Britain’s most exciting archaeological discoveries and finds from the Neolithic period were made in the areas of Durrington Walls, Woodhenge and Winterbourne Stoke cemetery. This is what made these archaeological sites so popular and famous all over the world. Not every country is a proud owner of such amazing, mysterious and rare places.
Durrington Walls are also well known as the world’s biggest hedge. Its diameter is approximately five hundred metres. The archaeologists discovered that the monument originally was designed with four entrances, but these days three of them are not visible. The first research of Durrington Walls was conducted in 1967, and it has discovered a smaller circle made of timber. In 2006 some parts of the circle were excavated (Durrington Walls, par. 6). The scientists found out the walls were built in 2500 BC, this is why these days so little of this site can be seen (Neolithic Henge, par. 1). Today the archaeologists suggest that in the past the territory now occupied by the walls belonged to a settlement because of the multiple fragments of cattle bones found in that area (Pearson, par. 6)
Woodhenge is interesting because it is basically a version of Stonehenge; the difference is that it is made of wood. The diameter of the henge is around eighty-five metres. The concentric rings of Woodhenge were first found in 1926 (Pitts, par. 15). The researchers were sure that Woodhenge was an amazing find, yet soon doubts appeared, there were versions that Woodhenge could be nothing more than a simple wooden fence. The archaeological team examined the site and discovered many similarities between the famous Stonehenge and Woodhenge – the entrances of the wooden circle are aligned in the way that would allow the sun rays to enter the centre of the ring during the summer solstice (Rees and Petre, par. 1). The difference is that the henge consists of several rings situated one inside of another.
The building is dated from 2300 BC; nowadays, it is believed to be a religious ritual place. There are proofs that the circle was used by somebody in 1800 BC. There is a version that the place also carried defence functions (Woodhenge, par. 4). The archaeological excavations in that area showed that the place was used by some settlers even before the ring was built there (Neolithic/Bronze Age Henge and Timber Circle, par. 2).
The Stoke cemetery is another very famous archaeological site. The monument is compiled of nineteen earthworks of circular shape. They are called round barrows. (Winterbourne Stoke Crossroads Barrow Cemetery, par 1). This site started to be researched many decades ago. The excavations made in 1863 found the burial at the north-east that was called primary burial, and then several other burials were uncovered, they are called secondary. They are dated from the Bronze Age (Neolithic/Bronze Age Barrow Cemetery, par. 2).
Finding discovered in the area of the Winterbourne Stoke group are various. The archaeologists unearthed urns, food vessels, bronze weapon, pebbles, whetstones, remains of animals, fragments of bones, wooden coffins. Every round barrow was created to include only one burial. Obviously, these members of the ancient society were privileged somehow (Winterbourne Stoke – Barrow Cemetery in England in Wiltshire, par. 4).
All of the sites have been researched many times by many groups of archaeologists, and the scientific opinions and interpretations of the meanings of these sites were changed several times.
Works Cited
Durrington Walls, Stonehenge Tours. 2013. Web.
Neolithic/Bronze Age Barrow Cemetery, Stone Circles. n. d. Web.
Neolithic/Bronze Age Henge and Timber Circle, Stone Circles. n. d. Web.
Neolithic Henge, Stone Circles, n. d. Web.
Pearson, Mark Parker. Stonehenge Riverside Project: New Approaches to Durrington Walls, 2014. Web.
Pitts, Mike. The Henge Builders. 2008. Web.
Rees, Alun, Petre, Jonathan. DailyMail. 2010. Web.
Winterbourne Stoke – Barrow Cemetery in England in Wiltshire, The Megalithic Portal. 2001, Web.
Witerbourne Stoke Crossroads Barrow Cemetery, PastScape. n. d. Web.
Woodhenge, English Heritage. n. d. Web.