This article is a part of our guide dedicated to the beautiful places you can visit while you’re in Salisbury, England. We suppose that one of the reasons why you decided to vacation there was to visit the prehistoric monument Stonehenge, which continues to captivate tourists and historians alike. Afterall, the site is visited by nearly 1 million people every year!
Stonehenge is still being explored and new theories regarding its nature continue to emerge. We aim to give you a holistic picture of the enigmatic monument, which will hopefully help you understand it better before you even get there. We’ll also tell you how to reach the monument from the town of Salisbury, and how to get a ticket to visit it.
Building Stonehenge
Historians estimate that the site was constructed in several stages. The first stage is said to have started around 3100 BC, while the second one began approximately a century later (3000 BC), and the third one likely started around 2000 BC and ended in 1600 BC. This means that the monument you see now took more than 1,500 years to be built!
The first builders were the Neolithic Britons. They used simple tools such as deer antlers to dig a big circular ditch and bank, measuring 110 metres in diameter. The first builders put bones of deer and oxen in the bottom along with some tools.
The ditch was surrounded by 56 pits, which are known as the Aubrey holes – named after John Aubrey who identified them in the 17th century. Cremated human remains were found inside the holes, suggesting the timber posts and/or bluestones served as grave markers.
The second building stage is the most mysterious one. There’s no evidence of construction, although new holes appeared then, which also held cremated human remains. The human remains found in both types of holes date back to the second stage, making Stonehenge the first burial site on the island to contain cremated remains.
The third stage gave us the now iconic three-pieced structures (trilithons) in the centre of Stonehenge. Apart from them, another set of bluestones and sarsen stones were put on the site. They were arranged in the shape of a circle or crescent. Their number was originally close to 80, although only 43 can be traced back today.
There are many theories that attempt to explain how the ancient builders transported the massive stones to the site. One theory claims the stones were transported on rafts from the land around Bristol, but new research suggests the stones originated in a quarry in Preseli Hills, Wales, from which they were transported by land.
Historians and archaeologists are also trying to explain how the Neolithic builders managed to move the stones. Both theories suggest the builders used sledges and/or rollers to do that, but even these simple methods seem too complex for the era they occurred in.
What was Stonehenge used for
But why did the builders move the stones at all? What’s special about the Salisbury Plain? The most popular explanation is that the local elite wanted to bury their dead relatives there, and they erected monuments to commemorate them. Other theories suggest that the bluestones in Stonehenge had healing properties, which is why builders moved them over long distances. This would explain why archaeologists found that ancient people chipped away from the bluestones.
Another theory claims Stonehenge was built for religious purposes. This theory is supported by people who believe Celtic druids either built the monument or performed rites there. There’s evidence of animal sacrifice, while the stones were placed in a way to face both the summer and winter solstice, both of which suggest that religious rituals were performed. Some English and Welsh myths even claim that Stonehenge was built by giants and placed in its current location by the wizard Merlin.
The careful placement of the stones also supports the theory that Stonehenge was an ancient celestial observatory.Another interesting theory looks at the acoustics of Stonehenge. An archaeologist claims that Stonehenge was built in response to a peculiar sound illusion witnessed by the ancient Britons. There are apparently blind spots in the area, which are enhanced by the stones’ placement. If two pipers were to play there, sometimes ‘the sound waves produced by each player would cancel each other out.
More outlandish theories claim Stonehenge was built by aliens, much like the pyramids in Egypt. Since scientists are still trying to figure out how ancient Britons could create such a monument, conspiracy theorists are filling in the gaps by pinning the monument to intelligent beings from outer space.
Going to Stonehenge
You need to buy a ticket to visit Stonehenge, and you can either get one at the site or buy one online. We suggest checking out online options first as you might get a better deal for your money, along with other perks such as a tour and a parking spot if you go there by car. You can also be able to buy a mixed ticket – one that combines Stonehenge with another local attraction.
Stonehenge is 9-10 miles away from Salisbury, and you can easily get there by car. There’s currently no public transport from the town to the monument, but you can always hop on one of the many tour buses that go to Stonehenge, along with other tourist attractions in the area. You can visit Stonehenge any time of the year, but we recommend you go there during the summer solstice (20th or 21st June) or winter solstice (20th or 21st December) to experience the magic of ancient spiritualism. However, beware that these dates are the most popular with tourists, so you should get tickets in advance.
