THE LORE OF STONEHENGEExplore the myths and mysteries of the huge monument on Salisbury Plain
GRAPHIC HISTORY
Stonehenge is famous both for its broken circles of standing stones and as an enduring source of mystery and wonder. What was it used for? And why was it made? Definitive answers to these questions continue to elude us.
What we do know is that Stonehenge was built over a period spanning hundreds of years. The earliest evidence of a monument, in the form of five pits, dates to c8500–7000 BC; three of these pits are believed to have held large pine posts, but we know nothing more about them. The next stage of development came around 3000 BC, when a circular ditch and bank were created, enclosing an area 100 metres across. In c2900–2600 BC, an all-timber monument may have been erected. After this time, wood gave way to stone, beginning with the sarsens that form the central ring and horseshoe. Work continued intermittently from 2600 BC until around 1500 BC, when Stonehenge took its final form as the monument you see here. That marked the height of its magnificence – before age, neglect and modern road-building took their toll.
MOVING AND MAKING
The stones in the capped circle and horseshoe, called sarsens, are sandstone chunks from the Marlborough Downs, 20 miles to the north. The rest – known as bluestones – come from much farther afield: geologists have traced them to western Wales, 140 miles away. How did our Neolithic forebears transport them across those colossal distances? And how did they create the trilithons? Here is one current theory...
MOVING
Wooden poles were used to lift each stone onto a track of log rollers. It was then harnessed and pulled across the countryside.
RAISING
Each stone was pushed into a sloping hole and heaved upright, possibly with the aid of weights. The sloping edge was then filled with rubble.
CAPPING
A timber frame was used to slowly raise each horizontal lintel stone until it could be slotted into plac
