Amesbury
Coordinates: 51 ° 11 ′ N , 1 ° 47 ′ W
Amesbury is a town in Wiltshire , England , about eight miles north of Salisbury near Stonehenge . The city of Amesbury was founded in 979 AD. However, the place was settled earlier, as a monastery already existed in its place . Today the city belongs to the Wiltshire Unitary Authority . To the southeast of the village is the Boscombe Down military airfield .
The place is referred to as "Ambersbury" on maps from the 17th century. Today it is believed that it was named after Ambrosius Aurelianus , the leader of the Roman-British resistance against the invasion of the Saxons in the 5th century. Amesbury is also associated with the Arthurian legend: the monastery to which Guinevere retreated is said to have been in Amesbury.
About one and a half kilometers west of the city is a hill fortress from the Iron Age that is overgrown and hidden by bushes. This is known in the region as Vespasian's camp (named after the Roman general and later emperor who is said to have worked in this part of the island). The site has never been excavated.
In 2002 the most magnificent Copper Age burial site in the British Isles was discovered in Amesbury . The remains of two men of obviously high standing were buried in two places along with over 100 grave goods such as arrowheads, copper daggers and gold earrings. The body in the lavishly furnished grave of both became known as the Amesbury Archer (" Archer of Amesbury ").
On the Adelsgut Blick Mead near the town there is a pond in which the algae Hildebrandia rivularis is found. This turns pink when air-dried. The archaeologist David Jacques discovered many flints in the pond sediment and slate stones that did not occur in the area , which must have been deliberately deposited there. He concludes that the Neolithic people were fascinated by the color of the algae and sees a connection with the meaning of Stonehenge.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bild der Wissenschaft 10/2015, p. 56: Dirk Husemann - The treasure of Stonehenge
Web links
- Amesbury Town Council official website
- Wessex Archeology (English)