Stonehenge Riverside Project

The Stonehenge Riverside Project is a major AHRC-funded archaeological research study interested in the development of the Stonehenge landscape in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain. In particular, the project is interested in the relationship between the Stones and surrounding monuments and features including; The River Avon, Durrington Walls, the Cursus, the Avenue, Woodhenge, burial mounds, and nearby standing stones. The project involves a substantial amount of fieldwork, the initial phase being a 5 year project from 2003-2008, which will then be extended, reliant on funding.

Background

The project is directed by Mike Parker Pearson (Sheffield University), Julian Thomas (Manchester University), Colin Richards (Manchester University), Kate Welham (Bournemouth University) , Joshua Pollard (Bristol University) and Chris Tilley (UCL). The main aims of the project are to test the hypotheses of earlier studies that Stonehenge was a monument dedicated to the dead, whilst Woodhenge & Durrington Walls 2 miles away, were monuments to the living & more recently deceased.

Previous Excavations

The area immediately inside Stonehenge Bowl has been excavated several times throughout history, but to the east around Durrington Walls there have only been two major studies conducted within recent times. The first was between 1926 and 1929 when Maud Cunnington excavated around Woodhenge, discovering several Neolithic and Bronze Age features to the south. Later, when the nearby A345 was improved and routed through Durrington Walls in 1967, two timber circles were discovered within the henge along with vast amounts of animal bones and associated Neolithic pottery and tools.

Fieldwork

2003 Surveys

2003 fieldwork involved sampling and geophysical surveys of the land around Durrington Walls in preparation for future study. This work helped identify two previously unrecognised entranceways to the henge, to the North and South.

2004 Excavations

2004 marked the start of annual excavations in the Stonehenge landscape. Trenches were dug on the riverbank of the River Avon next to Durrington Walls, and at the eastern entrance to the henge. On this occasion various finds suggesting neolithic occupation were found around the area.

2005 Excavations

The largest amount of fieldwork yet was carried out in the summer of 2005. Excavations were made around the land east of Durrington Walls near the river, and north west outside the west gate. A large amount of digging was done on the eastern banks of the henge, and inside the walls to expose the southernmost timber circle discovered in 1967. A great deal of work was also carried out 2 miles east, around a fallen sarsen stone known locally as the Bulford stone. Channel 4's history show Time Team also attended and built a temporary reconstruction of the timber circle in the nearby village of Upavon.

2006

2007 Excavations

In late summer of 2007, 4 weeks of fieldwork was carried out by several hundred students and volunteers. Excavations were carried out at the western end of the Cursus, around the southern, western and eastern gates of Durrington Walls, at the site of Maud Cunningtons digs immediately south of Woodhenge, and around another nearby fallen sarsen stone known locally as the Cuckoo stone. Geophysical surveys were also carried out across much of the surrounding area and around Stonehenge Bowl. Residencies for nine artists were arranged by Artists in Archaeology to record the processes of uncovering and interpreting this location.

2008 Excavations

In the late summer of 2008 a further 4 weeks of excavations were carried out. The years excavation focused largely upon the Avenue, largely re-excavating work by Richard Atkinson, although more work was carried out upon the Eastern end of the Greater Cursus, Long Barrow 42 (which is at the eastern terminal of the Cursus), the field to the west of Stonehenge and a re-excavation of one of the Aubrey Holes within the stonehenge bowl. The excavation was once more covered by Time Team but was also covered by Nova and National Geographic.

Findings and Theories

External links

* [http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/research/stonehenge The University of Sheffield - Stonehenge Riverside Project]
* [http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/2005_durr.html Durrington Walls - A Time Team Special]
* [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehengeinteractivemap/index.html English Heritage - Interactive Map of Stonehenge Landscape]
* [http://www.intute.ac.uk/artsandhumanities/limelight/stonehenge.html Intute - Audio interview with the archaeologists]
* [http://www.natgeotv.com/stonehenge Nat Geo Channel: Stonehenge Decoded - documentary on Parker Pearson's theories]