Inside mystery of world’s largest stone circle that’s in the UK – as its secrets are set to be revealed
THE 5,000 year-old mystery surrounding Britain's largest stone circle is about to be revealed.
The Avebury henge, older and larger than Stonehenge, is made up of 100 huge standing rocks dated back to between 2850 BC and 2200 BC.
Some of the remarkable stones weigh over 40 tonnes and measure from 12 to 18 feet tall which begs the question - how did prehistoric people move them without modern technology?
Their placement has puzzled historians, archaeologists and the public for centuries, with some suggesting they were used for pagan and devil worship in the Middle Ages.
Theories about the 3rd Millennium megalithic monument also say it was an offering to the gods who controlled climate and other natural phenomenon.
Others believe the Wiltshire site was dedicated to feasts and gatherings of Neolithic communities - thought to be the same people who built Stonehenge.
But Dr Colleen Morgan, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, is soon providing highly anticipated answers to the puzzle.
She told the Yorkshire Post: "Avebury's significance extends far beyond the British Isles, informing research on a range of fundamental questions concerning the European Neolithic, such as why and how people went to the trouble of building such vast monuments.
"By providing a fuller understanding of the history of this World Heritage Site, this research and the multimedia digital archive it will generate, will enable more effective heritage management, education, and tourism programmes.”
Dr Colleen has joined forces with the National Trust, Archaeology Data Service and Bournemouth University to uncover how and why the stone circle was constructed.
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They will be creating a public digital archive of their archaeological discoveries in Avebury.
Stonehenge lies just 20 miles south of the Avebury stone circle and also attracts more than 800,000 visitors per year.
While the exact purpose of the monument is unknown, is it widely believed the area was used as a burial ground or ceremonial site.
Another theory is that it served as a pilgrimage destination or a structure to worship and contact spiritual ancestors.
