Stonehenge

Brief Overview

Stonehenge has been viewed for centuries as one of Britain's most influential and impactful monuments. As the center or basis of the World Heritage Site, it contains a vast amount of history and attracts more than 800,000 tourists every year. While it is believed that the start of Stonehenge began 5,000 years ago, modern day Stonehenge is a compilation of multiple constructions and many years of work. While it started out small, Stonehenge has grown substantially and it now a compilation of multiple stone types and formations, including sarens and bluestones. Over the years there has been some decay along with the growth, causing previously famous attributes to fall completely. It is thought that Neolithic Britons began the construction of Stonehenge and it carried out through generations, with different beliefs and thoughts arising along the way. This landmark lies in a concentric, circular pattern, with ditches surrounding the stones. These patterns are what have led people, specifically pseduoarchaeologists, to believe that a greater being created stonehenge.

Artifacts

There are many ideas about how Stonehenge came about and about who influenced it, but there are also many different ideas about what lies at the site. There have been stone tools found that lead to talk about how it was built, there are thoughts that aliens sent the stones down, and there is also talk about treasure being buried underneath the site. What is the truth?

Excavation

The first evidential excavation dates back to the 17th century. King James hired an architect to analyze and study the site. This lead to the argument or idea that Stonehenge was built by Romans. Moving into the 18th century, a man named William Stukeley claimed that Stonehenge was a Druid monument. Throughout the years, many excavations have taken place, leading to new discoveries such as burials, found artifacts of lifestyle and culture, and much more.

Pseudoarchaeology

While it is said to believe that Stonehenge is thousands of years old, there is evidence that it is much younger than we are told to believe. Also, the artifacts that we are supposed to find near Stonehenge, that hints at life existing at the site, are never really found. If they are, they were most likely placed there as false evidence.

Resources

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history/description/#

http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/stonehenge

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-lies-beneath-Stonehenge-180952437/

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history/research/

http://pseudoarchaeology.leadr.msu.edu/mysteryhill/psuedoarchaeology-behind-the-site/