How Old Is Stonehenge?

Located in Wiltshire in the south of England, Stonehenge is an impressive sight that draws thousands of visitors every year.

It is estimated that Stonehenge was built around 3100 BC, which would give it an approximate age of around 5,000 years, give or take a few hundrend years!

Stonehenge was constructed in three phases, and is made from types of stone known as bluestone, sarson and Welsh sandstone. It is estimated that it took more than thirty million hours of labour to construct Stonehenge.

One of the great fascinations surrounding Stonehenge is what the original purpose was of the construction - in other words, what justified this huge amount of labour and effort? There is speculation that it was to do with astronomy, and others suggest that it was some sort of calendar for a predominantly farming community. Some think that it was also connected with some form of worship, and that sacrfices may have taken place there.

Stonehenge is a multi-period site and there is evidence that the site was used prior to the monument construction. The evidence is that this was already a site with special significance attached to it.

The Bluestones from Preselli were most likely carried there by human labour and not as has been argued as glacial erractics.

The burial of a young man in one of the construction phases led people to believe that he may have been a foundation sacrifice but this can't be proved. The site has associated monuments such as the avenue - possibly a processional way from the site at Avebury, the construction of the avenue is complex.

Here's a time line: sarsen56.wordpress.com