Stonehenge's Construction History

Stonehenge, near the village of Amesbury on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, has been altered several times in its history. The various stages in its construction have been termed Stonehenge Ia, Ib, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IIId, and IV. The first building on the site took place around 3100 BC, and the last phase was completed in around 1100 BC.

However, in 1966, three totem poles (with pinewood pulp still at the bottom of them) were discovered 253 m northwest from the centre of present-day Stonehenge. They were dated back to around 8000 - 7000 BC. Many archaeologists have termed these relics Stonehenge '0'. The dating of the pulp remaining in the three pits suggests that the poles were not erected simultaneously. They are more likely to have been placed there after each other, replacing the previous one as it fell into disrepair. Three white circles now mark their positions, as the car park was built over them.

The following table (edited from Castleden, 1993) shows the main phases of Stonehenge's constuction.

Stonehenge version	Date (approx, BC)	Developments
'0'	8000 - 7000	3 totem poles
I a	3100	Earth Circle Heel Stones A posts Causeway posts
I b	2910	Aubrey Holes
II	2150	Double Bluestone Circle (abandoned when just over half complete) Avenue
III a	2100	Sarsen Circle Trilithon Horseshoe Bluestones removed
[ III b ]	[ 2000 ]	[ Bluestones used to build Bluestonehenge (location unknown) ]
III c	1800	Bluestones brought back Bluestone Circle Bluestone Horseshoe
III d	1500	Y and Z Holes
IV	1100	Avenue extension (to River Avon)
IV	AD 61	Roman troops largely destroy Stonehenge