Broome Stone Circle facts for kids
Broome Stone Circle was an ancient stone circle in Wiltshire, a county in England. A stone circle is a special type of monument made from large stones placed in a circular shape. People built these circles across Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Late Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Early Bronze Age. This was a very long time ago, between 3300 and 900 BCE.
We don't know exactly why these stone circles were built. Experts think they might have been important places for ceremonies. Some archaeologists believe the stones represented powerful spirits or gods to the people who built them.
The Broome Stone Circle was visited and studied by early historians called antiquarians. One famous antiquarian was John Aubrey. Sadly, in the mid-1800s, the stones were broken up. They were used to build roads. Today, nothing is left of the Broome Stone Circle.
What Are Stone Circles?
During the Neolithic period, people in Britain started building different kinds of monuments. Around 3000 BCE, they stopped building older types like long barrows (long burial mounds). Instead, they began making circular monuments. These included earthen henges, timber circles (circles made of wood), and stone circles.
Stone circles are found in many parts of Britain where there was enough stone. They are especially common in south-western Britain. People built these circles for a very long time, possibly for 2,400 years. The main period of building was between 3000 and 1300 BCE.
Archaeologists have found that these stone circles often show little sign of human activity after they were built. This suggests they might not have been used for everyday rituals. Instead, they might have been quiet, special places. Some experts, like archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson, think stone was linked to the dead in Neolithic Britain. Wood, on the other hand, might have been linked to the living. Other archaeologists believe the stones might have represented gods or other powerful beings.
In the area of modern Wiltshire, many stone circles were built. The most famous ones are Avebury and Stonehenge. Most other circles in Wiltshire are now ruined or have been destroyed. Experts often have only old descriptions and vague ideas of where they once stood. Many of Wiltshire's stone circles were built in low-lying areas.
The Broome Stone Circle's Story
The Broome Stone Circle was located about one mile north of another ancient site, the Fir Clump Stone Circle.
The antiquarian John Aubrey visited the Broome site a long time ago. He wrote about seeing "a great stone 10 foot high (or better) standing upright." He thought this stone was what was left of an ancient temple. He also noted that there were many other stones "in a right line" on the ground.
Sadly, the Broome Stone Circle was destroyed in the mid-1800s. Someone bought the largest stone, known as the Longstone. They had it broken into pieces. These pieces were then used as material to build streets in Cricklade. Cricklade is a town about 8 miles north-west of where the stone circle once stood.
