Megaliths In Great Britain

Question 1

megaliths were born during what prehistoric time period?

Answer 1

neolithic

Question 2

what did megalith construction show?

Answer 2

-labor intensive work
-seen as connections between the dead and living domains
-shifting into new territories over time

Question 3

Winterbourne Stoke Barrows are what?

Answer 3

-mounds that were cremation burials

Question 4

when did the excavation occur at Stonehenge? (Salisbury plains)

Answer 4

3600BC- a ditch was made that was 100m deep along with 56 small holes (chalk pits) called Aubrey pits

Question 5

around 2600BC, what happened during the construction of SH?

Answer 5

transportation of bluestones from Wales

Question 6

how far were the bluestones from the site of SH?

Answer 6

150kms

Question 7

how many trilithons were used to construct SH?

Answer 7

15- 5 sets of 2 upright, one cap stone

Question 8

what was the weight of the sarsens used to build SH?

Answer 8

7-40 tonnes

Question 9

what type of stone is sarsen?

Answer 9

a sandstone tougher than granite

Question 10

when did the FIRST stage of SH begin?

Answer 10

5000ya

Question 11

how many more stones were used at the original site of SH?

Answer 11

60 sarsens; some were used as uprights and capstones

Question 12

how many burials were found to be at SH?

Answer 12

250

Question 13

what is significant about the burials at SH?

Answer 13

they were buried with grave goods, and close to the structure.

Question 14

Stone henge was a symbol of what?

Answer 14

eternity and a liaison between the dead and living domains

Question 15

what was found in Aubrey pits and what were they actually used for?

Answer 15

cremated remains were found, the theory is they may have been built for astrological reasons or to hold up wooden poles

Question 16

what is the formal name of the capstones of SH?

Answer 16

lintels

Question 17

the 2 upright rocks with a lintel on the top are called what?

Answer 17

trilithons

Question 18

what material belongs to the realm of the dead?

Answer 18

stone

Question 19

what material belongs to the realm of the living?

Answer 19

wood

Question 20

the remains of 50 a person reburial was found in a burlap sack with a commemorative plaque on top..when were they first dug up, reburied and what do we know about the people?

Answer 20

-discovered between 1921-1923
- reburied in 1935
-35 lbs of bones
-majority were adult males between the ages of 25-40yrs

Question 21

what is the most famous discovery around the SH? describe it.

Answer 21

-Amesbury Archer (got his name bc he was buried with arrows)
-2300BC
-35-45yrs old
-isotopic testing says he’s likely from Switzerland or Germany
- found with gold jewelry, copper knives, flint tools and stone wrist guards.

Question 22

what river passed between SH and the Durrington walls?

Answer 22

river avon

Question 23

how far from SH were the Durrington walls?

Answer 23

1 mile

Question 24

Durrington walls were seen as what?

Answer 24

places of feasting and temporary shelter for the people building stone henge

Question 25

the 30ft wide path found between the durrington walls and river avon was called what and what was the theory about it?

Answer 25

earthwork avenue -it was constructed as a roadway to the river, turned out it was natural to the landscape

Question 26

Durrington walls was what kind of structure?

Answer 26

a timbre circle about the same size as stone henge

Question 27

during the sunrise of the summer solstice and the sunset of the winter solstice, what structures line up with each?

Answer 27

-sunrise of summer solstice lined up with Stone Henge -sunset of winter solstice lined up with Durrington walls

Question 28

during the sunset of the summer solstice and the sunrise of the winter solstice, what structures line up with each

Answer 28

-Durrington walls lined up with the winter solstice -Stone Henge lined up with the summer solstice

Question 29

what did the sunset and sunrise positions around stone henge and the Durrington walls tell people?

Answer 29

6 months had passed

Question 30

describe Bluestone henge

Answer 30

by the Avon river, 25 stones stood in large holes 3m high

Question 31

when was Bluestone Henge built?

Answer 31

3000BC

Question 32

what is the theory of Bluestone Henge?

Answer 32

the stones were brought back to stone henge and arranged inside the sarsens

Question 33

peak of stone henge marked what?

Answer 33

the beginning of copper, gold and bronze moving into Europe

Question 34

what did the arrival of gold, copper and bronze mean for Europe?

Answer 34

personal wealth and status were incredibly important

Question 35

how was the stone henge dated by archeologists?

Answer 35

there was a transition between group burials to individual burials, new styles of beaker pottery and metal working (axes made of bronze)