Longstones
The Longstones are two menhirs ( English standing stones ), one of which is the remains of a prehistoric cove . The stones known as "Adam and Eve" are understood to be a pair of stones, even though the other was part of Beckhampton Avenue connected to Avebury . The Longstones are north of Beckhampton in Wiltshire in England .
William Stukeley (1687–1765) took the formation in the 18th century when it was only partially destroyed and suggested that it be expanded, although later archaeological excavations and geophysical studies did not confirm his assumptions. Stukeley's 1743 drawing shows the course of Beckhampton Avenue as he saw it. At the time Stukeley made his plans, 33 stones (all lying down except three), some in pairs, of possibly 200 were still preserved. Apart from the longstones, nothing has been left since the end of the 18th century. Because of the almost total destruction of the avenue, archaeologists doubted its existence. Excavations around the Longstones have not only located the standing holes of the missing avenue stones , but even sarsen stones that were overturned and probably buried during the destruction in the 14th century, which also affected Avebury. Stukeley has confirmed the rediscovery of the avenue, although the exact course and extension of the avenue are still unclear.
Adam, with an estimated weight of 62 tons, is the larger of the two stones. It overturned in 1911 and was raised again in 1912. Together with three other stones it forms a four-sided cove. In 2000, excavations revealed the base holes for the stones placed close to Adam. The bay was open on its south-eastern side, facing the nearby South Street caravan, 130 meters away. The other stones were destroyed by a local landowner. Maud Cunnington (1869–1951) found a cremation of a middle-aged man of the bell-cup culture near the stone . In 1933 the stones were placed under protection as an ancient monument.
According to the antiquarian listing of this site, two stones have been removed from this avenue and placed opposite the cemetery, while others have been incorporated into the bridge over Winterbourne.
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Coordinates: 51 ° 25 '22 " N , 1 ° 52' 24" W.