Megaliths In Great Britain Flashcards
megaliths were born during what prehistoric time period?
neolithic
what did megalith construction show?
-labor intensive work
-seen as connections between the dead and living domains
-shifting into new territories over time
Winterbourne Stoke Barrows are what?
-mounds that were cremation burials
when did the excavation occur at Stonehenge? (Salisbury plains)
3600BC- a ditch was made that was 100m deep along with 56 small holes (chalk pits) called Aubrey pits
around 2600BC, what happened during the construction of SH?
transportation of bluestones from Wales
how far were the bluestones from the site of SH?
150kms
how many trilithons were used to construct SH?
15- 5 sets of 2 upright, one cap stone
what was the weight of the sarsens used to build SH?
7-40 tonnes
what type of stone is sarsen?
a sandstone tougher than granite
when did the FIRST stage of SH begin?
5000ya
how many more stones were used at the original site of SH?
60 sarsens; some were used as uprights and capstones
how many burials were found to be at SH?
250
what is significant about the burials at SH?
they were buried with grave goods, and close to the structure.
Stone henge was a symbol of what?
eternity and a liaison between the dead and living domains
what was found in Aubrey pits and what were they actually used for?
cremated remains were found, the theory is they may have been built for astrological reasons or to hold up wooden poles
what is the formal name of the capstones of SH?
lintels
the 2 upright rocks with a lintel on the top are called what?
trilithons
what material belongs to the realm of the dead?
stone
what material belongs to the realm of the living?
wood
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?
-discovered between 1921-1923
- reburied in 1935
-35 lbs of bones
-majority were adult males between the ages of 25-40yrs
what is the most famous discovery around the SH? describe it.
-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.
what river passed between SH and the Durrington walls?
river avon
how far from SH were the Durrington walls?
1 mile
Durrington walls were seen as what?
places of feasting and temporary shelter for the people building stone henge
the 30ft wide path found between the durrington walls and river avon was called what and what was the theory about it?
earthwork avenue
-it was constructed as a roadway to the river, turned out it was natural to the landscape
Durrington walls was what kind of structure?
a timbre circle about the same size as stone henge
during the sunrise of the summer solstice and the sunset of the winter solstice, what structures line up with each?
-sunrise of summer solstice lined up with Stone Henge
-sunset of winter solstice lined up with Durrington walls
during the sunset of the summer solstice and the sunrise of the winter solstice, what structures line up with each
-Durrington walls lined up with the winter solstice
-Stone Henge lined up with the summer solstice
what did the sunset and sunrise positions around stone henge and the Durrington walls tell people?
6 months had passed
describe Bluestone henge
by the Avon river, 25 stones stood in large holes 3m high
when was Bluestone Henge built?
3000BC
what is the theory of Bluestone Henge?
the stones were brought back to stone henge and arranged inside the sarsens
peak of stone henge marked what?
the beginning of copper, gold and bronze moving into Europe
what did the arrival of gold, copper and bronze mean for Europe?
personal wealth and status were incredibly important
how was the stone henge dated by archeologists?
there was a transition between group burials to individual burials, new styles of beaker pottery and metal working (axes made of bronze)
