Woodhenge
Encyclopedia
Woodhenge is a Neolithic
Class I henge
and timber circle
monument located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site
in Wiltshire
, England. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Stonehenge
in the parish
of Durrington
, just north of Amesbury
.
survey by Alexander Keiller
and OGS Crawford. Crawford credits the discovery to an aerial photograph taken by Squadron Leader
Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall
, VC
, in 1925. Maud Cunnington
excavated the site between 1926 and 1929.
style of the middle Neolithic, although later Beaker sherd
s were also found. So, the structure was probably built during the period of cultural similarities commonly known as the Beaker. The Beaker culture
spans both the Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age
and includes both the distinctive "bell-beaker" type ceramic vessels for which the cultural grouping is known as well as other local styles of pottery from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age
.
s, then by a single ditch and finally an outer bank, around 85 metres (278.9 ft) wide.
The burial was of a child which Cunnington interpreted as a dedicatory sacrifice. Unfortunately after excavation the body was destroyed in London during The Blitz
and re-examination has not been possible. Cunnington also found a skeleton of a teenager in one of the ditch sections she dug.
Most of the 168 post holes held wooden posts, although Cunnington found evidence that a pair of standing stones may have been placed between the second and third post hole rings. Recent excavations (2006) have indicated that there were, in fact, several standing stones on the site, arranged in a "cove". The deepest post holes measured up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) and the height of the timber posts they held has been estimated at up to 7.5 metres (24.6 ft) above the ground. The posts would have weighed up to 5 tons and the arrangement was similar to that of the bluestone
s at Stonehenge
. The positions of the postholes are currently marked with modern concrete posts which are a simple and informative method of displaying the site.
Further comparisons with Stonehenge were quickly noticed by Cunnington; both have entrances oriented approximately on the midsummer sunrise and the diameters of the timber circles at Woodhenge and the stone circles at Stonehenge are similar making the reasons for the name more understandable.
henge.
There are various theories about possible timber structures that might have stood on and about the site, in that they may have been aligned with positions of the Sun on the horizon. For many years work on the study of Stonehenge
had overshadowed any real breakthroughs in the understanding of Woodhenge. Recent ongoing investigations as part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project
are now starting to cast new light on the site.
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
Class I henge
Henge
There are three related types of Neolithic earthwork which are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three types is that they feature a ring bank and ditch but with the ditch inside the bank rather than outside...
and timber circle
Timber circle
In archaeology, timber circles are circular arrangements of wooden posts interpreted as being either complexes of freestanding totem poles or as the supports for large circular buildings-British Isles:...
monument located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Wiltshire, England. The WHS covers two large areas of land separated by nearly , rather than a specific monument or building. The sites were inscribed as co-listings in 1986....
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
in the parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Durrington
Durrington, Wiltshire
Durrington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is in the east of Salisbury Plain, about north of Salisbury, south of Swindon and northeast of Stonehenge...
, just north of Amesbury
Amesbury
Amesbury is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is most famous for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is in its parish, and for the discovery of the Amesbury Archer—dubbed the King of Stonehenge in the press—in 2002...
.
Discovery
hi mum wats up Woodhenge was identified in 1925 after an aerial archaeologyAerial archaeology
Aerial archaeology is the study of archaeological remains by examining them from altitude.The advantages of gaining a good aerial view of the ground had been long appreciated by archaeologists as a high viewpoint permits a better appreciation of fine details and their relationships within the wider...
survey by Alexander Keiller
Alexander Keiller
Alexander Keiller was an archaeologist and businessman who worked on the site at Avebury in Wiltshire. He used his wealth to acquire a total of of land for preservation, conducted excavations, re-erected stones on the site, and created a museum to interpret the site. He founded the Morven...
and OGS Crawford. Crawford credits the discovery to an aerial photograph taken by Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall
Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall
Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall VC MC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, in 1925. Maud Cunnington
Maud Cunnington
Maud Edith Cunnington , was a Welsh-born archaeologist, most famous for her pioneering work on the prehistoric sites of Salisbury Plain....
excavated the site between 1926 and 1929.
Date
Pottery from the excavation was identified as being consistent with the Grooved wareGrooved ware people
Most Neolithic cultures in Britain are best identified by the pottery remains which they left. A large number of apparently unrelated cultures seem to have produced urns which have characteristic grooves near the top rim, hence the name grooved ware people....
style of the middle Neolithic, although later Beaker sherd
Sherd
In archaeology, a sherd is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels as well....
s were also found. So, the structure was probably built during the period of cultural similarities commonly known as the Beaker. The Beaker culture
Beaker culture
The Bell-Beaker culture , ca. 2400 – 1800 BC, is the term for a widely scattered cultural phenomenon of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic running into the early Bronze Age...
spans both the Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and includes both the distinctive "bell-beaker" type ceramic vessels for which the cultural grouping is known as well as other local styles of pottery from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
.
Structure
The site was believed by Cunnington to consist of a central burial, surrounded first by six concentric rings of postholePosthole
In archaeology a posthole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide although truncation may not make this apparent....
s, then by a single ditch and finally an outer bank, around 85 metres (278.9 ft) wide.
The burial was of a child which Cunnington interpreted as a dedicatory sacrifice. Unfortunately after excavation the body was destroyed in London during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
and re-examination has not been possible. Cunnington also found a skeleton of a teenager in one of the ditch sections she dug.
Most of the 168 post holes held wooden posts, although Cunnington found evidence that a pair of standing stones may have been placed between the second and third post hole rings. Recent excavations (2006) have indicated that there were, in fact, several standing stones on the site, arranged in a "cove". The deepest post holes measured up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) and the height of the timber posts they held has been estimated at up to 7.5 metres (24.6 ft) above the ground. The posts would have weighed up to 5 tons and the arrangement was similar to that of the bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
s at Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
. The positions of the postholes are currently marked with modern concrete posts which are a simple and informative method of displaying the site.
Relationship with other monuments
Subsequent to the discoveries of Cunnington, another timber circle of comparable scale was discovered in 1966 no more than 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) away within Durrington WallsDurrington Walls
Durrington Walls is the site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. It is 2 miles north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury...
henge.
There are various theories about possible timber structures that might have stood on and about the site, in that they may have been aligned with positions of the Sun on the horizon. For many years work on the study of Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
had overshadowed any real breakthroughs in the understanding of Woodhenge. Recent ongoing investigations as part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project
Stonehenge Riverside Project
The Stonehenge Riverside Project is a major AHRC-funded archaeological research study of the development of the Stonehenge landscape in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain...
are now starting to cast new light on the site.
Other uses
- Woodhenge is a piece of music on the 1979 album Platinum and the 'b' side of the single "Blue PeterBlue Peter (Mike Oldfield single)"Blue Peter" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1979 . It is a rendition of the theme tune for the British children's television show Blue Peter and was used by the show between 1979 and 1989.- Blue Peter :...
" by Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, and later appears in the compilation album The Platinum CollectionThe Platinum Collection (Mike Oldfield album)The Platinum Collection is a 2006 Virgin Records compilation album written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield. It contains most of Oldfield's best known work, and some rare mixes of songs that had previously only been available as B-sides to singles....
.