Abstract

  • Stonehenge is an element of a bigger complicated of historical websites, together with Avebury Henge, which are value exploring and provide beneficial insights into Neolithic historical past.
  • Durrington Partitions, positioned close to Stonehenge, was a big Neolithic settlement and henge enclosure, making it an essential website to go to.
  • Silbury Hill, one of many tallest prehistoric mounds in Europe, is a outstanding characteristic within the Avebury complicated and required important labor to assemble.

Stonehenge is without doubt one of the most well-known Neolithic websites on the planet, and the megalithic standing stones are iconic. Celebrating the solstice at Stonehenge is an iconic time to go to; nevertheless, Stonehenge is a part of a a lot bigger sequence of historical websites (some older and a few from the later Bronze Age). It’s telling that the UNESCO World Heritage itemizing is named “Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites“.

Stonehenge and Avebury Henge make up the two large henge complexes of the realm. Listed here are ten archeological websites in and round Stonehenge to discover.

Associated: From Castles To Roman Ruins: 10 UNESCO Sites To Explore In Britain

10
Stonehenge Itself


Stonehenge at sunset in England
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Stonehenge at sundown in England

Naturally, Stonehenge will all the time be one of many essential attracts to England’s Salisbury Plains. Increasingly more about Stonehenge is being found on a regular basis.

It was constructed over a really lengthy interval of historical past, and its bluestones are literally an older henge that was in Wales but was dismantled and transported to England to be a part of Stonehenge 3 (a later stage of Stonehenge).

  • Age: circa 3,100 to 1,600 BC

9
Durrington Partitions


Reconstruction Illustration of a Neolithic settlement
Olga Pedan / Shutterstock

Reconstruction Illustration of Neolithic settlement

The Durrington Walls are free to visit and they’re positioned solely round two miles from Stonehenge. It’s believed to be the positioning of a giant Neolithic settlement that later grew to become a henge enclosure.

It’s the second largest palisaded identified in Nice Britain from its interval within the Late Neolithic.

  • Age: Circa 2800 to 2100 BC

Associated: Why The Megalithic Standing Stones Of Carnac Is One Of The Best Places To Learn European Prehistory

8
Avebury Henge


Avebury Village and neolithic Stone Circle
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Avebury Village and neolithic Stone Circle

Avebury Henge is one other historical stone henge and boasts the most important megalithic stone circle discovered anyplace. It has three stone circles and is probably as previous and even older than Stonehenge.

Avebury Henge is without doubt one of the greatest Neolithic websites in England to go to however is commonly overshadowed by the extra well-known Stonehenge.

  • Age: Circa 3,000 to 2,400 BC

7
Woodhenge


The Home of Durrington Walls and Woodhenge sign
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The House of Durrington Partitions and Woodhenge signal

Woodhenge was a timber circle monument positioned round 2 miles from Stonehenge. It was made up of six concentric oval rings of potholes. They had been surrounded by a ditch after which an outer financial institution.

On the heart appears to have been a sacrificed youngster. The factors the place the timber portholes had been are marked with fashionable concrete posts.

6
Winterbourne Stoke Barrows


New King barrow near Stonehenge
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New King barrow close to Stonehenge

There are Neolithic and later Bronze Age burials close to Stonehenge, and the most effective are the Winterbourne Stoke Barrows. These historical burials embrace Neolithic lengthy barrows and later Bronze Age burrows.

The Bronze Age spherical barrows embrace disc barrows, bell barrows, pond barrows, and bowl barrows. As with most of those historical websites, they’re free to go to.

  • Age: Late Neolithic & Bronze Age

5
Vespasian’s Camp


Old Sarum Wiltshire England reenactors of the Anglo Saxon and Viking
Combatcamerauk / Shutterstock

Previous Sarum Wiltshire England reenactors of the Anglo Saxon and Viking 

Vespasian’s Camp is an Iron Age hillfort (the British Iron Age was the final interval earlier than the Romans invaded). The title of this website is a misnomer, and there’s no proof that the Roman Emperor Vespasian arrange his camp right here.

It is just 2 miles from Stonehenge and is one in all a number of hill forts within the area that features Previous Sarum to the south.

Associated: Stonehenge? Explore 10 Of The Best Neolithic Stone Circles & Other Ancient Sites

4
Previous Sarum


Aerial view of Old Sarum in England
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Aerial view of Previous Sarum in England

Previous Sarum is a very outstanding Iron Age hillfort. It was as soon as one of many largest of its type, and at its peak, it might have had the most important enclosed settlement in Britain.

It had declined by the point the Romans arrived, and within the Center Ages, a cathedral and chateau had been constructed there. Immediately, guests can see an ideal mixture of Iron Age and Medieval ruins.

  • Age: Iron Age and Medieval

3
Cursus Barrows


Stonehenge from the air with barrows visible
 4kclips / Shutterstock

Stonehenge from the air with barrows seen

The Cursus Barrows are extra prehistoric burials discovered close to Stonehenge. This website has round 18 barrows (though not all the barrows are seen as we speak), and they’re even simply seen to the north as guests stroll to Stonehenge from the Stonehenge Customer Centre.

  • Age: Neolithic and Bronze Age

Associated: The Skara Brae Prehistoric Village Is Home To Another One Of Britain’s Neolithic Stonehenge Sites

2
West Kennet Lengthy Barrow


Belas Knap Neolithic Long Barrow Aerial Photo
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Belas Knap Neolithic Lengthy Barrow Aerial Picture

The West Kennet Lengthy Barrow is near the Avebury Henge and is a chambered lengthy barrow (burial) probably courting from the Early Neolithic. Immediately, it has been partially reconstructed and is among the many oldest monuments to find within the area.

It’s not identified precisely when it was constructed, but it surely appears the oldest human stays there are from round 3670 BC.

1
Silbury Hill


Silbury hill, near Avebury, Wiltshire, England
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Silbury hill, close to Avebury, Wiltshire, England

Silbury Hill is tough to overlook. It is without doubt one of the tallest prehistoric synthetic mounds in Europe and one of many largest on the planet (visitors might call the mounds of Cahokia to mind).

It’s round 40 meters or 129 ft excessive and is without doubt one of the Neolithic monuments discovered within the larger Avebury complicated. Researchers recommend it will have taken over 18 million labor hours and to construct and moved the 324,000 cubic yards of earth.

  • Age: Circa 2400 to 2300 BC



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