Bluehenge
Bluehenge (also Bluestonehenge ) is a henge monument in the county of Wiltshire . The plant near Amesbury was named "Bluehenge" because it consisted of 27 bluestone (dolerite) which, like some stones in Stonehenge, 1.5 km away, are said to come from the Preseli Mountains in south-west Wales . Of the stone circle with a diameter of 10 m, only the holes in which the stones once stood are left. Fragments of bluestone were found in the holes.
Research history
As part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project , the remains of a stone circle were discovered here in the summer of 2009 by experts led by Michael Parker Pearson from the University of Sheffield .
construction
In contrast to Stonehenge, which is oriented towards the sun , there were no signs of a particular orientation or entrance in Bluehenge. The stones were surrounded by a wall with an external moat. The facility is located at the end of "Stonehenge Avenue", which connected Stonehenge with the Avon River .
Dating
Wall and moat were dated to around 2400 BC. Dated. Arrowheads and pickaxes made from deer antlers that the archaeologists found in the holes suggest that the stone circle could be 500 years older. The age of the antler remains will be determined by further examinations with the help of radiocarbon dating .
interpretation
The facility is said to have been built 5000 years ago, around the same time as Stonehenge. There is evidence that the stones in the bluehenge were quarried and transported to Stonehenge.
There are no finds such as ceramics, animal bones, leftover food and tools made of flint as signs of a use as a settlement site. The holes the stones left were filled with charcoal , an indication of cremation , according to Parker Pearson . Bluehenge may have been a stop on the way downstream from the settlement of Durrington Walls , the "realm of the living", via Woodhenge into the "realm of the dead" marked by the stone circles. Accordingly, the Neolithic people burned their dead in Bluehenge and then brought the ashes to their final resting place at Stonehenge. More detailed research results were published in the January / February 2010 issue of British archeology magazine . The remains of antlers found on the ramp of one of the stone pits could be traced back to 2469–2286 BC. To be dated. It was thrown away after the stone was removed. It is unknown if the antler pick was used to remove the stone or if it was used a little later to dig a shallow trench in the top of the circle. However, this radiocarbon dating has shown that a stone, and likely the entire circle, was removed around or before this point.
Web links
- Bluestonehenge Technical Details (Engl.)
- David Derbyshire: Bluehenge unearthed: Prehistoric site that could be famous stone circle's little sister Daily Mail , with an overview map
Individual evidence
- ^ Dpa (October 4, 2009) "Bluehenge" in southern England n-tv
- ↑ a b c d e f Shemina Davis (October 5, 2009) Archaeologist at University finds "Bluestonehenge" site Media Center, University of Sheffield (accessed October 8, 2009)
- ↑ a b c James Owen (October 5, 2009) Mini-Stonehenge Found: Crematorium on Stonehenge Road? National Geographic (accessed October 8, 2009)
- ↑ (October 3, 2009) Mini-Stonehenge find "important" BBC (accessed October 8, 2009)
- ↑ a b c Lisa Leander (October 7, 2009) Stonehenge's little brother epoc (accessed October 8, 2009)
- ↑ a b Newhenge ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , British Archeology 110, January / February 2010, ISSN 1357-4442 , accessed December 25, 2011
Coordinates: 51 ° 10 ′ 16 ″ N , 1 ° 47 ′ 55 ″ W.