RingThen 30 upright sarsens were raised topped
by 30 lintels to form a complete circle. Each upright weighed up to 25 tons, and each
lintel weighed 7 tons. |
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Stage 3b : 1800 BC |
The BluestonesThe Bluestones were returned to the site to form
a circle around the Trilothons, and a horseshoe within the Trilothons. |
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Stage 4 : 1100 BC |
The AvenueThe Avenue was extended down to the River
Avon, and Stonehenge was complete. |