Unlocking Stonehenge's secrets

Unlocking Stonehenge's secrets
By Emma Parkins - BBC Timewatch - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7322753.stm


Stonehenge is a British wonder of the ancient world - it's also as familiar a part of our landscape as the White Cliffs of Dover.

It's such an iconic sight, we tend to forget that two fundamental questions remain - when was it built and what was it for?

For hundreds of years, these questions have intrigued and frustrated antiquarians and visitors alike.

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On Monday, the first excavation to take place at Stonehenge in nearly half a century will start.

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Is Stonehenge Roman?
http://www.archaeology.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1595&Itemid=26


After a gap of some forty four years, Stonehenge is once again being excavated. Admittedly, this time it is only a very small hole, and is only being dug for a fortnight, but it is a very important hole, and on April the 9th, we were invited down to Stonehenge to inspect it....
It must be said that it is a very small trench.

..... The excavations ... are being funded by the BBC TimeWatch programme, they are being carried out with the maximum publicity.

.... the most surprising discoveries so far have been Roman. In a small pit containing a small bluestone ... they found a Roman coin. Even more alarming, was the excavation of the large pit in the centre of the excavation, where right near the bottom they found a very small piece of what was indubitably Roman pottery .... their small trench looked like an urban excavation, there were so many intercutting pits. ....

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Unravelling the Mysteries of Stonehenge
http://www.archaeology.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1598&Itemid=26


Theories about the date and purpose of Stonehenge are to be tested through the first excavations to be permitted inside the stone circle since 1964. ... completed on 11 April 2008.

The aim of the excavation is to find out precisely when the Double Bluestone Circle, the first stone structure on the site, was built; how long it was in use, and when it was dismantled and reused ....

Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: 'The bluestones hold the key to understanding the purpose and meaning of Stonehenge. Their arrival marked a turning point in the history of Stonehenge ....

The new trench, measuring 3.5m by 2.5m, is in the south-eastern quadrant of the Double Stone Circle to investigate the 'Stonehenge Layer', a significant and varied layer of debris and stone chippings spreading across the whole extent of the stone circle .....

:) I've always been interested in Stonehenge, even more so since I actually got to go inside the stone circle back in 2003 as part of a summer archaeology class at the University of Cambridge. Of course we didn't do any excavating, but it was awesome to be there inside it and touch the stones. :) Thanks for sharing this article! :hi: