Bluehenge

Bluestonehenge digital reconstruction – oval configuration

Bluestonehenge or Bluehenge (also known as West Amesbury Henge) is a prehistoric henge and stone circle monument. It was discovered by the Stonehenge Riverside Project about 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

Original monument

Originally, there may have been as many as 27 stones in a circle 33 feet (10 m) wide. The stone circle settings were surrounded by a henge, comprising an 82-foot-wide (25 m) ditch and outer bank which appears to date from approximately 2400 BC.

There are no pictures of Bluehenge, because the only parts of it that still exist are underground. The ditch and a series of stone settings still exist, but they are not visible above ground.

Excavation

The site was excavated in August 2008 and again in August 2009. It is considered an important find by archaeologists.

Excavation revealed two flint chisel arrowheads in a style commonly used between 3400-2500 BC. The stones were put up during that period.

Bluestones

The name "Bluestonehenge" is from the small stone chips found in some of the stone settings. These bluestones are also found in Stonehenge and consist of a wide range of rock types originally from Pembrokeshire, West Wales, some 150 miles (240 km) away. Archaeologists think any bluestones in the circle may have been removed around 2500 BC and used at Stonehenge, which had a major rebuilding at about that time.

Bluehenge Media

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  The River Avon near the site of Bluestonehenge

References