Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites

Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England.[1]

Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is located in Wiltshire
Avebury
Avebury
Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Avebury and Stonehenge in Wiltshire
LocationWiltshire, England, United Kingdom
Includes
CriteriaCultural: (i), (ii), (iii)
Reference373bis
Inscription1986 (10th Session)
Extensions2008
Area4,985.4 ha (19.249 sq mi)
Coordinates51°10′44″N 1°49′31″W
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is located in the United Kingdom
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
Location of Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites in the United Kingdom

Stonehenge and Avebury are groups of large stones called megaliths. Both sites are circles of stones which are placed in a pattern. In each, the placement of the stones and spaces between them may have astronomical meaning.[1]

History

The creation of Stonehenge and Avebury dates from the Bronze Age.[1]

Avebury is 19 miles (30 kilometres) to the north of Stonehenge. It is Europe's largest prehistoric stone circle. It has about 100 megaliths.[1]

Small sites of prehistoric stones are nearby,[1] including Silbury Hill,[2] Windmill Hill,[3] West Kennet Long Barrow,[4] and Overton Hill.[5]

  • Plan of Stonehenge, c. 1840
    Plan of Stonehenge, c. 1840
  • Stonehenge restored, 1845
    Stonehenge restored, 1845
  • Stonehenge, perspective view of restored stones, 1845
    Stonehenge, perspective view of restored stones, 1845

References
  1. UNESCO, "Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites"; retrieved 2012-4-21.
  2. EnglishHeritage.org, "Silbury Hill, Avebury"; retrieved 2012-4-21.
  3. Avebury-web.co.uk, "Windmill Hill"; retrieved 2012-4-21.
  4. EnglishHeritage.org, "West Kennet Long Barrow, Avebury"; retrieved 2012-4-21.
  5. EnglishHeritage.org, "The Sanctuary, Avebury"; StoneCircles.org.uk, "The Sanctuary", Overton Hill; retrieved 2012-4-21.

Other websites

Media related to Prehistoric Wiltshire at Wikimedia Commons




This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.