Stonehenge, located on Salisbury Plain in southern England, has long been associated with the Druids, a group of sages who lived in England more than 2,000 years ago. Even today, on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, there are druidic celebrations at Stonehenge. But are they real designers?
Excavations under the stone have uncovered artefacts such as antlers from the Carboniferous 4,000-year-old. The bodies found nearby were of the same age. This excludes the Druids and the Romans who followed them. This even predates immigrant settlers from Europe. Still primitive people living in the early Bronze Age, known as the Ancient Britons. 15,000 tons of rock were assembled into circles with great precision. Do they have a knack?
Examining the stones, the large boulders came from only 20 miles away and were probably dragged there by the ancient British. But what about the smaller Bluestones? Research shows they were found 200 miles away in south-west Wales. Were they capable of transporting the stones that far across the water? The recent discovery of an ancient ship made of logs and rubble points to the answer. Several of these ships, tied together, were covered with a platform for the delivery of bluestones. Investigators used human power and simple wooden scaffolding to prove they had the technology to build Stonehenge at the time.
The big question that remains is why did they build it? Those who have studied the building say it may have been a place of worship. As it towers over humans, it evokes a sense of being larger than them. The final section examines skeletons from a mass grave found in the area. By testing the enamel, the scientists could determine where the individuals grew up. It was in Wales, the home of the Bluestone band.
