Stonehenge Archaeological Dig Begins
By HuntTreasure.net on Apr 1, 2008 in Archaelogical Discoveries and Events, Featured, News Accounts, Video Stories
The first archaeological dig in nearly fifty years has started at Stonehenge. British archaeologists are trying to unravel age-old secrets to the ancient stone circle. They believe Stonehenge was built around 2500 BC, but that’s simply an estimation.
The last site excavation of the site occurred in 1964, or 44 years ago. Video of that dig shows the Stonehenge area looking like a construction site. In this latest round, the excavation will last for a two-week period and performed in a more delicate manner. So delicate that visitors are not expected to know archaeologists were ever at the site once the dig is finished.
The goal of the dig? Archaeologists hope to uncover a more exacting date—a range within 25 years— of when Stonehenge was first built.
The dig is concentrated around the smaller and inner bluestone circle, named the “Double Bluestone Circle.” The stones in this part of the structure were the very first to be erected in Stonehenge. As such, anything that can be discovered and dated within the blue stone area can provide evidence to the age of Stonehenge itself.
“The bluestones hold the key to understanding the purpose and meaning of Stonehenge,” said Dr Simon Thurley, the chief executive of English Heritage. “Their arrival marked a turning point in the history of Stonehenge, changing the site from being a fairly standard formative henge with timber structures and occasional use for burial, to the complex stone structure whose remains dominate the site today.”
According to the article, The secret of Stonehenge, written by David Keys,
The bluestones are natural columns of white-spotted dolerite, found only in the Carn Menyn region of the Preseli Hills, in north Pembrokeshire, and it was from there, about 4,500 years ago, that Stonehenge’s neolithic builders brought 80 of the stones the 160-mile journey from south-west Wales to Salisbury Plain. The reasons why they did so, archaeologists argue, hold the key to Stonehenge’s existence.
The following embedded BBC news video offers an excellent look into the latest Stonehenge dig.
Stephanie | Apr 10, 2008 | Reply
I am just as avid as most about knowing approximatly when and why an structure was built. The history behind said structures also.
However, doing a dig around the Stonehenge to find a date of erection within 25 years is pointless. I know there are many questions surronding the Stonehenge and mysteries as well. I believe the time and money would be better served surrounding the ‘mysteries’ of the Stonehenge instead of exactly when it was erected. Personel opinion, leave the Stonehenge be, it will serve its purpose when intented to. Instead use your time and money on the ancients that built it, that is more likey to lead you down the appropriate path.