{"id":201,"date":"2015-10-18T22:19:45","date_gmt":"2015-10-18T21:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/ditchedenclosures\/?page_id=201"},"modified":"2016-01-30T15:45:37","modified_gmt":"2016-01-30T15:45:37","slug":"standing-stones-avebury","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/ditchedenclosures\/what-is-a-ditched-enclosure\/standing-stones-avebury\/","title":{"rendered":"Standing stones and other megalithic structures"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Aligned megaliths at Avebury. Copyright \u00a9 Mark Kent 2012 – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Monumental standing stones (megaliths) are a common feature of Neolithic landscapes in Europe<\/a>. They are normally isolated (menhirs, stelae), forming circles by themselves or as part of megalithic structures such as portal tombs. But sometimes they are found at ditched enclosures as well, alongside other components such as ditches, banks or timber structures. Certain British henges show a significant number of monumental standing stones, often forming enclosed spaces to the interior of the ditches. That is the case of Stonehenge and Avebury in southern England, or the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney, Scotland.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Stones at the Ring of Brodgar, a henge-like (but without a visible bank) ditched enclosure in Orkney, Scotland. Copyright \u00a9 Phil Thirkell 2012 – Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 2.0 Generic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, in general terms, standing stones are rare at Neolithic ditched enclosures. In fact, outside of the British henge phenomenon there are very few ditched enclosures which comprise megaliths next to ditches and palisades or banks. And, at those henges containing stone circles, the megaliths tend to be late additions to pre-existing ditch and bank ensembles.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Standing stones at Avebury henge (Wiltshire, United Kingdom). Copyright \u00a9 V\u00edctor Jim\u00e9nez J\u00e1imez 2014 – Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In spite of this, big standing stones are strongly associated with European Prehistoric ditched enclosures in most people’s minds, Stonehenge being the best example. This is due to the striking visual impact that megaliths produce: their size and vertical orientation, and the fact that they are placed above ground level, immediately make them more easily visible by visitors than, for example, ditches. Their stronger visibility also explains why sites with megaliths were discovered earlier by surveyors than the majority of stone-less ditched enclosures. Lastly, the amount of work hours invested in extracting, transporting and erecting the big stones is evident, and a source of awe and appreciation by the public at large.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Standing stones at Stonehenge (Wiltshire, United Kingdom). Copyright \u00a9 Victor Jimenez Jaimez 2014 – Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the scarcity of ditched enclosures with megaliths, advances in research methods and a deeper knowledge of the features of many sites could in the future result in the detection of more monumental standing stones at ditched enclosures. This has recently occurred, for instance, at Durrington Walls (Wiltshire, United Kingdom)<\/a>, and, to a lesser extent, at Perdig\u00f5es (Portugal)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Fallen megalithic stones in the proximity of an entrance to the ditched enclosure at Perdig\u00f5es (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal). Copyright \u00a9 Su\u00e1rez Padilla et al 2013 – Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Initially published as Figure 12 in Jos\u00e9 Su\u00e1rez Padilla , Jos\u00e9 Luis Caro Herrero, Elena Mata Vivar, Jos\u00e9 E. M\u00e1rquez and V\u00edctor Jim\u00e9nez J\u00e1imez. 2013. Excavaciones en extensi\u00f3n de la Universidad de M\u00e1laga (UMA) en el yacimiento de Perdig\u00f5es (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal). El sondeo L1. Campa\u00f1as 2011-2012. Actas del VI Encuentro de Arqueolog\u00eda del Suroeste Peninsular, pp. 522-549. Ayuntamiento de Villafranca de los Barros. ISBN: 978-84-616-6306-4.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An example: Standing stones at Avebury<\/h3>\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Megaliths at Avebury henge in a cold, frosty morning. Copyright \u00a9 Myke Lyons 2005 – Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 2.0 Generic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Avebury is one of the most important and famous henges in Britain, only second to Stonehenge. It consists of an enormous ditch, with an external bank and several internal areas delimited by big standing stones or megaliths, among other elements. Built during the late Neolithic, it sits within a very rich archaeological landscape, near Windmill Hill causewayed enclosure and not far from other enclosures such as Knap Hill, Rybury or Marden henge. It is open to the public<\/a> as part of the UNESCO World Heritage site<\/a> of ‘Stonehenge, Avebury and associated sites’.<\/p>\n

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