First Stonehenge Dig in 44 years

[Haruth]

By Tom Morgan, PA

Archaeologists have begun an historic dig which they hope will unravel the ancient mystery of Stonehenge. A trench is being excavated at the World Heritage site in a bid to establish the precise dating of the Double Bluestone Circle: the first stone structure that was built there thousands of years ago. There is now no visible trace of the original setting of the bluestone circle. What visitors see now are freestanding bluestones re-erected later.

The hole, which will eventually measure 3.5 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, will be dug by hand in a previously excavated area on the south-eastern quadrant of the Double Stone Circle with the hope of retrieving fragments of the original bluestone pillars. The two-week dig will also investigate the "Stonehenge Layer", a layer of debris and stone chippings spreading across the whole extent of the stone circle and comprising a high proportion of bluestone fragments.

English Heritage agreed to the excavation on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, following consent by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. David Miles, chief archaeological officer for the Government body, said that while numerous digs have taken place since storms on New Year's Eve 1899, they have been carried out on the back of maintenance work and that the potential of the first research-led excavation was incredibly exciting: technology today ensures we can learn a lot. There has been very little high quality archaeological research done at Stonehenge. People may think we know a lot more about it, but there is actually still a lot we can do.

English Heritage claim the bluestones, the focus of the dig, are what makes Stonehenge special. It is believed 80 of the stones were carried from Wales to Salisbury Plain nearly 4,500 years ago. The stones are natural columns of white spotted dolerite and occur only in the Carn Menyn region of the Preseli Hills, in north Pembrokeshire, from where they were taken to Stonehenge thousands of years ago. Exactly when and why these particular stones taken such a distance remains unknown. Yet the answer to this question lies at the heart of why Stonehenge was built.

Archaeologists tried to date the circle in the 1990s and estimated that it was first erected at around 2,550BC.

Timothy Darvill, of Bournemouth University, and Geoffrey Wainwright, President of the Society of Antiquaries, the professors leading the dig, believe their project could answer the eternal questions of when and why Stonehenge was first built. They will compare samples with their research in the Prescelli hills in south west Wales, from where 80 such stones were carried an estimated 4,500 years ago.

Prof Wainwright added: "This small excavation of a bluestone is the culmination of six years' of research which Tim and I have conducted in the Prescelli hills. The excavation will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 250km (153 mile) journey to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project. We will be able to say not only why but when the first stone monument was built."

Prof Darvill said: "It is an incredibly exciting moment and a great privilege to be able to excavate inside Stonehenge. This excavation is the first opportunity in nearly half a century to bring the power of modern scientific archaeology to bear on a problem that has taxed the minds of travellers, antiquaries, and archaeologists since medieval times - just why were the bluestones so important and powerful to have warranted our ancestors to make the gargantuan journey to bring them to Salisbury Plain?"

Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage - which maintains Stonehenge - described the dig as tremendously exciting. The bluestones hold the key to understanding the purpose and meaning of Stonehenge. Their arrival marked a turning point in the history of Stonehenge, changing the site from being a fairly standard formative henge with timber structures and occasional use for burial, to the complex stone structure whose remains dominate the site today.


Abstract and edited from:
http://news.aol.co.uk/bigstorynews/first-stonehenge-dig-in-44-years/article/20080331071009990007

[Haruth]

1901
After storms blew down a sarsen upright stone on the west side of the outer circle, Professor William Gowland was appointed to undertake repair work. These excavations were published in 1902.

1919-1926
The Society of Antiquaries employed William Hawley to address the concerns about the stability of many of the stones, particularly those of the outer circle which were propped up with timber. He often dug alone, under-funded and lacking physical and intellectual support.

1923
It had long been recognised that the bluestones were of rock type distinct from the sarsen stones, but it was Dr John HH Thomas of the Geological Survey who tracked their origin to the Preseli Mountains of Pembrokeshire. He observed that the Altar Stone was of Welsh origins, from the shores of Milford Haven.

1947
JF Stone cut the first section across the Cursus, north of Stonehenge. He found a fragment of Cosheston Beds stone (originating from Milford Haven) in the Cursus ditch filling - matching a fragment found in Gowland's 1901 trench.

1950s
Richard Atkinson joined forces with Stuart Piggot and JF Stone to write up and bring to publication Hawley's work. They decided Hawley's records were inadequate and got permission to excavate in 1950. This showed there to be ritual pits dug in the Neolithic times, deliberately re-filled and usually containing cremated human bone.

July 1953
Atkinson spotted, for the first time, carvings of a prehistoric dagger and axes.

1964
The last excavation inside the stone circle on the 20th century, carried out by Atkinson.

1978
Atkinson and J G Evans reopened a 1954 trench across the ditch west of the main entrance to take environmental samples. In doing so they found the skeleton of a young male lying in a grave dug in the Beaker period with the flint arrowheads stuck in his ribs, showing he had been killed by arrows fired into his back.

1980-86
Research efforts moved from the monument to the landscape and the Stonehenge Environs Project, led by Julian Richards. Evidence recovered from this project showed that there were many different activities taking place in this landscape, many of which were not directly concerned with the ritual monuments.

1999
Mike Pitts tracked down the human skeleton dug up in 1923 on the south side of Stonehenge and thought to have been lost. Pitts located it in the Royal College of Surgeons. The adult male of about 30 years of age had been decapitated in about AD 600-690.

2002
The Amesbury archer was found near Stonehenge - the richest burial of the early Bonze Age period. Isotope analysis indicates he grew up in Alpine Europe and was between 35 and 45 years old when he died. He gets his name from the 16 flint arrow heads that were found with the burial.

2006
Professor Timothy Darvill, head of the Archaeology Group at Bournemouth University, claims the ancient monument was a source and centre for healing - and not a place for the dead as believed by many previous scholars. He also says he has located the original 'quarry' from which the bluestones found at Stonehenge came hundreds of years ago.


Abstract and edited from:
http://news.aol.co.uk/bigstorynews/first-stonehenge-dig-in-44-years/article/20080331071009990007

[Haruth]

3100BC
It is believed a wooden post circle surrounded by a deep ditch and bank was constructed on land previously surrounded by a dense forest of towering pines and hazel woodland. Excavations indicate the first stage was a circle of timbers surrounded by a ditch and bank. The ditch would have been dug by hand using animal bones; deer antlers which were used as pick-axes to loosen the underlying chalk and then the shoulder blades of oxen or cattle were used as shovels to clear away the stones.

2500BC
Stonehenge was rebuilt, this time in stone. Bluestones were used from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales. Weighing about five tonnes, they were dragged down to the sea and floated on huge rafts up the River Avon. Work was stopped before this phase was complete.

2300BC
The Bluestones were dug up, rearranged and replaced by even bigger stones from the Marlborough Downs, 20 miles away. These giant sandstones or Sarsen stones, weighing up to 45 tonnes, were hammered to size using balls of stone known as 'mauls'. Visitors can still see the drag marks. Each pair of stones were heaved upright and linked on the top by the lintels.

1798
The first recorded excavation of the site took place under the guidance of William Cunnington and Richard Colt Hoare. Cunnington investigated the pit beneath a recently fallen trilithon and in 1810, both men dug beneath the fallen Slaughter Stone and concluded that it had once stood up. They may have also excavated one of the Aubrey Holes beneath it.

1918
Having previously been owned by a local man, Sir Cecil Chubb, Stonehenge was given to the Crown. Since the mid-1980s it has been managed by English Heritage on behalf of the Government.

1985
Summer Solstice revellers used to number around 70,000 before they clashed with up to 500 police in the infamous "Battle of the Beanfield". The following year, Margaret Thatcher's controversial Public Order Act spelled an end to such mass gatherings. Full access to the stones for celebrations has only been gradually reintroduced in the last few years.

1986
Stonehenge was inscribed as a World Heritage Site, having been identified as one of the finest prehistoric monuments in existence. Stonehenge is not the largest stone circle in the world but it is the only one that has lintels around the top, making it unique.


Abstract and edited from:
http://news.aol.co.uk/bigstorynews/first-stonehenge-dig-in-44-years/article/20080331071009990007

[Haruth]

The lure of Stonehenge stretches back 5,000 years, yet scholars are still at odds over who was responsible for building it, and what it was for. One of Britain's most famous landmarks has been attributed to Celtic Druids, indigenous tribes from the late-Neolithic period and even the Arthurian wizard Merlin. Built in different stages between 3000BC and 1600BC, the stone circle is famous for its orientation in relation to the rising and setting sun. But whether this was because its builders came from a sun-worshipping culture or because the circle and its banks were part of a huge astronomical calendar also remains a mystery.

Some believe it was a temple used to worship ancient earth deities. Others say it was a prehistoric astronomical observatory or a sacred burial site for people of high birth. It has also been suggested recently that diseased and injured ancient Britons flocked there seeking cures for their ailments. In his book Stonehenge: The Biography Of A Landscape, Professor Timothy Darvill points to evidence that many of the human remains excavated from burial mounds around Stonehenge, dating from around 2300BC, show signs of the individuals having been unwell prior to their death. Some of the burials around Stonehenge have been excavated and amongst them are a good proportion of people who had undergone operations to the skull, or had walked with a limp, or had broken bones.

But David Miles, chief archaeological officer for English Heritage, said: "So far as the theology is concerned there is very little we can go on without written evidence. We can rely on forensics but this only gives us part of a picture. The history of Stonehenge we know traces back to 3000BC and it was clearly a religious site - we just do not know precisely what they actually believed. We know they were burying people around the site and it is connected with midsummer and midwinter. One theory is that this is linked with the agricultural calendar and the land coming back to life.

Different theories can be traced back to the middle ages. Twelfth century historian Geoffrey of Monmouth said that Merlin the wizard directed the stones to be brought over from Ireland, where it had been constructed on Mount Killaraus by Giants, who brought the stones from Africa. Mr Miles, who has led research of the site since 1999, added: "Geoffrey of Monmouth did more than anyone to mystify the story of King Arthur, whom he links intrinsically to Stonehenge. Then, in the 18th century, the druids claimed ownership. It is true that around the time of the Roman conquest they were linked with the henge but there is nothing in history which indicates they were involved in its building. The modern-day druids think of it as theirs. But this claim is a falsehood.

It is thought the name Stonehenge originates from the Anglo-Saxon period; the old English word henge meaning hanging or gibbet.

Stonehenge will remain open as normal and visitors will be able to observe up close the excavation as it happens on plasma screens inside a special marquee. BBC Timewatch and Smithsonian Networks will fund the project.

Abstract and edited from:
http://news.aol.co.uk/bigstorynews/first-stonehenge-dig-in-44-years/article/20080331071009990007

[Haruth]

Wasn't sure where this belonged... but since sacred sites have been mentioned here, seemed sensible...

I was interested in the idea that as well as serving as a calendar site, an astronomical site, it also appears that some believe Stonehenge to have been a healing site. The idea that surgery was carried out by ancient cultures (not just at this location, but worldwide) is fascinating. I know that there are some mummies (not sure whether they are European, Egyptian or South American) in which the holes drilled in the skull have healed: so they 'knew' what they were doing, and it wasn't just a means of despatching the virgins...

I'll keep thread updated regarding findings (if anything) of the dig...

[Celtaur]

Have you ever been to stonehenge Haruth? Has anyone here?

I haven't, but know a couple people who have. It is a powerful place, I've been told, but with the tourism, commercialized aspect it takes away some of the spiritual experience.

[Haruth]

I'm afraid not. It is on the list.

I had intended to avoid the commercialism by visiting at midnight. Unfortunately, that idea ended when they put an enormous security fence around it (ostensibly to keep out the 70,000 or so New Agers that descended on it every summer solstice at the time. I suspect it was more to do with being able to charge to go through the gate...) I really should find out if the fence is still there...

[Haruth]

You can follow the dig daily here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/stonehenge/

And Celtaur, you can go there yourself:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/program...panorama.shtml

...OK - you are forced to stand in one place... but the images are really clear...

.

[Haruth]

I find it amazing that, despite currently digging in an area which has already been dug over by previous generations of archaeologists, they are finding so many important pieces...

For the beaker pottery piece to have survived thousands of years, been dug over and reburied is quite incredible... And it's only day 4!

WOW!

[Drachemond]

Hi haruth!

Wow, thank you for posting this for all to see!!

I have always been interested in the magic of Stonehenge. I've never been either, but I hope I go in this lifetime. There are many sites in this world that I am deeply attracted to (don't know why) but they call out to me.

I think it is fascinating they are finding all these different things. I was getting confused with the video you posted. It looked like they dug a hole, but the narrator was saying those were trenches where previous bluestones were originally standing...if they filled the holes again, how can they see so clearly where the stones stood before.

I think the site could have been used for many things (astronomy or as a calendar site), but I love that it could have been a healing place. There is something about the way certain things, place in a certain way can generate so much energy.

But I'm letting out my sci-fi self out a bit, do you think it could have been a site of transportation, created by the Atlanteans before their fall? All pyramids could also have been used for such a thing, while being hidden under a spiritual meaning of haven for the dead?

Thanks again for posting this, I've been waiting for something like this to be posted!

Drachemond