STONEHENGE

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1. INTRODUCTION | Stonehenge is one of the most mysterious archaeological places in the world. What do you know about it?

1. Where is it located?a. In the North of Scotlandb. In the South of Walesc. In Northern Irelandd. In the South of England

2. Who built Stonehenge?a. Neolithic peoplesb. The Romans c. The Druids d. The Celts

3. When was it built?a. In 453 ADb. Between 500-150 BCc. Between 5,000-1,500 BCd. In 127 BC

4. What was it built for?a. A cemeteryb. An astronomical observatoryc. Religious purposesd. It is still a mystery

2. READING | Read this short text about Stonehenge and say if the following statements are mentioned in the text or not.

n STONEHENGEFrom http://www.britannia.com/history/h7.html

STONEHENGE

Stonehenge is surely Britain’s greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery, power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have speculated that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities. It has been called an astronomical observatory for marking

significant events on the prehistoric calendar. Others claim that it was a sacred site for the burial of high-ranking citizens from the societies of long ago.

While we can’t say with any degree of certainty what it was for, we can say that it wasn’t constructed for any casual purpose. Only something very important to the ancients would have been worth the effort and investment that it took to construct Stonehenge. The stones we see today represent Stonehenge in ruin. Many of the original stones have fallen or been removed by previous generations for home construction or road repair.

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a. Stonehenge is in Ireland. Yes Nob. We know what it was built for. Yes Noc. Some people say it was a place of worship. Yes Nod. It was certainly not an astronomical observatory. Yes Noe. Some people say it was a burial place. Yes Nof. It took great effort to build Stonehenge. Yes Nog. All the original stones are still on site. Yes No

3. VOCABULARY | Read the first two parts of Stonehenge story and find words or expressions in the text for the Italian equivalents.

4. SPEAKING | In pairs ask and answer questions about the first two texts.

a. When did the first phase of construction at Stonehenge begin?b. What did they construct?c. Was it an easy task?d. What did they use to dig?

1. Construction of the Henge

In its day, the construction of Stonehenge was an impressive engineering feat, requiring commitment, time and vast amounts of manual labor. In its first phase, Stonehenge was a large earthwork; a bank and ditch arrangement called a henge, constructed approximately 5,000 years ago. It is believed that the ditch was dug with tools made from the antlers of red deer and, possibly, wood.

1. ...................................... impresa

2. ...................................... impegno

3. ...................................... lavoro di sterro

4. ...................................... terrapieno

5. ...................................... fossato

6. ...................................... scavato

7. ...................................... palchi

8. ...................................... cervo/i

2. The Bluestones1

About 2,000 BC, the first stone circle (which is now the inner circle), comprising small bluestones, was set up, but abandoned before completion. The stones used in that first circle are believed to be from the Presely Mountains, located roughly 240 miles away, at the southwestern tip of Wales. The bluestones weigh up to 4 tons each and about 80 stones were used, in all. Given the distance they had to travel, this presented quite a transportation problem.

1. ...................................... interno

2. ...................................... innalzato

3. ...................................... completamento

4. ...................................... circa

5. ...................................... estremità

6. ...................................... pesano

7. ...................................... fino a

8. ...................................... tonnellate

To know more …1 Bluestone is not a geological term, but a popular name given to all the “foreign” stones at Stonehenge, seemingly coming from

the Preseli Mountains in Wales. There are at least 20 different rock types, but the most common are dolerite rocks, dark and heavy rocks, harder than granite. How have the bluestones been brought to Stonehenge? Either through glaciation or through humans organizing their transportation. There is also a legend of Merlin having miraculously transported the stones himself. There are many problems as to the provenance of the Bluestones to be resolved. It is hoped that recent excavations at Stone-henge should bring new insights to the Bluestone mystery.

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5. READING | Read texts 3 and 4 and in pairs try to infer the meaning of unknown words/expressions from the context.

How would you translate the following words?

a. outer ring .....................................................b. giant .....................................................c. as much as .....................................................d. even greater .....................................................e. estimate .....................................................f. at least .....................................................g. once on site .....................................................h. lintels .....................................................i. top surface .....................................................

j. unanswered .......................................................k. the best guess .......................................................l. carried forward .......................................................m. arising .......................................................n. beaker .......................................................o. because of .......................................................p. pottery drinking vessel .............................................q. metal implements ..................................................r. ancestors .......................................................

3. Construction of the Outer Ring

The giant sarsen1 stones (which form the outer circle), weigh as much as 50 tons each. To transport them from the Marlborough Downs,

roughly 20 miles to the north, is a problem of even greater magnitude than that of moving the bluestones. Modern work studies estimate that at least 600 men would have been needed just to transport each stone. Once on site, a sarsen stone was prepared to accommodate stone lintels along its top surface. Stonehenge was probably finally completed around 1500 BC.

1 Sarsen stones are sandstone (arenaria) blocks found in quantity on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent.

4. Who Built Stonehenge?The question of who built Stonehenge is largely unanswered, even today. The best guess seems to be that the Stonehenge site was begun by the people of the late Neolithic period (around 3000 BC) and carried forward by people from a new economy which was arising at this time. These “new” people, called Beaker2 Folk because of their use of pottery drinking vessels, began to use metal implements and to live in a more communal fashion than their ancestors.

2 Beaker = a prehistoric drinking vessel

A late Neolithic ceramic beaker

sarsen stones

stone lintel

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6. SPEAKING | In pairs ask and answer questions about texts 3 and 4, trying not to look at the texts.

a. How big are the sarsen stones?b. How did the prehistoric men transport these huge stones?c. How many people were probably necessary to transport them?d. What did they put on top of couples of sarsen stones?e. When was Stonehenge completed?f. Which peoples constructed Stonehenge?g. Who were the Beaker Folk?

7. READING | Read the last two texts and complete the sentences below.

a. Stonehenge is oriented east-west, in relation to …b. We don’t know if this orientation was due to … or to …c. Stonehenge is particularly impressive, because it is located …d. It is anyhow a place full of …e. Even if we don’t know its original purpose, we must treat it as …

5. Orientation

Stonehenge’s orientation in relation to the rising and setting sun has always been one of its most remarkable features. Yet it remains uncertain whether this was because its builders came from a sun-worshipping culture or because - as some have asserted - the circle and its banks were part of a huge astronomical calendar?

6. Present Day StonehengeSituated in a vast plain, the Stonehenge site is truly impressive, and all the more so, the closer you approach. It is a place where much human effort was expended for a purpose we can only guess at. Some people see it as a place steeped in magic and mystery, some hold it to be a sacred place. But whatever its original purpose was, it should be treated as the ancients treated it, as a place of honor.

Virtual reconstruction of how Stonehenge is thought to have looked (1600 BC)