Rewriting Stonehenge's history (UCL)

Summary

The script discusses the multi-stage construction of Stonehenge, beginning around 3000 BC, and its use as a cemetery for up to five centuries. It highlights the discovery of Durrington Walls, a massive henge linked to Stonehenge, which likely served as a worker's camp for thousands. The seasonal occupation of this settlement, deduced from animal teeth analysis, aligns with key Neolithic calendar events. The script also touches on the social changes brought by the Beaker people around 2400 BC, leading to the decline of monument construction in Britain. It suggests Stonehenge was not a permanent temple but a site for periodic gatherings and feasts, reflecting a shift in Neolithic religious practices.

Takeaways

• 🏺 Stonehenge was constructed in multiple stages, beginning around 3000 BC with a bank and ditch, and later with standing stones and timber posts.
• 🪦 The site served as a cemetery from around 3000 to 2920 BC, and continued in use for several centuries.
• 🚜 The large sarsen stones at Stonehenge were transported from the Marlborough Downs, approximately twenty miles away, while smaller stones originated from the Preseli Hills in West Wales, a distance of 180 miles.
• 🏗️ Durrington Walls, the largest henge in Britain, is part of a larger complex linked to Stonehenge by avenues to the River Avon.
• 🏕️ Durrington Walls housed thousands, likely serving as a workers' camp during the construction phases of Stonehenge.
• 📅 The settlement at Durrington Walls was seasonally occupied, with evidence pointing to winter and summer habitation, correlating with significant Neolithic calendar events at Stonehenge.
• 🌅 Stonehenge's main alignment is with the midsummer sunrise, and its opposite direction aligns with the midwinter sunset, indicating its astronomical significance.
• 🛠️ There were at least five constructional stages at Stonehenge, with the last attempted phase around 1500-1600 BC that did not reach completion.
• 🧪 The arrival of the Beaker people around 2400 BC marked a significant social change, introducing new lifestyles, metal use, and individualizing social structures that differed from the collective power structures in Britain.
• 🌐 The construction and use of Stonehenge involved people from across Britain, not just local populations, suggesting a unifying purpose beyond mere construction.

Q & A

What is the earliest known stage of construction at Stonehenge?

The earliest known stage of construction at Stonehenge began shortly after 3000 BC, starting with a bank and a ditch, and also included standing stones and timber posts.

How long did Stonehenge serve as a cemetery?

Stonehenge was used as a cemetery for at least two hundred years, and possibly as long as five hundred years, starting around 3000 to 2920 BC.

What type of stones are the large sarsens at Stonehenge, and where do they originate from?

The large sarsens at Stonehenge are a type of sandstone that come from the Marlborough Downs, which are about twenty miles away.

What is the significance of Durrington Walls in relation to Stonehenge?

Durrington Walls is a nearby henge, and it is the largest henge in Britain. It is part of a larger complex linked to Stonehenge by avenues to the River Avon, and it is believed to have been the workers' camp during the construction of Stonehenge.

How did the researchers determine the times of year when people inhabited the settlement at Durrington Walls?

Researchers determined the times of year by investigating the culling of animals, specifically by aging them through the growth patterns of their teeth, which indicated that most animals were killed around nine months and fifteen months after birth, suggesting winter and summer occupations.

What is the main alignment of Stonehenge, and how does it relate to the Neolithic calendar?

Stonehenge's main alignment is towards the midsummer sunrise, and in the opposite direction, the midwinter sunset. These alignments are extremely important points within the Neolithic calendar at Stonehenge.

How many constructional stages have been identified at Stonehenge?

At least five constructional stages have been identified at Stonehenge, starting shortly after 3000 BC, with additional stages around 2500 BC, and minor rearrangements of smaller stones in the following 3-4 hundred years.

What social change in Britain is associated with the final stages of Stonehenge's construction?

The final stages of Stonehenge's construction coincide with the arrival of the Beaker people around 2400 BC, who introduced a new lifestyle, including the use of metals, the wheel, and a more individualized social structure.

How did the Beaker people's arrival impact the construction of megalithic structures in Britain?

The arrival of the Beaker people, with their different social structure and lifestyle, led to the end of large-scale monument building in Britain, including at Stonehenge, as their decentralized social structure did not support the collective effort required for such constructions.

What evidence suggests that Stonehenge was not used as a long-term pilgrimage site?

Evidence from the settlement at Durrington Walls indicates that Stonehenge was used in a punctuated form, with people coming, constructing, feasting, and then leaving, rather than being a site for long-term worship or pilgrimage.

What does the isotopic analysis of animal remains reveal about the geographical origins of the resources used at Durrington Walls?

Isotopic analysis, particularly of strontium in the teeth of cattle and pigs, shows that the resources used at Durrington Walls came from all over Britain, indicating a deliberate act of unifying and bringing people together from various regions.

Outlines

00:00

🏺 Stonehenge's Construction and Cultural Significance

The paragraph discusses the multi-stage construction of Stonehenge, beginning around 3000 BC with a bank, ditch, and standing stones. It was used as a cemetery for 200-500 years. The next phase introduced large sarsen stones from Marlborough Downs and smaller stones from Preseli Hills in West Wales. Excavations at Durrington Walls, the largest henge in Britain, revealed it as part of a larger complex linked to Stonehenge by avenues. The discovery of thousands of houses suggests it was a worker's camp for Stonehenge's construction. The settlement was occupied seasonally, with evidence from animal teeth growth patterns indicating occupation during winter and summer, aligning with Stonehenge's solstice alignments. The paragraph also outlines five construction stages and the arrival of the Beaker people around 2400 BC, marking a social change and the end of large monument building in Britain.

05:04

🌐 The Social Impact of Stonehenge and the Beaker People

This paragraph delves into the social implications of Stonehenge's construction and the influence of the Beaker people. It suggests that Stonehenge was not a permanent temple but a site used intermittently for construction, feasting, and gathering. The paragraph challenges the notion of Neolithic religious belief being centered around building structures, proposing instead that the act of building was a means to an end. Evidence from Durrington Walls indicates that entire household groups, including men, women, and children, were involved in the construction, feasting on cattle and pigs. Isotopic analysis of animal teeth reveals that resources were brought from all over Britain, indicating a deliberate effort to unify people and foster a sense of community. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the pan-British significance of Stonehenge, suggesting it was a unifying project rather than a local one.

Keywords

💡Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, England, consisting of a ring of standing stones. It is a significant archaeological site that has been the subject of much research and speculation regarding its purpose and construction. In the video, Stonehenge is discussed as a complex that was built in stages, beginning around 3000 BC, and its various uses, including as a cemetery and a site for ritualistic activities.

💡Excavations

Excavations refer to the process of carefully digging into the ground to uncover buried archaeological artifacts or structures. The script mentions excavations as a method used by various teams to uncover the history and construction stages of Stonehenge, contributing to our understanding of its development over time.

💡Sarsen stones

Sarsen stones are a type of sandstone that were used in the construction of Stonehenge. The script describes how these large stones were transported from the Marlborough Downs, about twenty miles away, to be part of the monument's structure, indicating the significant effort and planning that went into its construction.

💡Preseli Hills

The Preseli Hills are a range of hills in West Wales, known for providing the smaller stones used in the construction of Stonehenge. The script highlights the distant origin of these stones, emphasizing the extensive trade or transportation networks that must have existed to source the materials for the monument.

💡Durrington Walls

Durrington Walls is a nearby henge to Stonehenge, described in the script as the largest henge in Britain. It is suggested that it was part of a larger complex linked to Stonehenge and potentially served as a 'worker's camp' during the construction phases of the monument.

💡Neolithic calendar

The Neolithic calendar refers to the timing and scheduling of activities, such as construction and rituals, based on the agricultural and astronomical cycles of the Neolithic people. The script discusses how the occupation of Durrington Walls and the construction of Stonehenge were tied to specific times of the year, such as the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset.

💡Beaker people

The Beaker people were a group that introduced new cultural practices, including the use of metal and different burial customs, to Britain around 2400 BC. The script suggests that their arrival coincided with a shift in social structure and the end of large-scale monument construction, such as at Stonehenge.

💡Cemetery

A cemetery is a location for the burial of the dead. The script mentions that Stonehenge was used as a cemetery from its early stages, indicating its multifunctional role and the cultural significance of the site in the community.

💡Avenues

Avenues, in the context of the script, refer to the pathways or processional ways that connected Stonehenge to other sites, such as Durrington Walls and the River Avon. These avenues suggest a deliberate layout and planning of the landscape, indicating the importance of movement and procession in the use of the site.

💡Isotopic analysis

Isotopic analysis is a scientific method used to determine the origin of materials or organisms by examining the isotopic composition of their constituent elements. The script describes how isotopic analysis of animal teeth helped researchers determine the geographical origins of the animals used in feasts at Durrington Walls, suggesting a wide-scale gathering of people from across Britain.

💡Megalithic construction

Megalithic construction refers to the building of large structures using massive stones, as seen in Stonehenge. The script discusses the various stages of construction at Stonehenge, highlighting the monumental effort and the social organization required to move and erect the large stones.

Highlights

Stonehenge was built in a series of different stages, beginning shortly after 3000 BC.

Initial construction included a bank and ditch, standing stones, and timber posts.

The site was used as a cemetery from around 3000 to 2920 BC, continuing for up to five hundred years.

The next stage of construction involved large sarsen stones from the Marlborough Downs, about twenty miles away.

Smaller stones at Stonehenge came from the Preseli Hills in West Wales, a distance of a hundred and eighty miles.

Excavations focused on Durrington Walls, the largest henge in Britain, revealing it as part of a larger complex linked to Stonehenge.

Durrington Walls housed thousands of people, likely the workers for Stonehenge's construction.

The settlement at Durrington Walls was seasonally occupied, with evidence from animal teeth growth patterns.

The majority of animals were culled around nine months after spring birth, indicating winter occupation.

Stonehenge's main alignment is towards the midsummer sunrise, with midwinter sunset in the opposite direction.

At least five constructional stages have been identified at Stonehenge, from 3000 BC to around 1500-1600 BC.

The last stages of construction coincide with the arrival of the Beaker people, introducing new lifestyle and innovations.

The Beaker people's arrival around 2400 BC marked a social change, ending the era of great monument building in Britain.

Stonehenge is reconceptualized as a place of punctuated use, rather than a long-term pilgrimage site.

Evidence from Durrington Walls suggests that entire household groups, including men, women, and children, were involved in the construction.

Isotopic analysis of animal remains indicates that resources for feasting came from all over Britain, not just local areas.

The construction and use of Stonehenge were part of a deliberate act to unify and bring people together from across Britain.

Transcripts

Thanks to our excavations, not just by our own team but other teams over the last twenty years

we've now established that Stonehenge was built

in a series of different stages, first of all

shortly after 3000BC.

It begins with a bank and a ditch

but also upstanding features such as standing stones

and timber posts.

It's also at that moment

that people started to use it as a cemetary,

so this is somewhere around 3000 to

2920 BC

and it continued being used as a cemetary for at least two hundred years and

probably five hundred years.

It's then that the next stage of construction was put up

and that is these large sarsen stones, they're a type of sandstone, they come from

the Marlborough Downs about twenty miles away

whereas the smaller stones already in place

had come from the Preseli Hills in West Wales, a distance of a hundred and

eighty miles.

We started work about ten years ago

and our initial

emphasis was not on Stonehenge itself but actually on a nearby henge called

Durrington Walls,

in fact the largest henge in the whole of Britain -

it's about seventeen hectares in extent -

and what we established was that Stonehenge was just one part of this

much larger complex,

linked by avenues

to the River Avon.

What what we discovered at Durrington Walls

were the houses of

what must have been not just hundreds of people but thousands of people,

and it was there that we were able to work out that this was quite probably the worker's camp.

One of our other major advances

was to find out at what times of year people were actually inhabiting this village,

because although it's the largest known settlement from the Neolithic in

northwestern Europe,

it seems to have been occupied only seasonally; people coming in

for particular times of the year, and we can track that

by investigating the culling

of the animals

because thanks to the way that their teeth grow you can age them quite

precisely to within months,

so from spring birth

we were seeing that the majority were killed

around nine months later and then the rest of them some fifteen months from birth,

so this really fixed the occupation of

this large settlement to

the winter time and the summer time

and of course those are extremely important

points within the Neolithic calendar at Stonehenge,

because Stonehenge's main alignment is towards the midsummer sunrise

and in the opposite direction the mid winter sunset.

What we're seeing is at least

five constructional stages at Stongehenge, one shortly after 3000 BC,

one around 2500 BC,

two small phases of rearranging the smaller stones in the next 3-4 hundred years

and then a very last gasp

somewhere around 1500-1600BC,

they dig holes apparently to move stones but the stones are never moved;

whatever they planned never succeeded.

Those last stages of construction also coincide

with a fundamental social change in Britain,

and that's the arrival of what we call the Beaker people,

this is a continental style of ceramics and burial

but also an entirely new lifestyle.

These are people that have been using

metals, the wheel, and other innovations

which had been absolutely absent from Britain

for hundreds of years,

so Britain was basically cut off from the continent

up until the arrival of the Beaker people around 2400BC,

and i think it's their lifestyle, their politics, their social structure

that is so very different

to the host culture within Britain -

they are much more individualizing than the collective power structure

within Britain,

they also are not prepared to work

en masse

for just a few people,

so the great monument building that's going on in Britain at this time, and it's not

just Stonehenge but many other timber circles, stone circles,

earthen mounds of giant proportions like Silbury Hill,

these come to an end within two centuries of

Beaker arrival - they're coming from parts of Europe that don't have

these kinds of traditions at all,

they don't have

these great gathering centres,

it's a much more dispersed, decentralized

social structure,

and as it's adopted in Britain

so the whole rationale for these kinds of

mega constructions simply disappears.

We're starting to think of Stonehenge

not as a temple

where people come on pilgrimages and come to worship on a long-term basis;

all our evidence suggests that

it is used in a very punctuated form over time:

people come, they construct, they feast, they go away,

and this is really changing our notion of

Neolithic religious belief

that it's all in the building,

rather than the idea of building something in order to do something

with it,

which is very much our twentieth century take on the world.

What we have at Durrington Walls, if we're right that this is the work camp,

is that the houses show that we have

entire household groups,

so we're looking at men and women and children being involved in the whole thing,

and they're feasting on

cattle and on pig,

they're barbecuing them, they're boiling them,

and the huge concentration of resources

shows that this is a very sophisticated infrastructure to support them

and by examining the isotopes,

first trontium in the teeth of cattle,

and we're now doing this for the pigs as well, we're finding out that

the range that they're coming from

has exceeded all of our expectations. This isn't just some local construction event

for the people of

the chalklands of southern England - it's not even for the people of southern

England and Wales,

this is for people coming from

the width and breadth of the whole island of Britain.

So it's more than simply unnecessary food miles

to bring those animals from all over the country, it has to be part of a very

deliberate act of unifying

and bringing people together.