Stonehenge history. Stonehenge. Great Britain. Fiction writers on Stonehenge

Stonehenge (Great Britain) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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Covered in secrets and legends, Stonehenge is an ancient megalith located in the south of England, in the Salisbury region, 130 km from London. This is a complex of 30 roughly hewn huge pillars and slabs of stone, stacked on top of each other in concentric circles.

The purpose of Stonehenge is still not fully understood by scientists: some consider it a temple, others consider it an astronomical observatory, some consider it a tomb, and legends say that the Atlanteans, Hyperboreans and the famous wizard Merlin performed rituals here.

This place is one of the most mysterious in the world, it is classified as an archaeological monument and is included in the UNESCO List of Protected Sites. Many tourists who want to see this wonder of the world come to Stonehenge to wander around the stones. It is forbidden to approach the structures, but at dawn or dusk you can enter the center of the circle.

Origin

The main mysteries of Stonehenge are who, how and why built such a monumental structure. Blocks of stone were hollowed out in the rock of the Presela Mountains and brought here several thousand years ago, covering a distance of 200 km!

According to a widespread hypothesis, the megalith was built by the ancient Celtic priests - the Druids and was used as a temple of heavenly bodies, but it does not agree with the age of the dolmens established by archaeologists - 3-5 thousand years BC. e.

Celtic legends claim that Stonehenge is the sanctuary of the wizard Merlin, which he created with the power of magic.

Another purpose attributed to the megalith is a pagan temple, where sacrifices were made to stone idols and burials were held. Scientists are still leaning more towards the version of the observatory of the ancients. Using the radiocarbon method, it was determined that the moat and earthen ramparts were made around 5000 BC. e. After that, monoliths were delivered here and they were used to make a circular stone structure with a diameter of 30 m. The mass of the largest elements reaches 50 tons, so the delivery and installation of these giants without modern technical devices is a real miracle.

Multi-ton vertical pillars are covered with huge slabs and look like a colonnade. Between themselves, they are fastened with a system of grooves and spikes, which is why the design has stood the test of time and almost did not fall apart.

There are other interesting objects not far from the complex. For example, 5 km away is the burial place of a rich man who lived during the construction of the megalith. Silbury Hill is a 40-meter artificial mound, it is also on the World Heritage Register, one of the largest in the world and the same age as Stonehenge.

stonehenge

Practical Information

Address: Amesbury, Salisbury SP4 7DE. GPS coordinates: 51.179177, −1.826284.

How to get there: With a group tour from London (cost from 60 GBP), by rented car or by train from Waterloo station to Salisbury station, then 40 minutes by Wilts & Dorset Stonehenge Tour bus or by taxi for 25-31 GBP.

Opening hours: from 9:00 to 20:00 entry until 18:00. Ticket prices: 17.5 GBP for adults and 10.50 GBP for children. Prices on the page are for September 2018.

About 130 kilometers from London there is a very strange place - a bunch of huge stones, neatly arranged in a circle in the middle of an open field. Their age cannot be accurately estimated even by the means of modern science - either three thousand years, or all five. Why did our ancestors, literally just climbing down from the trees, suddenly begin to cut huge boulders out of the rocks and drag them hundreds of kilometers away? An ancient observatory, a cult building of the druids, a landing site for aliens and even a portal to another dimension - all this is Stonehenge.

United Kingdom, Wiltshire, 13 kilometers from the town of Salisbury. Here, in the middle of an ordinary English plain, is Stonehenge - one of the most famous buildings in the world. It has 82 five-ton megaliths, 30 stone blocks of 25 tons each, and 5 giant triliths weighing up to 50 tons.

What is Stonehenge

The very word "Stonehenge" is very ancient. There are several versions regarding its origin. It could be formed from the Old English "stan" (stone, that is, stone) and "hencg" (rod - since the upper stones were fixed on the rods) or "hencen" (gallows, torture instrument). The latter can be explained by the fact that the medieval gallows were built in the shape of the letter "P" and resembled the trilithons of Stonehenge.

Megalith (from the Greek "megas" - large, and "litos" - stone) is a large hewn piece of rock used in the construction of ancient places of worship. As a rule, such structures were erected without the use of mortar - stone blocks were held under their own weight or on hewn stone "castles".
Trilith (or "trilithon", from the Greek "tri" - three and "litos" - stone) is a building structure of two vertical blocks supporting a third, horizontal one.

How Stonehenge was built

The construction of Stonehenge took place in several stages, which took a total of over 2000 years. However, archaeologists have found evidence of much older structures at the site. For example, near the parking lot for tourists near Stonehenge, three shallow "mines" were recently found, into which wooden supports were dug (they, of course, did not survive). The location of the supports shows that they supported a very large wooden monument, whose age is estimated at about 8000 years.
Around 2600 BC, the wooden buildings were demolished and replaced by majestic stone structures. First, the builders dug two rows of large crescent-shaped holes (one horseshoe inside the other), turned to the northeast. 385 kilometers away, from the cliffs of Carn Menin in the hills of Preseli (Wales), 80 so-called "blue stones" were delivered. Each stone was about 2 meters high, about 1.5 meters wide and 0.8 meters thick. They weighed 4-5 tons.
In the heart of Stonehenge, a six-ton ​​monolith of green mica sandstone was placed - the so-called "Altar". In addition, the northeast entrance was moved a little to the side and widened so that it looked exactly at sunrise on the day of the summer solstice.
Apparently, the construction of Stonehenge at this phase remained unfinished. The Blue Stones were soon removed and the holes under them filled in.
At the same time, three separate large "blue stones" appeared here. Two survived - the so-called "Heel" (in the meaning of "last") stone at the northeastern entrance outside the ramparts and the "Stone Block" near the same entrance inside the ramparts (later it collapsed on its side). Despite the name, the “Stone Block” is not associated with bloody sacrifices. Due to weathering, red spots began to appear on its side - iron oxides, which gave rise to such gloomy associations. In addition, on the inner side of the northern and southern ramparts, for unknown purposes, small barrows (without burials) topped with "blue stones" were piled up.
At the end of the 3rd millennium BC, Stonehenge underwent a new - the most ambitious restructuring, thanks to which it has become so popular today. From the hills of southern England (40 kilometers away from Stonehenge), 30 huge stone blocks - "sarsens" were brought here, each of which weighed 25 tons.

Stonehenge. How it was.

The earliest surviving religious building on the territory of Stonehenge looks very primitive and does not resemble later stone buildings. Stonehenge No. 1 was built no earlier than 3100 BC and consisted of two round earthen ramparts, between which there was a moat. The diameter of the entire object is about 115 meters. A large entrance was arranged on the northeast side, and a small one on the south.
Presumably, the ditch between the ramparts was dug using deer antler tools. The work was carried out not in one step, but in sections. Studies have shown that the bottom of the moat was covered with animal bones (deer, bulls). Judging by their condition, these bones were carefully monitored - they probably had considerable cult significance for people who visited the temple.
Directly behind the inner rampart inside the complex, 56 recesses were dug, arranged in a circle. They were called "Aubrey Holes" after the antique dealer who discovered them in 1666. The purpose of the holes is unclear. According to the chemical analysis of the soil, wooden supports were not placed in them. The most common version is that lunar eclipses were calculated from the holes, however, the accuracy leaves much to be desired.

Stonehenge - prehistoric crematorium

Later buildings date back to 2900-2500 BC and can be judged theoretically - time has left us only a group of depressions in the ground, where wooden supports for some structures were placed. The latter could well have been covered sheds, because these holes (now filled with earth and indistinguishable from the rest of the landscape) run in two parallel rows from the northern and southern entrances to the center of the entire structure. The diameter of the recesses is much smaller than the Aubrey holes, only 0.4 meters, and they are more distant from each other.
During the second phase of the construction of Stonehenge, the earthen ramparts were partially torn down - their height decreased, and the ditch between them was almost half filled up. In the same period, the functions of the Aubrey holes changed - they began to be used for the burial of cremated remains. Similar burials began to be carried out in the ditch - and only in its eastern part.
Whatever Stonehenge was built for, a few hundred years after that, it began to be used as a fenced cemetery for cremated remains - the first known in Europe.

Interesting facts about Stonehenge

The most common archeological finds in the ground under Stonehenge are Roman coins and the remains of the Saxons. They date back to the 7th century BC.
There are more exotic theories about Aubrey holes. For example, the ancients could use them to plan pregnancy (based on the 28-day menstrual cycle in women).
Blue stones are dolerite, the closest relative of coarse-grained basalt. Dolerite got its “colored” nickname because it turns blue when wet with water. A fresh chipped stone also has a blue tint. Heel stone - so named because of the legend according to which Satan threw it at a monk and hit him in the heel. The origin of the word "sarsen" is unclear. Perhaps it came from the later term "Saracen" (Saracen, that is, pagan stones). Sarsens were used to build not only Stonehenge, but also other megalithic monuments in England. The inside of the sarsens was processed much better than the outside. This suggests that, perhaps, the room was closed, and some important rituals were performed inside it, the participants of which did not leave the stone “circle.” Calculations show that the construction of Stonehenge (with the tools available at that time) required about 2 million people hours of work, and the processing of stones would take 10 times more. The reason why people worked on this monument for almost 20 centuries must have been very good. The theory of a UFO landing site arose in part due to the fact that there is a military airfield near Stonehenge (near the city of Warminster).

What was Stonehenge for?

As soon as people did not rack their brains - why did the ancients need Stonehenge? The very first references that have come down to us connect it with the legend of King Arthur - supposedly this monument was built by the wizard Merlin himself (according to another version, he transferred it with his charms from Mount Killaraus in Ireland).
Other stories "blamed" the construction of Stonehenge on the devil himself. In 1615, the architect Inigo Jones claimed that the stone monoliths were built by the Romans - allegedly it was the temple of a pagan deity named Knelus. In the 18th century, researchers discovered the “astronomical” function of Stonehenge (its orientation to the solstice) - this is how the version appeared, according to which this building belonged to the Druids. Nowadays, some experts claim that Stonehenge can predict solar eclipses or even perform complex mathematical calculations. The "planetarium" and "calculator" theories are very controversial - the evidence is usually refuted either by the simplest astronomical facts or by history itself (Stonehenge has been repeatedly rebuilt, changed its structure and probably served different purposes).
Outer ring of sarsens
The assumption that the second, “cemetery” stage of the construction of Stonehenge was associated with successful conquests of local tribes looks very interesting. An analysis of the remains found in the burial grounds adjacent to Stonehenge showed that some of the people buried there were from Wales. This may also explain the subsequent delivery of "blue stones", symbolizing the unification of the two lands. Experts also admit that for most of its history, Stonehenge served as a place for the cremation of the remains. This version is not without the right to exist, because the Neolithic cultures of Europe associated wood with life, and stone with death.

Late 19th century

One way or another, Stonehenge should not be called an observatory or associated with the druids. In the first case, we simply apply the concepts of the 21st century to events that took place almost 5,000 years ago. In the second, we sacrifice facts to a beautiful legend. Druids are a purely Celtic phenomenon. The Celts came to Britain no earlier than 500 BC - Stonehenge was already built.

Fiction writers on Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a structure so ancient and incomprehensible that even science fiction writers are not too sure what to do with it. The ideas that they offer in their works are often not much different from the versions of some scientists.
For example, Harry Harrison co-wrote the novel Stonehenge (1972) with Leon Stover. According to this book, the ancient monoliths were erected by the surviving inhabitants of Atlantis. A little earlier, Keith Laumer created the book “Trace of Memory” (1968), where he developed an “alien” idea: there is an underground communication center next to Stonehenge, from where you can call the descent module of a huge alien ship drifting near the Earth - and this module landed right on Stonehenge .

New Stonehenge

: modern astronomers revived the knowledge of ancestors
February 12, 2005 in the New Zealand town of Wairarapa opened "New Stonehenge", very similar to its famous British "relative". But why did modern astronomers need to build a copy of an ancient structure?
The modern stone observatory is called Stonehenge Aotearoa, built by the New Zealand Phoenix Astronomical Society.
Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand. And it was taken for a reason.
But first it must be said that the new Stonehenge is not at all an exact copy of the stone monster from the Salisbury Plain (Stonehenge), although their basic dimensions are almost the same.
And it's not just a tourist attraction. Stonehenge Aotearoa is a full scale adaptation of its ancestor to work properly on the other side of the planet. What is this job? Of course - an indication of astronomical events.

Stonehenge is a stone megalithic structure built in the Neolithic era on the territory of modern England. It is located about 130 km southwest of London, about 3.2 km west of Amesbury and 13 km north of Salisbury. Stonehenge is a series of dilapidated stone circles. The most noticeable is the outer stone circle, consisting of U-shaped, and the inner one in the form of a horseshoe, consisting of giant triliths.

The name Stonehenge comes from Old English and means "hanging stones". The second part of the word "Henge" is currently used as an archaeological term for a class of Neolithic circular structures. Since 1918, Stonehenge has belonged to the British state.

The Stonehenge complex was built in several stages. Its construction took about 2000 years. The Stonehenge area was used by ancient man long before the advent of stone megaliths. Some finds in the area of ​​the complex belong to the Mesolithic era and date back to about 8000 BC. Also in this area, the remains of ash from cremations belonging to the period from 3030 to 2340 BC were found in soil samples. e. These finds indicate that the Stonehenge area served as a burial site before the advent of stones. The latest burial found at Stonehenge dates back to the 7th century BC. n. e., and belongs to the decapitated body of the Anglo-Saxon.

In 1986, Stonehenge and the surrounding area was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

1 - Altar stone, a six-ton ​​monolith of green mica sandstone from Wales
2 and 3 - mounds without graves
4 - fallen stone 4.9 meters long (Slaughter Stone - scaffold)
5 - Heel Stone
6 - two of the originally four vertically standing stones (on the plan of the early 19th century, their position is indicated differently)
7 - moat (ditch)
8 - inner shaft
9 - outer shaft
10 - avenue, that is, a parallel pair of ditches and ramparts leading for 3 km to the Avon River (River Avon, Hampshire); now these shafts are barely distinguishable
11 - a ring of 30 holes, the so-called. Y wells; in the 1930s the holes were marked with round posts, which have now been removed
12 - a ring of 30 holes, the so-called. Z wells
13 - a circle of 56 holes, known as Aubrey holes (John Aubrey - Aubrey holes)
14 - small southern entrance

The location of the Stonehenge megaliths is such that on Midsummer morning, when the sun rises directly above the Heel Stone, its rays fall into the center of the structure, passing between the edges of the horseshoe. It is unlikely that such an arrangement of megaliths was chosen by chance. The northernmost point of the rising sun is directly related to latitude. Thus, the alignment of the stones must be accurately calculated according to the latitude at which Stonehenge is located. The heel stone is now considered part of the solar corridor.

The altar stone is a block of green sandstone about 5 meters long. All other stones in the circle are dolerites mined in the mountains in southwest Wales, about 240 km from Stonehenge. The stone blocks of the outer circle were to be brought in on sledges, which were to pull 250 a, on slopes up to 1,000 men. The altar stone is located a little away from the geometric center.

Origin of Stonehenge.

The various elements of the Stonehenge complex system were built in stages over the course of 2,000 years. In confirmation of this fact, the radiocarbon analysis of the stones, carried out in 1995, speaks. Based on the analysis of the measurements taken, archaeologists have identified three phases in the construction of Stonehenge.

The area before the construction of Stonehenge (8000 BC)

Archaeologists have found four large Mesolithic stone pillars (one of them may have once been a tree) that date back to around 8000 BC. This find was made in a place where there is now a parking lot for tourists. Three of the four pillars were located in a plane from east to west, this position may have had ritual significance. There are no similar sites in the UK, but similar sites have been found in Scandinavia. At that time, the current Salisbury Plain was covered with forest, later the area began to be cleared for farmers' fields. Around 3100 BC. BC, Stonehenge was built 700 meters (2,300 feet) north of where the first farmers began clearing land for fields.

The first phase of the construction of Stonehenge. (3100 BC)

The monument originally consisted of an earthen rampart and a moat running along its outer part, approximately 110 meters (360 feet) in diameter, with a large passage in the northeast and a smaller one in the southern part. The builders placed the bones of deer and oxen at the bottom of the ditch, as well as some flint tools. The soil extracted from the ditch was used to build the rampart. This first phase dates from around 3100 BC, after which the moat began to silt up naturally.

The second phase of the construction of Stonehenge. (3000 BC)

Material evidence of the second phase of construction is no longer preserved. There are suggestions that at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, there were wooden buildings inside the earthen rampart, in addition, there were gate-like structures at the northeastern entrance and a wooden corridor leading inward from the southern one. During the second phase, siltation of the moat continued, and the earthen rampart was deliberately reduced in height. However, thirty burials from this period with cremated remains have been found. Therefore, it is generally accepted that Stonehenge, during this period, was used as a place for cremation and burial, being the first known such place in the British Isles.

The third phase of the construction of Stonehenge.

The third phase was divided by archaeologists into 6 periods. Excavations have shown that around 2600 BC, the builders abandoned wooden structures in favor of stone ones and dug two rings of holes (Q and R holes) to be placed in the center of the site. Many of the stones were brought by ancient builders from the Preseli Hills in West Wales, 240 kilometers (150 miles) from Stonehenge. According to another theory, the stones were brought here by a glacier. Megaliths weighed about four tons, consisted mainly of dolerite with inclusions of tuff, volcanic and calcareous ash. Each monolith measured about 2 meters (6.6 feet) high, about 1-1.5 meters (3.3-4.9 feet) wide and 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) thick. The stone known today as the "Altar Stone" was almost certainly brought from the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales and was most likely placed in a standing position.

During the next major phase of construction, 30 huge megaliths were brought to Stonehenge. The stones were set in U-shaped portals in a circle 33 meters (108 ft) in diameter. Portal lintel stones were installed using a giant wooden wheel and ropes. Each set stone was about 4.1 meters (13 feet) high, 2.1 meters (6 feet 11 inches) wide and weighed about 25 tons. The average thickness of the stones is 1.1 meters (3 ft 7 in) and the average distance between them is 1 meter (3 ft 3 in). In total, 75 stones were needed to complete the outer ring and the trilithic horseshoe, 60 to complete the circle and 15 to complete the trilithic horseshoe. The ring was thought to have been left unfinished, but a dry summer in 2013 revealed patches in scorched grass that may correspond to the location of the missing stones. Triliths inside the circle are arranged symmetrically. The smallest pair of triliths were about 6 meters (20 ft) high, the next pair slightly taller and larger, the last great trilith in the southwest corner being 7.3 meters (24 ft) high. Only one stone remains of the great trilith, which still stands today, it rises to a height of 6.7 meters (22 feet) and another 2.4 meters (7 feet 10 inches) is underground.

An "avenue" was also built, two parallel rows of ditches and ramparts 3.2 km long leading to the River Avon.

How Stonehenge was built.

There is no direct evidence that the creators of Stonehenge used sophisticated construction techniques. Over the years, various authors have suggested that the builders of Stonehenge used supernatural powers to move the stones, arguing that they could not have been moved otherwise. However, traditional Neolithic methods were quite effective in moving and placing stones of this size.

It has been suggested that a wooden frame similar to a double wheel, driven by ropes and manual force, was used to set the cross stones. Another way of installation could be a wooden structure in the form of a ramp, with which the upper stone blocks collided with the lower ones.

Archaeologist Aubrey Burl suggested in his works that the megaliths of Stonehenge were not brought by a glacier, but were transported to the construction site from the quarries in Wales, using wooden structures and ropes. Based on his claims, an experiment was carried out in 2001 to transport a large stone from Wales to Stonehenge. Volunteers dragged it part of the way on a wooden sledge, then the stone was loaded onto a copy of a prehistoric boat. On the boat, the stone was supposed to make part of the way by sea, but this was not destined to happen and the stone sank in Bristol Bay.

According to some estimates, the ancient builders took a total of several million hours of work to implement all stages of the construction of Stonehenge. For example, Phase 1 of Stonehenge required approximately 11,000 hours of work to complete, Phase 2 required 360,000 hours of work, and Phase 3 required 1,750,000 hours to complete. The processing of stone blocks, given the fact that the builders used a primitive tool, would take 20 million hours of work. In order to build on such a scale and carry out complex related works (careful planning, detailed study of the location of stones, transportation and processing of stone blocks, providing food for people employed in construction), a society had to have a fairly complex social structure and a strong central authority.

Appointment of Stonehenge.

More recently, a new theory has been proposed. Geoffrey Wainwright, Professor and President of the Society of Antiquarians of London, and Timothy Darvill, MBE, have suggested that Stonehenge was a sacred place of healing similar to Lourdes in France. As proof of their version, they cite the fact that a large number of burials with traces of injuries were found in the Stonehenge area.

Many ancient historians were influenced by various mystical stories in their explanations. So in 1615, Inigo Jones claimed that Stonehenge was a Roman temple dedicated to a pagan god.

A group of British researchers led by Mike Parker Pearson from the University of Sheffield believe that Stonehenge was built as a symbol of "peace and unity". As proof of their theory, they cite the fact that in the Neolithic era, the peoples living on the territory of modern Great Britain are experiencing a period of unification of cultures.

The first scientific attempt to investigate and understand the monument was made around 1740 by William Stukeley. He took measurements and drawings of the location of Stonehenge, which allowed him to better analyze its shape and function. In his work, he was able to demonstrate the relationship between astronomy, the calendar, and the location of the stones at Stonehenge.

As a result, archaeologists have come to the conclusion that Stonehenge is an ancient observatory, although the scale and possibilities of its use is a moot point. Some other theories suggest that Stonehenge symbolizes the female womb, is an ancient computer, or even a spaceport for alien ships.

Exploring Stonehenge.

Throughout history, Stonehenge and its surrounding monuments have attracted the attention of archaeologists. John Aubrey was one of the first to study Stonehenge in 1666 and sketched its plan. William Stackley continued Aubrey's work in the early eighteenth century, but his interest was directed more towards the surrounding monuments. He also began excavations of many burial mounds in the area.

William Cunnington was the next to explore the area in the early nineteenth century. He excavated 24 burial mounds surrounding Stonehenge and found burnt wood, animal bones, pottery and urns. He also identified the recesses in which the altar stone was placed. Cunnington's finds are on display at a museum in Wiltshire.

In Maryhill (Washington, USA) was built an exact copy of Stonehenge, serving as a war memorial.

In 1901, the first major restoration work was carried out under the direction of William Gowland. The work was aimed at restoring the position of stone number 56 of the outer ring of Stonehenge. As a result, the stone was set in a vertical position, but was displaced by about half a meter from its original position. Gowland also took the opportunity to conduct an archaeological dig at Stonehenge. The results of his work made it possible to learn more about the construction of stones than in the previous 100 years of research. During the next restoration work in 1920, William Hawley discovered the bases of six more stones and the outer ditch. His work helped to rediscover the Aubrey holes and the arrangement of two rows of holes encircling the outer circle of stones, called the Y and Z holes.

Richard Atkinson, Stuart Piggott, and John F. S. Stone discovered axes and daggers carved into the stones of the outer circle in the 1940s and 1950s. Atkinson's research contributed to a better understanding of the three main phases of the monument's construction.

In 1958, restoration work was carried out again, when three stones of the outer circle collapsed. They were re-erected and installed in concrete foundations. The last restoration was carried out in 1963 after stone number 23, standing in the outer circle, fell.

Later excavations conducted in 2003-2008, led by Mike Parker Pearson as part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, revealed a circular area at the point where Stonehenge's "avenue" meets the river. In this area, four stones were probably placed, marking the beginning of the "avenue".

On September 10, 2014, the University of Birmingham, led by Vincent Gaffney, released a video describing current research and its results. The film tells about research carried out on an area of ​​12 square kilometers (1200 ha) and a depth of about three meters using radar equipment, mounds and stone or wooden structures found. The film also talks about the discovery of seventeen new monuments resembling Stonehenge, which can be attributed to the late Neolithic period.

Legends of Stonehenge.

"Monk's heel"

The monk's heel stone lies to the northeast of Stonehenge's stone circle, near the beginning of the "Prospect". A folk tale dating back to the seventeenth century explains the origin of the name of this stone.

The devil bought the stones from a woman in Ireland and took them to Salisbury Plain. One of the stones fell into the Avon River, and he scattered the rest of the stones over the plain. Then the Devil shouted, "No one will ever know how these stones got here!" The monk answered him: "That's what you think!" The devil got angry and threw one of the stones at him. The stone hit the monk's heel, bounced off and stuck in the ground. This is how the stone got its name.

"The Legend of Merlin"

In the twelfth century, Geoffrey of Monmouth tells a bizarre story in his Historia Regum Britanniae, which attributes the construction of the monument to Merlin.

According to Geoffrey, the stones of Stonehenge are life-giving stones called "the dance of the giant" that the Giants brought from Africa to Ireland. King Aurelius Ambrose wished to erect a memorial to the 3,000 nobles killed in battle with the Saxons and buried in Salisbury. On Merlin's advice, he chose Stonehenge. The king sent Merlin, Uther Pendragon (King Arthur's father) and 15,000 knights to bring him out of Ireland. But as the knights did not try to move the stones, they did not succeed. Then Merlin, using his skills, easily moved Stonehenge to the UK. After it was installed near Emsbury, Aurelius Ambrose, Uther Pendragon, and Constantine III were buried inside the giant ring of Stonehenge.

Excursions to Stonehenge.

Not far from Stonehenge there is a small tourist complex, which includes: a small restaurant, parking, gift shop, museum, toilets. You can also book a tour here. You only need to pay for parking if you did not come to Stonehenge and you do not have an entrance ticket. The cost of parking is £ 5 (approximately 350 rubles). Guided tours can be booked in several languages: French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Dutch and Polish.

It is advisable to get to Stonehenge as early as possible, because it will not take much time to see it, but you can see other monuments in the area. The best view of Stonehenge opens from Amesbury Hill (Amesbury Hill, at a distance of 2 kilometers along the A 303 road). From here, a hiking trail leads to a burial ground of the 3rd millennium BC, 1 km away. e. to West Kennet Long Barrow. Highway A 4 continues (westbound) to Avebury. There is also a megalithic prehistoric monument here. It is constantly and free of charge open to tourists. Local stones are smaller than those of Stonehenge, but the area they occupy is larger. Historians date the complex to around 2500 BC. e. At the entrance there is a museum that provides information about the excavations and theories regarding the meaning and purpose of the complex. The museum is open daily. From April to October from 10 am to 6 pm. From November to March - from 9 to 16 (except Sundays). A regular ticket costs £3.70 (approximately 250 rubles).

How to get to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is located 130 km southwest of London. You can get there by your own car along the M3 and A303 highways, which lead to Amesbury. Trains run from Waterloo Station to Andover and Salisbury, from where buses run to Stonehenge. From Salisbury - Wilts & Dorset Stonehenge Tour bus, fare 11 GBP, journey 40 minutes; or taxi for 30-35 GBP. From Andover - bus number 8 (Activ8).

In addition, in London you can buy a group tour, the cost starts from 65 GBP (entrance ticket and transport from the hotel included). There is also a Stonehenge Tour (17 GBP) from Salisbury, which picks up tourists at the railway station, in the city center and in Amesbury. The ticket is valid for the whole day, buses leave every half an hour - an hour.

However, keep in mind: it is bus tours to Stonehenge (especially in the summer months!) that most tourists use.

The easiest and cheapest way to get there is by regular bus from Salisbury. Public transport to Stonehenge goes from the station on the street with the pathetic name Endless Street (as well as from the railway station) every hour, daily from 9.45 to 16.45. The ticket costs £5 (type of Explorer Ticket, that is, there and back). In addition, various bus and travel companies are fighting for the favor of the tourist, providing tours at a price of about £ 12.50 (including the cost of the "entrance" ticket).

You can get to Stonehenge in other ways: rent a car, order a taxi or rent a bike in Salisbury. Renting a bike will cost around £12 per day, or around £70 per week. The distance from the center of Salisbury to Stonehenge is about 18 km, the road passes through beautiful places along the River Avon, so for tourists accustomed to a bicycle, the tour can be quite pleasant.

Opening hours and cost of visiting Stonehenge

In the English county of Wiltshire, a favorite place for tourists is the famous - a bizarre stone structure. The boulders stand in the shape of a circle, some of them are covered with slabs on top. Inside the circle there are also several structures that form a smaller circle. This archaeological monument was officially included in the World Heritage List in 1986, because until now it raises a lot of questions and disputes about its origin.

This building has an ancient name - "Dance of the Giants". Nobody knows the exact year of the appearance of Stonehenge, therefore the estimated period is quite wide - from 3020-2910 BC. e. One thing is clear - it was built for many centuries, and many peoples of that time had a hand in this.

All Stonehenge stones are very different, not only in nature of origin, but also in weight. The heaviest - up to 50 tons. That is why there are doubts that the monument is the work of mankind, because such heavy blocks had to be moved for many years to the construction site. However, according to legend, Stonehenge, in memory of the battle with the Saxons, managed to build Merlin, the main sorcerer of the Britons, in exactly one night.

The exact purpose of Stonehenge is an interesting question for archaeologists and researchers. According to some, the stones personified the cult of the Sun. And others are sure that the stones were necessary for the purposes of astronomy. There is another assumption - the energy of majestic stones could be used to treat sick people who came here from all over the world. The second version is more plausible - many tourists have seen with their own eyes how on the day of the summer solstice the sun rises just above the Heel Stone, which is located at the entrance to the stone circle.

Not so long ago, researchers discovered several religious monuments near Stonehenge, so a new assumption has appeared that the stone structure is only a small part of a large complex of sacrificial sites and holy places. By the way, over the centuries, the monument has been constantly restored to maintain it, so visually it is somewhat different from its original appearance. At the same time, the scope of the restoration was quite impressive, which caused a lot of criticism, even special investigations were carried out to determine whether the overall picture of the monument had been violated.

You can get to the stone monument by ordering, you will need to drive about 130 km. During the tour, you can learn more about the secrets and mysteries of this unusual place, as well as take unforgettable photos for memory, which will definitely become the pride of your home album.

About this monument not only legends are made, but films are also made. In 2010 alone, two documentaries were released at once. Therefore, before visiting Stonehenge, you can watch a couple of films in order to show your knowledge during the tour.

Stonehenge will be quite an interesting place to visit if you are interested in the mysteries of nature. Surely the greatness of these huge stones will amaze any traveler and make you wonder again about the origin of the famous Stonehenge.

Basic moments

Stonehenge is located in an area where many prehistoric finds have been made. Stonehenge is considered a mysterious and magical place, various modern sects gather here, including the followers of the Druids. Ever since Stonehenge was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attempts have been made to prevent the inevitable environmental damage caused by the 800,000 tourists who come here every year.

At the moment, visitors are prohibited from entering the fence, which encircles the building in a wide ring. For tourists, a not yet very powerful service center works here.

16 km north of Salisbury, 3.5 km west of Amesbury;
Tel: 0870-3331181;
Apr. - Oct.: 10:00 - 18:00, Nov. - March: 09:00 - 16:00;
Entrance: 8 GBP;
children (5 to 15 years old): 4.80 GBP;
students and pensioners: 7.20 GBP;
family ticket (2 adults + 3 children): 20.80 GBP.

Construction of Stonehenge

The construction of Stonehenge is divided into three main periods with a total duration of about 2000 years. At the burial site and the cult site there are megaliths - huge blocks of stone, reminiscent of the same stones in other parts of Europe. The megaliths of Stonehenge are located vertically and have transverse ceilings, which distinguishes them from other structures of this kind.

During the first period of construction, ca. 3100 BC, a round ditch was dug and a rampart was poured. For the shaft, soil taken out of the ditch was used.

The second period began sometime after 2500 BC, when the first megaliths were put in place, and the entrance on the northeast side of the circle was moved so that it faced exactly the sunrise. Until now, archaeologists are amazed at the accuracy with which ancient astronomers identified this place.

The third period began after 2000 BC. Additional multi-ton megaliths were installed, which formed the so-called "Sarsenovo ring". It consists of 30 sandstone blocks 4.25 m high and weighing 25 tons each, laid in a circle with a diameter of 30 m. The limestone blocks weighing 7 tons each were hewn so precisely as to form ceilings over the vertical blocks. They were attached to the top of the supports using a system of spikes and grooves. Joints of this kind correspond to the culture and level of technology of the Bronze Age. In the center of the circle there are five more triliths arranged in the form of a horseshoe.

Scientists believe that these blocks of granite, some of them weighing 4 tons, were dragged by builders from the Preseli Hills in South Wales, and this is 400 km from here. Arranged in pairs, the stones are crowned with equally gigantic slabs. Inside the smaller circle are two more horseshoe-like structures, one next to the other, and in the center lies the so-called altar, or altar stone. There are other stones nearby.

As for the question of "how" the Bronze Age people managed to transport, process and install these huge stones - especially the megaliths brought over 320 km from here - it is clear that this would require a high level of labor organization. But given an important goal, the leaders of the Bronze Age had enough power to plan and carry out such work for decades. The technology of the time, including rollers, levers and rafts, made it possible to carry out such construction.

Purpose

The position of each block, vertical support and ceiling is strictly adjusted to the position of the sun on the days of the summer and winter solstices. The two inner "horseshoes" are oriented towards sunrise and sunset on the days of the summer and winter solstices. Obviously, the builders attached great importance to this, but the meaning and purpose of the structures are still unknown to experts. Scientists are not certain that Stonehenge served as an astronomical laboratory. It is much more likely to use it as a religious center. In the middle stands an altar of green stone. Other blocks located in the inner circle are called "blue stones". This is a special kind of basalt mined in Wales, 380 km away. It is difficult to understand how such multi-ton blocks could be transported to such a distance, with the means of the Bronze Age at their disposal. According to the theory of archaeologist Aubrey Barle, they were not transported from place to place at all: supposedly, these blue stones were brought here by an ancient glacier. However, according to legend, the stones were brought to Stonehenge by the great sorcerer Merlin.

The myths associated with Stonehenge live on for generations, and this amazing place still attracts crowds of visitors. No one is allowed to enter the inner circle of megaliths, only twice a year, on the day of the summer and winter solstice, the English druids perform their Celtic rites here.

Stonehenge is still a mystery to archaeologists and history buffs. Many different theories have been put forward, but none of them has been fully proven.

Data

• Age: The first traces of religious practices date back to 8000 BC.
• Stages of construction: First period - 3100 BC; the second - 2500 BC; third - 2000 BC
• Duration of construction: In general, the construction took about 2000 years.