The Stonehenge Research Paper

The Stonehenge original purpose may never be truly known but even so, archaeologists have thought up of theories to why this monument was erected. The most influential theories explain that the monument may have been to keep track of the movement of the sun, as a cemetery for the elite, a healing place, or a team building exercise.
The Stonehenge is located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It is believed that construction started around 3000 B.C., in the Neolithic Period, and lasted through 1500 B.C., in the Bronze Age. One theory states that the people that lived in that area at the time had started to rely more on farming. With that in mind, the monument was built as a way to track the movement of the sun and moon and mark the changing …show more content…
This theory was a result of an excavation that found over 50,000 cremated bone fragments, representing 63 separate individuals equal in proportions between men, women and children. According to Mike Parker Pearson, these burials started around 3000 B.C. and the very first stones were brought from Wales to mark the graves. It is believed that a mace head and a bowl, possibly to burn incense, was found which suggest that the people in the graves may have been religious or of political power. In addition, just over a mile away there is a secondary monument called the Bluesonehenge, for the 25 Welsh bluestones, that is believed to have been in combination with the Stonehenge to be a very big memorial complex to honor the elite dead. As can be seen, this is another prevailing theory still being …show more content…
As a result of that observation, it is also believed that Stonehenge monument was a healing place. Wainwright and Darvill believe that the smaller bluestones in the center of the horseshoe are the most important part to the monument. It has been reported that fragments of the bluestones had been chipped away by ancient pilgrims and used for healing purposes. It is believed that the bluestones hold the key to understanding why this monument was erected because these stones were transported around 155 miles from Preseli Hills in Wales to Wiltshire in southern England using Stone Age technology. Additionally, another theory exists that interprets the building of the Stonehenge as a team building exercise. Evidence exists that unity between the Neolithic people in Britain was increasing and consequently, the Stonehenge was built to memorialize it. It is also believed that the British megaliths wanted to commemorate the peace and unity of the time. Researchers believe that because of the size and weight of the stones used it would have taken thousands of laborers thus; working on such a huge collective project would have brought the people