Dispatch from Stonehenge, Day 1

March 31st: The Excavation Begins

  • By Dan Jones
  • Smithsonian.com, April 01, 2008, Subscribe
 
An aerial view of Stonehenge in Wiltshire England.
An aerial view of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. (Jason Hawkes/Corbis)

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Under an overcast sky blanketing the Salisbury Plains in southern England, work began today on the most significant archaeological excavation in recent UK history: An attempt to unravel the mysteries locked within the sacred circle of Stonehenge. It is the first such exploration of the site in nearly 45 years.

Stonehenge is not only one of the world's most famous archaeological sites and an icon of English prehistory—it is also an enduring puzzle. Who made it, when was it constructed and, perhaps most crucially, why?

Theories abound. Some suggest that it served as calendar, aligning with the winter and summer solstices. Others regard it as a memorial to the dead.

Most archaeologists agree that Stonehenge was built in stages over the last 5,000 years. Initially, the site consisted of little more than a large circular ditch, surrounded by a bank of earth. This circular enclosure, or "henge," became a stone henge with the placement of a series of bluestones, which were originally arranged in two concentric circles. Only later did the builders introduce the larger—and more iconic—sarsen stones, to construct the imposing trilithons (two vertical stones capped by a horizontal stone lintel).

Although everyone knows what Stonehenge looks like, you have to visit the place to truly get a feel for its scale (the largest of the trilithons is nearly 24 feet tall). And while Stonehenge is impressive when viewed from the tourists' roped-off path circling the monument, the site takes on a new dimension when viewed from within the circle itself—something few visitors get to experience. Standing next to the sarsens for the first time today, and looking up at the lintels crowning the enormous trilithons, I began to get a deeper sense of why these structures have resonated so powerfully with visitors over the centuries.

The archaeological team will dig an 8-foot by 11-foot trench, about 3 feet deep, near one of the smaller bluestones. The dig, led by Professor Tim Darvill of Bournemouth University and Geoff Wainwright of the Society of Antiquaries, will last two weeks, and is intended to establish a precise date for when the bluestones were brought to the site. (Current estimates place the year at around 2,500 B.C.) The archaeological team also hopes to glean insights into how these stones were rearranged as Stonehenge was refashioned over the subsequent centuries.

The bluestones, which were quarried 155 miles away in the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire, Wales, are of particular importance to understanding Stonehenge. They were the first stones to be put in place, and could hold the secret as to why the ancient builders went to the trouble of lugging them all the way to Salisbury.

Darvill and Wainwright speculate that these stones were believed to have health-giving powers, and were brought to the Salisbury Plains to create a place of healing— a sort of prehistoric Lourdes. By using modern technology to pinpoint the age of these stones and the date of their arrival, the two scholars hope they will be able to confirm not only why but when the first stone monument was built.


Under an overcast sky blanketing the Salisbury Plains in southern England, work began today on the most significant archaeological excavation in recent UK history: An attempt to unravel the mysteries locked within the sacred circle of Stonehenge. It is the first such exploration of the site in nearly 45 years.

Stonehenge is not only one of the world's most famous archaeological sites and an icon of English prehistory—it is also an enduring puzzle. Who made it, when was it constructed and, perhaps most crucially, why?

Theories abound. Some suggest that it served as calendar, aligning with the winter and summer solstices. Others regard it as a memorial to the dead.

Most archaeologists agree that Stonehenge was built in stages over the last 5,000 years. Initially, the site consisted of little more than a large circular ditch, surrounded by a bank of earth. This circular enclosure, or "henge," became a stone henge with the placement of a series of bluestones, which were originally arranged in two concentric circles. Only later did the builders introduce the larger—and more iconic—sarsen stones, to construct the imposing trilithons (two vertical stones capped by a horizontal stone lintel).

Although everyone knows what Stonehenge looks like, you have to visit the place to truly get a feel for its scale (the largest of the trilithons is nearly 24 feet tall). And while Stonehenge is impressive when viewed from the tourists' roped-off path circling the monument, the site takes on a new dimension when viewed from within the circle itself—something few visitors get to experience. Standing next to the sarsens for the first time today, and looking up at the lintels crowning the enormous trilithons, I began to get a deeper sense of why these structures have resonated so powerfully with visitors over the centuries.

The archaeological team will dig an 8-foot by 11-foot trench, about 3 feet deep, near one of the smaller bluestones. The dig, led by Professor Tim Darvill of Bournemouth University and Geoff Wainwright of the Society of Antiquaries, will last two weeks, and is intended to establish a precise date for when the bluestones were brought to the site. (Current estimates place the year at around 2,500 B.C.) The archaeological team also hopes to glean insights into how these stones were rearranged as Stonehenge was refashioned over the subsequent centuries.

The bluestones, which were quarried 155 miles away in the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire, Wales, are of particular importance to understanding Stonehenge. They were the first stones to be put in place, and could hold the secret as to why the ancient builders went to the trouble of lugging them all the way to Salisbury.

Darvill and Wainwright speculate that these stones were believed to have health-giving powers, and were brought to the Salisbury Plains to create a place of healing— a sort of prehistoric Lourdes. By using modern technology to pinpoint the age of these stones and the date of their arrival, the two scholars hope they will be able to confirm not only why but when the first stone monument was built.

As would be expected for such a momentous occasion, the beginning of the project was something of a media circus. The area to be excavated was marked out on Sunday afternoon, and blessed by a druid priest wearing an antler helmet. Then, this morning at 9:20 A.M., in front of an audience of news crews, Darvill and Wainwright dug out the first shovel loads of grass and mud, as they embarked on the apotheosis of their professional careers.

Small parties of reporters and photographers were then escorted into the circle of stones (not accessible in the standard tours of the site) to see the emerging trench firsthand, and to question the two professors— all under the watchful eyes of staff from English Heritage, the custodian of Stonehenge.

English Heritage has long been reluctant to allow excavations that could damage this precious monument. But Darvill and Wainwright's proposal, inspired by an imaginative theory and requiring relatively little disturbance to the site, was deemed acceptable. While the site needs to be preserved, English Heritage recognizes that it must also be studied further.

Meanwhile, the usual throng of tourists passed by on the path circling the monument. Anyone curious to know what all the fuss was about could witness events inside a specially erected marquee, which relayed live video feeds from within the stone circle—and sold a nice selection of Stonehenge T-shirts.

Dan Jones is a freelance science writer who has contributed articles to New Scientist.


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Comments (6)

There seems to be some mystery surrounding the fact that the blue stones were removed then replaced after the larger outer stones had been placed. Wouldn't this simply be to ensure the blue stones were not damaged when the large stones were added?

Posted by Phil on September 24,2008 | 06:37 PM

I managed to create a working scale model henge based on descriptions from Herodotus' Histories. If built to scale it would have collected and stored at least 100-150kw of energy per hour that would have been used for keeping the inhabitants warm, cooking their food and processing their crops. Stonehenge is one of the most sophistocated henges but essentially worked the same way as the simpler designs. The detail and background to this is laid out in a novel by Phil Newman 'The Matriarch (and the Language Stone)' he saw the the various working models and devices I had built based on ancient designs and created an adventure story around them. regards Chris

Posted by Christopher Jordan on April 22,2008 | 01:55 AM

Since scientists tell us that the stones were quarried some 150 miles away and dragged to the Stonehenge site, surely there must be some interesting places to dig along that route. Probably many workers died as the stones were moved, while many things they used must have been discarded along the way. Stone tools, sledges, rollers, it must have taken a workforce of thousands and surely, there are scars still on the land that could be found by a trained observer. Are there any plans for digs along the route from quarry to site?

Posted by Carol Vega on April 12,2008 | 08:43 AM

With al the turmoil in this world it would be enlightening to see Stonehenge. Although I saw the pyramids of Egypt and learned of the laborious task of building them I can certainly appreciate the carting of these heavy structures 155 miles.

Posted by May Huddleston on April 11,2008 | 11:20 PM

We traveled there May of 2007, and while it was only a short stay, it was so much part of a dream to see it and Avebury too. It was a misty day and you really felt the spirits of the ancient ones around you.

Posted by Pat Robinson on April 11,2008 | 07:02 PM

I have visited Stonehenge many times, but last summer I took two of my son's there for the summer solstice. I cannot begin to explain the power of sleeping within the circle of stones. I highly recommend it!

Posted by Connie Corbett-Whittier on April 8,2008 | 01:14 PM

I visited this site in the year of 2000, I was born and live in US. I have relatives that live close by, my mother was born in Wales but now lives in the US. Please let me know what you discover. Thank you.

Posted by Virginia on April 3,2008 | 08:54 PM

We were fortunate to visit Stone Henge in 1988 when you could still walk through the site and not just around it. It was a truly awesome experience. My interest was such that it led me to purchase and read Gerald Hawkins book, "Stonehenge Decoded", which may or may not be accurate but full of enough information to make we glad we had visited the site. It will be of interet to learn, from the current activity, how much of Hawkins work had validity.

Posted by Donald B Thompson on April 3,2008 | 05:22 PM

I was able to visit Stone Henge a few years ago. The weather was perfect....a dark, ominously cloudy day, windy, and cold. The weather conditions lent an air of mystery to the site. I am excited about the new excavation and wish I could be there again. It is a special place to me.

Posted by John Schutz on April 1,2008 | 05:42 PM



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