Byron's Geography Assignment
WHS Name: Stonehenge Conservation status: Natural WHS Country Name: England Continent: Europe Latitude: 51.1789° N Longitude: 1.8262° W
STONEHENGE LOCATION ON WORLD MAP: YELLOW DOT
Description:
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. It is 3 kilometers west of Amesbury and 13 kilometers north of Salisbury. Stonehenge was made in the Bronze and Neolithic age. Archaeologists believe it was constructed between 2000 and 3000 BC/BCE and the first bluestones (in this case, dolerite) were raised in 2200 to 2400 BC/BCE. Even though we know when it was constructed, we don’t know who made. Probably the most common belief is that the druids (the high priests of the Celts) built it. Nothing has been proved yet though, which makes it one of the greatest mysteries ever.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. It is 3 kilometers west of Amesbury and 13 kilometers north of Salisbury. Stonehenge was made in the Bronze and Neolithic age. Archaeologists believe it was constructed between 2000 and 3000 BC/BCE and the first bluestones (in this case, dolerite) were raised in 2200 to 2400 BC/BCE. Even though we know when it was constructed, we don’t know who made. Probably the most common belief is that the druids (the high priests of the Celts) built it. Nothing has been proved yet though, which makes it one of the greatest mysteries ever.
Significance:
Stonehenge is the most known ancient rock circle (there are thousands of them). This might be because the creators of it were great at math, because during the summer solstice the sun shines directly through the entrance. Or perhaps it’s so well-known because of all the mystery surrounding it, as said in the description no one knows who built it, but no one knows why it was built either. Some people speculate that it was an ancient burial site. Others think it was a place for healing. Other people believe it was built as a celestial observatory. And then there are the people that think it was just some sort of team building exercise. Another reason it could be so well known is because of the massive 22.6 ton stones that were dragged 32 kilometers from Marlborough Downs, and the smaller 2.7 to 4.5 ton bluestones, that were dragged 257 kilometers from the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire in wales.
Stonehenge is the most known ancient rock circle (there are thousands of them). This might be because the creators of it were great at math, because during the summer solstice the sun shines directly through the entrance. Or perhaps it’s so well-known because of all the mystery surrounding it, as said in the description no one knows who built it, but no one knows why it was built either. Some people speculate that it was an ancient burial site. Others think it was a place for healing. Other people believe it was built as a celestial observatory. And then there are the people that think it was just some sort of team building exercise. Another reason it could be so well known is because of the massive 22.6 ton stones that were dragged 32 kilometers from Marlborough Downs, and the smaller 2.7 to 4.5 ton bluestones, that were dragged 257 kilometers from the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire in wales.
Five Facts:
A place has to fit certain criteria to be a world heritage site; the categories Stonehenge fits into are i (1) ‘to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;’ ii (2) ‘to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design’ and iii (3) ‘to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared’. Human bones have been found buried underneath Stonehenge. The rough 4.9 meter above ground stone that lies north east of the rock circle that we know as Stonehenge, has three different names, Heel Stone, Friar’s Heel, or Sun-Stone. Stonehenge had 7 different owners between 1540 and 1928. In December 2013, Stonehenge’s new visitor centre was complete.
A place has to fit certain criteria to be a world heritage site; the categories Stonehenge fits into are i (1) ‘to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;’ ii (2) ‘to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design’ and iii (3) ‘to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared’. Human bones have been found buried underneath Stonehenge. The rough 4.9 meter above ground stone that lies north east of the rock circle that we know as Stonehenge, has three different names, Heel Stone, Friar’s Heel, or Sun-Stone. Stonehenge had 7 different owners between 1540 and 1928. In December 2013, Stonehenge’s new visitor centre was complete.
Important Travel Information:
The main thing to do at Stonehenge is obviously to visit the stone circle itself, but there’s more than just that. To get there you can catch a train to Salisbury, and then take the Stonehenge tour bus. You could also catch a bus from London or Bath. It’s about 2 and a half hours from London and about 1 hour from Bath. It is strongly recommended that you buy your tickets online, as a spot might not be available on the day. Make sure you print out your confirmation and take it with you, also make sure you check your ticket time. Once you’re there, there are plenty of things to do, of course you could visit Stonehenge itself which would cost you £15.50 (29.77 AUD) for an adult, £9.30 (17.86 AUD) for a child and £40.30 (77.40 AUD) for a family. If you would like to do an audio tour it will cost you £3.00, or you can download a free audio tour app, available on the google play store and apple app store. You can also play around with an interactive map of Stonehenge and the surrounding area before Stonehenge was built. You could also look at Stonehenge through the ages with some impressive interactive reconstruction images. If you go to Stonehenge this is something you can’t miss out on, and it is to go on an interactive virtual tour. It gives you an unbeatable 360° view from inside the monument. Once you’re at the visitor centre you can collect a leaflet and an audio tour, if you want, and then you can walk, or catch the free shuttle bus to Stonehenge. You won’t need to worry about food and drink, they have a café there with these things. Lastly, if you are a dog owner, your dog is welcome outside the visitor centre or the surrounding fields, but you can’t take your dog into Stonehenge, or the field that it sits on, also water for dogs is available on request.
The main thing to do at Stonehenge is obviously to visit the stone circle itself, but there’s more than just that. To get there you can catch a train to Salisbury, and then take the Stonehenge tour bus. You could also catch a bus from London or Bath. It’s about 2 and a half hours from London and about 1 hour from Bath. It is strongly recommended that you buy your tickets online, as a spot might not be available on the day. Make sure you print out your confirmation and take it with you, also make sure you check your ticket time. Once you’re there, there are plenty of things to do, of course you could visit Stonehenge itself which would cost you £15.50 (29.77 AUD) for an adult, £9.30 (17.86 AUD) for a child and £40.30 (77.40 AUD) for a family. If you would like to do an audio tour it will cost you £3.00, or you can download a free audio tour app, available on the google play store and apple app store. You can also play around with an interactive map of Stonehenge and the surrounding area before Stonehenge was built. You could also look at Stonehenge through the ages with some impressive interactive reconstruction images. If you go to Stonehenge this is something you can’t miss out on, and it is to go on an interactive virtual tour. It gives you an unbeatable 360° view from inside the monument. Once you’re at the visitor centre you can collect a leaflet and an audio tour, if you want, and then you can walk, or catch the free shuttle bus to Stonehenge. You won’t need to worry about food and drink, they have a café there with these things. Lastly, if you are a dog owner, your dog is welcome outside the visitor centre or the surrounding fields, but you can’t take your dog into Stonehenge, or the field that it sits on, also water for dogs is available on request.
Bibliography:
all information from www.english-heritage.org.uk, http://www.livescience.com, whc.unesco.org, en.wikipedia.org, and bubblefacts… World Wonders. Video made by FatGalaxy and edited by Byron Panos. Video converted to virtual reality with SBS 3D Player, and recorded with Mobizen.
all information from www.english-heritage.org.uk, http://www.livescience.com, whc.unesco.org, en.wikipedia.org, and bubblefacts… World Wonders. Video made by FatGalaxy and edited by Byron Panos. Video converted to virtual reality with SBS 3D Player, and recorded with Mobizen.