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Stonehenge Facts & Worksheets

Stonehenge, located on Salisbury Plain in England, is a prominent Neolithic monument that is widely recognized and highly frequented, attracting over one million tourists annually.

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Stonehenge, located on Salisbury Plain in England, is a prominent Neolithic monument that is widely reogized and highly frequented, attracting over one million tourists annually.

See the fact file below for more information about Stonehenge, or you can download our 28-page Stonehenge worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment

Key Facts & Information

EARLY HISTORY

  • Mike Parker Pearson, the head of the Stonehenge Riverside Project centered on Durrington Walls, observed that Stonehenge seems to have been linked to burial practices throughout its earliest days. 
  • Stonehenge underwent multiple construction periods over at least 1500 years. There is substantial evidence of extensive construction activities both on and surrounding the monument, suggesting that the timeframe of the landscape may extend up to 6500 years.
  • The current state of what we observe now is attributed to a minimum of three distinct stages of building. However, there remains to be considerable disagreement among archaeologists over the precise timing and methods employed during these stages.

PHASE ONE

  • The initial stage of construction at Stonehenge is widely accepted to have taken place around 3100 BCE. During this phase, a substantial circular trench, approximately six feet deep, was excavated. Inside the trench, a dirt bank measuring about 360 feet in diameter was created, featuring a prominent entrance in the northeast and a lesser one in the south. 
  • A circular excavation and embankment together is referred to as a henge. Inside the henge, 56 pits known as Aubrey holes, named after John Aubrey, a 17th-century English archaeologist who initially discovered them, were excavated.
  • Each pit had a diameter slightly above three feet. It is believed that vertical bluestones or vertical oak beams formerly occupied these cavities. 
  • If the Aubrey holes were filled with bluestones, a considerable amount of labor would have been required, as each stone weighed between 2 and 4 tons and was extracted from the Preseli Hills, located approximately 250 miles away in Wales.
  • The dating and comprehension of the several stages of activity are hindered by the disruption of the natural chalk caused by periglacial processes and animal burrowing, inadequate early excavation records, and a need for more precise, scientifically validated dates.

PHASE TWO

  • The second phase of work at Stonehenge happened roughly 100–200 years later and entailed the placing up of upright wooden posts (perhaps of a roofed structure) in the center of the henge, as well as more upright posts near the northeast and southern entrances.
  • Interestingly, Stonehenge was also utilized for burial purposes during its second phase. A minimum of 25 Aubrey holes were cleared and repurposed to accommodate cremation graves. 
  • In contrast, an additional 30 cremation burial pits were excavated in the ditch around the henge and within the eastern section of the henge enclosure.

PHASE THREE

  • The third stage of building at Stonehenge occurred around 400-500 years after the previous phase and is believed to have endured for a significant duration. During this stage, the blue stones and wooden beams that were previously placed in the Aubrey holes were removed. 
  • Instead, a circle consisting of 30 large and durable sarsen stones quarried from the adjacent Marlborough Downs was erected within the henge. The circle had a circumference of 108 feet. The vertical sarsen stones were adorned with 30 lintel stones, which are the horizontal stones.

FUNCTION AND CONSTRUCTION

  • Stonehenge was created by a civilization that did not leave behind any written documentation. Many features of Stonehenge, such as how it was built and for what purposes it was used, are open to discussion. 
  • There are numerous things that could be improved about the stones. The location, particularly the impressive trilithon, the surrounding horseshoe configuration of the five core trilithons, the heel stone, and the embanked avenue, are precisely oriented towards the setting sun during the winter solstice and the rising sun during the summer solstice.
  • The Stonehenge architects’ construction skills are poorly documented, with minimal or nonexistent direct evidence. Throughout time, numerous authors have proposed the utilization of magical or archaic techniques, sometimes claiming that the stones’ immense size made it otherwise impossible to transport them. Nevertheless, traditional methods, employing primitive tools such as shear legs, have proved undeniably successful in transporting and positioning stones of comparable dimensions.
  • According to the prevailing hypothesis, prehistoric individuals transported megaliths by constructing a pathway using logs, upon which the massive stones were rolled. 
  • Another hypothesis for transporting megaliths involves the utilization of a specialized sled that moves along a track lubricated with animal fat. 
  • The suggested purposes for the site encompass its potential use as an astronomical observatory or as a religious institution.
  • Gerald Hawkins, an astronomer, provided a comprehensive account in the 1960s of how the position of Stonehenge was specifically designed to view the Sun and Moon in a repetitive 56-year pattern. 
  • Over the past years, two significant new theories have been put forward. Geoffrey Wainwright, the head of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and Timothy Darvill, a professor at Bournemouth University, have proposed that Stonehenge served as a site for healing, comparable to the ancient version of Lourdes. They contend that this explains the elevated quantity of burials in the region and the presence of physical abnormalities resulting from injuries in certain graves. 
  • Nevertheless, Wainwright and Darvill acknowledge that the place likely had several purposes and was utilized for venerating ancestors. Isotope study reveals that a portion of the interred persons originated from different geographical areas. A male adolescent interred around 1550 BC was brought up in close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea; a skilled artisan from 2300 BC known as the Amesbury Archer was raised in the vicinity of the Alpine foothills in Germany; and the Boscombe Bowmen most likely migrated from Wales or Brittany, France.
  • Alternatively, Mike Parker Pearson from Sheffield University has proposed that Stonehenge was a component of a ceremonial environment and was connected to Durrington Walls through their matching pathways and the River Avon. 
  • Sheffield proposes that the vicinity surrounding Durrington Walls Henge was a habitat for the living, whereas Stonehenge was primarily associated with the deceased. The River Avon was traversed as part of a ceremonial transition from life to death, commemorating both ancient forebears and recently departed individuals.
  • A team of researchers from the Royal College of Art in London has found that the igneous bluestones of the monument exhibit unusual acoustic properties – they produce a loud clunking noise when touched.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

  • Stonehenge has undeniably emerged as a symbol to depict a significant period in the past in mainstream culture. 
  • In general, the British population strongly believes that it is crucial to save the national legacy, with Stonehenge frequently serving as a representative symbol of this heritage. Recently, the Stonehenge monument has gained significance in various alternative and pagan religions. Groups of Druids, Wiccans, Pagans, and others now gather at the solstices. Whether this proves to be temporary or endures in the long run is an issue that remains unanswered.

CONNECTION WITH THE SOLAR AND LUNAR CALENDAR

  • Undoubtedly, the most renowned feature of Stonehenge is its connection to the solar and lunar calendar. Intellectuals initially introduced the concept during the 18th century. They observed that the sunrise on the midsummer solstice perfectly aligns with the conclusion of the trilithons’ horseshoe shape within the monument. 
  • Similarly, at the center of the horseshoe curve, during the midwinter sunset, the sun also aligns precisely.
  • The solstices, which mark the longest and shortest days of the year, represent the pivotal moments of the two major seasonal cycles in the yearly calendar. Subsequent to this finding, other alternative hypotheses regarding astrological observation have been proposed, although only a handful withstand critical examination when considering the tangible characteristics of the monument.

Stonehenge Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Stonehenge across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Stonehenge. Stonehenge, located on Salisbury Plain in England, is a prominent Neolithic monument that is widely recognized and highly frequented, attracting over one million tourists annually.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Stonehenge Facts
  2. Building Vocabulary
  3. Fact-Checking
  4. Policy Making
  5. Significance
  6. Create your Stonehenge
  7. My Purpose
  8. Compare and Contrast
  9. What Is Your Opinion?
  10. Article Analysis
  11. Pick a Job

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Stonehenge?

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, England. It consists of a ring of standing stones, each around 13 feet high, seven feet wide, and weighing around 25 tons. These stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England.

When was Stonehenge built?

The construction of Stonehenge began around 3000 BCE and continued in several phases over the next thousand years. The first phase, involving the construction of the circular ditch and bank, likely dates back to around 3100 BCE, while the setting of the large sarsen stones is believed to have occurred around 2500 BCE.

What was the purpose of Stonehenge?

The purpose of Stonehenge remains a subject of debate among scholars, but various theories suggest it served as a religious site, an astronomical observatory, or a burial ground. Some evidence suggests it may have been used for rituals related to the solstices and equinoxes due to its alignment with the movements of the sun.

How were the stones transported and erected?

The smaller bluestones are believed to have been quarried from the Preseli Hills in Wales, approximately 140 miles away from Stonehenge, while the larger sarsen stones are thought to have been sourced from Marlborough Downs, located around 20 miles north of the site. The method of transporting these massive stones over long distances is still a subject of speculation, though it likely involved a combination of sledges, rollers, and perhaps even water transport. Erecting the stones likely required a significant workforce using ropes, levers, and possibly timber structures.

What is the significance of Stonehenge today?

Stonehenge is one of the most iconic and studied archaeological sites in the world, attracting tourists, historians, and scientists alike. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and continues to inspire awe and fascination due to its mysterious origins and enduring presence as a symbol of ancient human ingenuity and spirituality. Additionally, ongoing research and excavation at Stonehenge contribute to our understanding of prehistoric societies and their cultural practices.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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