Phase
1
Construction
on Stonehenge probably began around 2800 BCE. Around Stonehenge, this
was a time of small Neolithic settlements set in grassland and woodland
environments. These later Neolithic people relied on agriculture supplemented
with wild food resources.
Initial
construction at Stonehenge began with the construction of a ditch and
bank enclosure, radiocarbon dated to 2800 BCE. Environmental evidence
from excavations indicates that this enclosure was built in a cleared
area that was soon overgrown with vegetation.
Approximately
600 years later (ca. 2200 BCE), a series of 56 pits, known as the Aubrey
Holes, were dug immediately adjacent to the bank of the enclosure. Excavations
found no evidence of stone or timber footings that would indicate a
standing monument. Instead, traces of cremated human bone were found
in their upper levels, suggesting that at this time, Stonehenge was
used as an enclosed Neolithic cemetery.
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