Stonehenge’s last mysteries

“Do you want to visit Stonehenge?” – our friend asked. We had been in England for several years already, but it never occurred to me that I could see this famous place. In my mind, it belonged to the books with the title “Ancient Mysteries” or something similar. One cannot just walk casually into the content of a book. Or can he?

On the other hand, we had attended Sherlock Holmes’ apartments, so I should be more open to a meeting with another image of my childhood dreams. Well, I was not. And even today England manages to surprise me every time I go there. That time too – twenty years ago – before the internet and cell phones – Stonehenge awed me. The purpose and origin were still debated. An ancient race of giants and aliens were still listed in the list of possible builders.

Recent archaeological discoveries removed the last few mysteries:

On the origin of the bluestones. The bluestones were not brought by humans all 150 miles. The Irish Sea Glacier brought them much nearer to the site.

On the origin of the idea. A site near Stonehenge has revealed archaeological evidence that hunters lived just a mile from Stonehenge roughly 5,000 years prior to the construction of the first stones, new research suggests. What’s more, the site, which was occupied continuously for 3,000 years, had evidence of burning, thousands of flint tool fragments and bones of wild aurochs, a type of extinct giant cow. That suggests the area near Stonehenge may have been an auroch migration route that became an ancient feasting site, drawing people together from across different cultures in the region.

On the purpose. New archaeological evidence found by the Stonehenge Riverside Project indicates that the site served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings. The dating of cremated remains found that burials took place as early as 3000 B.C, when the first ditches were being built around the monument. Burials continued at Stonehenge for at least another 500 years when the giant stones which mark the landmark were put up.

The last shroud of mystery around this famous site was taken down for me after I had read about Göbekli Tepe. It was built 5,000 years earlier, which means that between Stonehenge and us is the same time distance as between Göbekli Tepe and Stonehenge. But the quality of the construction of Göbekli Tepe is much higher than of Stonehenge. And look at Göbekli Tepe carvings, which just do not exists in Stonehenge!