BBC Focus Magazine

[M Paul Lloyd]

You can visit plenty of other web-sites dedicated to the subject of Stonehenge but they are either so weird as to be beyond the bounds of common sense or leave us struggling to grasp the basics of what is after all an extremely complex subject that is evidently so much clearer to the academically trained mind. So, at the risk of ‘dumbing down’ a far worthier subject, whilst putting aside any strange theories about astronomical alignments and such, I humbly present my rough guide to the history of Stonehenge, based on the best archaeological evidence I could find. With updates via Robert Matthews from his article published in the October 2010 issue of Focus which brings together the latest findings on this ever enigmatice site.

10,000yrs bc, the Salisbury plain that we know today was a cold, dense, post glacial, pine forest and the people of this time erected two large wooden poles near the Stonehenge site, which were in what is now the car park. Quite what their purpose might have been is unclear but given the dense forest surrounding them it seems highly unlikely they had anything to do with solar/lunar/stellar observations. In actual fact nothing much else seems to have happened for around 7,000yrs except that the climate warms up by several degrees and the pine forest is largely replaced by more deciduous woodland. No evidence connecting this early phase and subsequent activity at Stonehenge has ever been found.

Then around 3,000yrs bc we enter Stonehenge Phase I, when a 1.5 to 2metre deep ditch 103.6 metres in diameter is dug around a natural circular clearing, with unusually for such structures a bank raised on the inside enclosing the 56 Aubrey pits which were dug evenly around the inner edge. Radiocarbon dating from human cremation remains in both the ditch and pits suggests that this funereal practice may have gone on for many generations possibly until around 2,200yrs bc even though the site seems to have been left in a poor state of repair for much of this time. New evidence suggests that Bluestone were places in these pits at some point during this early period.

Phase II encompasses the period 2,900 to 2,600yrs bc, when the bluestones are removed and what would seem to have been a wooden structure of some sort, possibly a building, and circular in form that may have had a roof (but not necessarily) was erected towards the southern side of the enclosure with various poles being positioned around this 'building' at various times. The purpose of this structure and said poles in any specific location within the enclosure is unclear.

By around 2,900yrs bc it is possible to say that the entrance to the North East is established opening onto the Avenue, a wide clear path that extends some distance to the North East before turning south in a graceful curve, and in which a series of wooden posts were erected. This may possibly have been of some significance regarding the rising sun, but that is by no means certain. The arrangement of the Avenue would suggest that is was a formal approach to what was an important ceremonial sight . The Heel stones are also thought to have been put in place at around this time.

Phase III at around 2,580yrs bc we see the erection of the large Sarsen Trilathons (quarried from the nearby Marlborough Downs) in the inner horseshoe configuration with the open end facing North East. This phase also saw the four Station Stones arrive and the return of the Bluestones (quarried from the Pembrokeshire hills) and these Bluestones are positioned in circles both inside and outside of the Trilathon Horseshoe.

Some Bluestones appear to have originally been worked as lintels and it is quite possible that these may have been part of an earlier structure that may have resembled a small-scale version of the final outer Sarsen circle. It is also possible they were ‘salvaged’ from an established site in Pembrokeshire, but much about these stones is still unclear. It is often suggested that the type of stone had ‘magical’ properties for the builders but on closer examination they are not all the same type of Bluestone and are infact comprising of Rhyolite, Spotted Dolerite, Volcanic Ash, Cosheston Sandstone and Calcareous Ash, none of which are actually ‘blue’ at all. Even the Dolerite is only a green-blue when polished and wet. Quite why these particular stones were chosen has been the cause of much discussion and even more speculation, but I rather favour the idea that the fact that they all contain fine quartz crystals made them look as if they were full of stars and perhaps these star-stones form the edge of the world might have been seen as a way of linking the nights sky to the Earth?

By Phase IV things have changed dramatically, with the arrival of the large outer Sarsens forming the outer lintel capped circle, this being put in place between 2,210 and 1,930yrs bc and the complete removal of the Bluestones may also have taken place during this time. That is not to say that it took 200 years to put all the Sarsen’s in place, some sources suggest it might have been accomplished within as little as ten years. This is not intended to belittle a monumental undertaking and even given the Sarsen’s relatively close source (the Malborough Downs being some 30 miles North) compared with the Bluestones from Pembrokeshire their shear size is quite staggering, the larger Trilathon uprights weigh around 45 tonnes each!

Stonehenge has now taken on the appearance we are now more familiar with today.

From around 1,900 to 1,500yrs bc two concentric but not entirely circular sets of 30 pits know as the Y and Z holes are dug around the outer Sarsen circle. Whether these were ever intended to hold the Bluestones or were for use as funereal pits is unclear, indeed they show no signs of having contained anything at all other than local surface spoil. Bluestones are positioned inside the Sarsen enclosure but evidence would suggest that these were repositioned several times over a period of time until finally forming a circle within the outer Sarsen’s and a horse shoe/half ellipse within the Trilathon Horseshoe. One final stone not mentioned so far is the latterly dubbed altar stone. This is Blue Grey Sandstone brought all the way from the coast of Pembrokeshire, and it may have formed the focal point of the entire structure. This stone could only have come from one small location specifically the cliffs overlooking a place called Milford Haven, which saw the setting sun pass behind the Atlantic horizon and to the builders of Stonehenge it must have seemed like the very edge of the known world.

M Paul Lloyd 2002 updated 2010 with grateful thanks to Robert Matthews, visiting reader at Aston University.

Stonehenge notes.

Farming begins in stonehenge area around 1,500 years before first bank and ditch were constructed
Bone morphology shows that the people of the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages were arable farmers, cattle and sheep. No evidence of hunted animlas being a significant part of the daily diet.
Pollen record indicates cereals, wheat, barely and vegetables ref Martin Jones 'The Molecule Hunt'
Located at grid reference SU 123422 51degrees 11 minutes north 1degree 33 minutes west

Almost half of the stones are missing, presumably robbed out which has raised the suspicion that Stonehenge may not have been fully completed but archeology strongly supports the idea that it was.

Outer stone circle of 30 lintel topped sarsen uprights is 32.9 metres in diameter and varies from 3.9 to 4.37 metres tall with No.11 the shortest, thinnest and narrowest of all the uprights being numbered 1-30 with lintels numbered 101-130. Not all uprights are perfectly straight edged and some apparent weathering may actually be partly original features. Lintels have complex socket and peg joints to help keep them in place.
Inside the outer Sarsen circle are 'Bluestones' numbered 31-50 (note most are absent from record)
Inner horshoe of Trilathons comprised of 10 uprights in pairs with 5 lintels, Horseshoe opening is 13.7 metres wide north east pair are 6.1 metres tall, central pair 6.7 metres high and south west pair 7.31 metres high. Central pair are 6.7 metres above ground and 2.44 metres below ground, with south west pair in shallow 1.5 metre founds. Numbered 51-60 with lintels 152, 154, 156, 158 and 160.
One Trilathon upright has 'axe' shaped bronze stains that date from 1,600 - 1,400 bc. Largest weigh 45 tonnes each.
Inside the Trilathon horseshoe 'Bluestones' 61-70 are arranged in a similar horseshoe fashion.
Prior to 1915 Stonehenge was private property and from 1903 was used as a military aerodrome. During 1901 a limited archelogical survey was conducted by Prof William Gowland, well supervised and recorded, stone No.56 (Trilathon upright) straightened and set in concrete.

Druids 'the Church of the Universal Bond' formed around 1800 but claims heritage that predates 1643. It is a woodland religion with no known historical or archeological connection with Stonehenge.

Key to illustration below.
Green indicates Sarsens in position, Red Sarsens that are missing and Blue 'Bluestones' in postion.

Photographs, M Paul Lloyd copyright.
http://mpaullloyd.multiply.com/photos/a ... Stonehenge