Stonehenge Riverside Project facts for kids

The Stonehenge Riverside Project was a big archaeological study that looked into how the famous Stonehenge area in Britain changed over thousands of years. This project, which ran from 2003 to 2009, explored the relationship between the giant stones of Stonehenge and other ancient sites nearby. These included the River Avon, Durrington Walls, the Cursus, the Avenue, Woodhenge, old burial mounds, and other standing stones.

The project involved a lot of digging and research. One exciting discovery was that Stonehenge was built about 500 years earlier than people first thought! Researchers also believe the monument was built to bring the different groups of people in Britain together. They even found a brand-new stone circle, which they called Bluestonehenge.

Why Study Stonehenge?

The project was led by several expert archaeologists from different universities, including Mike Parker Pearson and Julian Thomas. Their main goal was to test an idea: Was Stonehenge a special place for the dead, while other nearby sites like Woodhenge and Durrington Walls were for the living or those who had recently passed away? They wanted to find out more about how these ancient people lived and honored their ancestors.

Digging Up the Past

People have dug around Stonehenge many times over the years. But in the area around Durrington Walls, there had only been two major studies before this project.

One of the first big digs was between 1926 and 1929. A woman named Maud Cunnington explored around Woodhenge. She found several ancient features from the Stone Age (Neolithic) and Bronze Age. Later, in 1967, when a road was being built through Durrington Walls, workers found two large circles made of timber (wood). They also found many animal bones, pottery, and tools from the Stone Age.

Fieldwork Discoveries

The Stonehenge Riverside Project involved many years of careful fieldwork.

Early Surveys (2003)

In 2003, the team started by surveying the land around Durrington Walls. They used special equipment to look underground without digging. This helped them find two new entranceways to the ancient henge that no one had known about before.

First Big Digs (2004)

The annual excavations began in 2004. Archaeologists dug trenches near the River Avon, right next to Durrington Walls. They also dug at the eastern entrance of the henge. During these digs, they found many items that showed people lived in the area during the Stone Age.

More Excavations (2005)

More digging happened in the summer of 2005. The team explored areas east of Durrington Walls, near the river, and outside the western gate. They did a lot of work inside the walls to uncover the southernmost timber circle that was found in 1967. They also investigated a large fallen stone called the Bulford Stone, about two miles away. The TV show Time Team even visited and helped build a temporary copy of the timber circle nearby!

New Dates (2006)

In 2006, over 20 researchers and 170 students and volunteers worked on the project. They found new information that suggested the main stone phase of Stonehenge was built around the same time as Durrington Walls, between 2640 and 2480 BC.

Exploring More Sites (2007)

In late summer 2007, hundreds of students and volunteers spent four weeks digging. They worked at the western end of the Cursus, around the gates of Durrington Walls, and near Woodhenge. They also explored another fallen stone called the Cuckoo Stone. Special surveys were done across the whole area around Stonehenge. Artists even joined the team to record the discoveries!

Final Digs (2008)

The last four weeks of excavations took place in late summer 2008. This year, the team focused on the Avenue, a path leading to Stonehenge. They also worked on the eastern end of the Stonehenge Cursus and one of the Aubrey Holes inside Stonehenge. The TV shows Time Team, Nova, and National Geographic covered these digs. Artists continued to work with the archaeologists.

In 2008 and 2009, the team also dug up the remains of another henge next to the river, about one mile southeast of Stonehenge. This exciting discovery was called "Bluehenge" or "Bluestonehenge" by the media.

Stonehenge: A Burial Place

The project found that Stonehenge was used as a very large cemetery during the third millennium BC. Archaeologists found 52 cremation burials and many other bone fragments. Many of these burials contained the remains of more than one person. This means between 150 and 240 people might have been buried there during that time.

In 2007, the project teamed up with another group to date the bones. They used radiocarbon dating to figure out exactly when Stonehenge was used for burials. This research showed that the site started as a cremation cemetery early in the third millennium BC.

What We Learned

The Stonehenge Riverside Project concluded that Stonehenge was built to help unite the people of Stone Age Britain. The full results of this amazing research were published in a book in 2012, called Stonehenge, Exploring the Greatest Stone Age Mystery, written by Mike Parker Pearson.