Stonehenge team wins project of the year

The team which discovered the site of a second stone circle, 500 years older than the nearby Stonehenge has won a prestigious archaeology award.
The sensational discovery of a 5000 year-old “Blue Stonehenge” was made by a team led by archaeologists from Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol Universities on the West bank of the River Avon last year.
The Stonehenge Riverside Project – as they are known - won the Research Project of the Year award at the Current Archaeology awards held at the British Museum.

The Stonehenge Riverside Project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Royal Archaeological Institute.

The award was given following an online vote by readers of Britain’s biggest archaeology magazine.
The new circle was 10m in diameter and was surrounded by a henge – a ditch with an external bank.

However, the stones were at some point removed, leaving behind nine uncovered holes. The team believe they were probably part of a circle of 25 standing stones.

The outer henge around the stones was built around 2,400 BC, but distinctive chisel-shaped arrowheads found in the stone circle indicate that the stones were put up as much as 500 years earlier.
When the newly discovered circle’s stones were removed by Neolithic tribes, they may, according to the team, have been dragged to Stonehenge, to be incorporated within its major rebuilding around 2500 BC.



Archaeologists know that after this date, Stonehenge consisted of about 80 Welsh stones and 83 local, sarsen stones. Some of the bluestones that once stood at the riverside probably now stand within the centre of Stonehenge.
Professor Julian Thomas, from The University of Manchester and a co-director of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, said: “We are delighted to win this award - and it’s a tribute to the team who have done such a great job.
“We are still coming to terms with this truly sensational discovery: it’s amazing the circle of bluestones were dragged from the Welsh Preseli mountains, 150 miles away around 5,000 years ago.



“It adds weight to the theory that the River Avon linked a ‘domain of the living’ – marked by timber circles and houses upstream at the Neolithic village of ‘Durrington Walls’ – with a ‘domain of the dead’ marked by Stonehenge and this new stone circle.



“The Stonehenge Riverside Project also discovered a Late Neolithic settlement outside the enormous henge at Durrington Walls, upriver from Stonehenge, and a series of contemporary timber buildings and other structures in and around Durrington which may have been ceremonial in character.”
Notes for editors

The Stonehenge Riverside Project is run by a consortium of university teams. It is directed by Prof. Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University, with co-directors Dr Josh Pollard (Bristol University), Prof. Julian Thomas (The University of Manchester), Dr Kate Welham (Bournemouth University) and Dr Colin Richards (The University of Manchester). The 2009 excavation was funded by the National Geographic Society, Google, the Society of Antiquaries of London, and the Society of Northern Antiquaries.

Most of the circle remains preserved for future research and the 2009 excavation has been filled back in.

Stoneheneg Stone Circle

Stonehenge Funny Picture - Its not all serious.......

New Stonehenge Tour

Evan Evan Tours have just launched a new tour that includes Stonehenge Private access. In my opinion its a little ambitious (see below) but thats my opinion. There is a link below if you want to book
Their itinerary is as follows:

A PRIVATE VIEWING OF THE INNER CIRCLE AT STONEHENGE - an early start gives the opportunity to visit the inner circle of Stonehenge at sunrise, a walking tour of Oxford and visit to the state apartments at Windsor Castle.
Included Highlights
•Private Viewing at Sunrise of the Inner Circle at Stonehenge
•Walking tour of Oxford
•Visit Christ Church college (where Harry Potter was filmed)
•Entrance to Windsor Castle and a tour of the State Apartments and St George's Chapel
•First-class luxury Motor-coach and the services of a Professional Guide


Private Viewing of Stonehenge
Most visitors to Stonehenge are not allowed direct access to the stones. On this special day trip from London, you'll be invited to enter the stone circle itself, and stand beside the mysterious rocks towering above you. Your guide will unlock the secrets of this ancient World Heritage site. Enjoy the peace, away from the crowds, as you experience Stonehenge at its atmospheric best at sunrise.

Oxford
The colleges in Oxford date back to the 13th century and among its famous students were Bill Clinton, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll. We take you on a fascinating walking tour, which includes visiting the Great Hall in Christ Church, where many scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. We'll also see the Bodleian Library and the picture perfect college courtyards for which Oxford is famous.

Windsor Castle
Our day continues with a visit to Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied Castle in the world, and home of the Royal Family for 900 years. Its proud, strong walls dominate the delightful town that has grown around the castle over the years. You'll see the lavishly decorated State Apartments containing priceless furniture in glorious colours and St George's Chapel, home to the 14th Century Order of the Royal Garter, our senior chivalric order.


Evan Evans Coach Tours - Click Here

The Stonehenge Tour Company

Histouries UK