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The Secrets of Stonehenge

All over the globe are historical mysteries left to us by the ancient world - lost civilizations, abandoned cities, and puzzling monuments. One unexplained mystery that has both inspired and mystified modern man for centuries is Stonehenge, a monument located in the United Kingdom. Though it is one of the best-known artifacts in the world, we have no definitive idea of why it was built and what it was actually used for. Today, however, two new investigations may offer some answers.

The first theory begins with findings being unearthed not at Stonehenge, but at a location nearby. Archeologist Mike Parker Pearson and his colleagues have been studying an area about three kilometers northeast of Stonehenge. Here stands Durrington Walls - a structure similar to Stonehenge but about 20 times larger. In and around Durrington Walls were three circular structures made of wood. Evidence suggests that these wooden circles were holy places, or perhaps the residences of important officials who cared for Durrington. Outside Durrington Walls, Parker Pearson and his colleagues have also recently discovered a village of up to 300 houses which date back more than 4,500 years.

What do the findings at Durrington Walls have to do with Stonehenge? Parker Pearson believes there is a connection between the two places, and he cites his recent studies of the Malagasy culture in Madagascar to help explain his theory. In Malagasy culture, stone is a symbol of hardened bones and death. Wood, in contrast, is associated with life. Using this model, Parker Pearson sees associations between the wooden structures of Durrington and the hard monument of Stonehenge. Durrington, in this new theory, is the domain of the living, while Stonehenge is a place of the dead.

Parker Pearson goes on to explain that the houses near Durrington Walls were probably occupied at certain times of the year when people gathered for the summer and winter solstices (the longest and shortest days of the year) to celebrate certain religious ceremonies. And in fact, large amounts of pottery and animal bones have been found near Durrington, suggesting that this site was used as a place for eating and drinking. In contrast, very little pottery has been found at Stonehenge. In addition, almost no human remains have been found at Durrington, but a number of graves have been uncovered at Stonehenge.

Paths from Stonehenge and Durrington Walls to the nearby River Avon also suggest that the two sites were linked. At certain times of the year, most of the dead would have been carried down the road from Durrington and put in the river. Later, remains of the society's rulers would have been brought down the river, carried up the long avenue, and deposited at Stonehenge.

In Wales, about 400 kilometers west of Stonehenge, archeologists have another theory about why the monument was built and what it was used for. In this region of Wales are the Preseli Mountains, archeologists have traced the origin of Stonehenge's oldest stones (often referred to as "bluestones" because of their appearance when wet) to this site.

One question that has puzzled archeologists for years is why ancient Britons did transport these huge stones - which weighed up to 3,600 kilos - and use them to build Stonehenge? Some archeologists believe that early people saw the Preseli hills, with their giant blue stones, as a holy place. There is also a local belief, which is still common today, that the waters coming from the Preseli Mountains can cure illness. It is possible that the motive for moving these stones the great distance to Salisbury Plain was to create a center for health and healing.

How exactly the stones were transported - without the use of wheels - remains a mystery. However it was done, transporting such enormous stones was a remarkable achievement for the time. Stonehenge was abandoned about 3,500 years ago, and because its creators wrote no texts to explain it, they have left us forever with one of history's great puzzles to solve.

Adapted from Reading Explorer 3 (Heinle 2010), by Nancy Douglas (pp. 77-78)