The village of Avebury is found in Wiltshire, but when most people think of Avebury they do not think of the small village, but instead of the historical henge monument that encircles the village with stone.
The Avebury Ring is one of the largest and finest displays of Neolithic monumental work that is still surviving in England today. It is dated back to over 5,000 years ago, and although it is older than Stonehenge, it is still more contemporary in style.
Avebury is located about halfway between Calne and Marlborough, off to the side of the A4, along the A4361 northbound towards Woughton. Not only has the monument been declared a World Heritage Site, but the National Trust property has also been declared a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The giant henge monument is found in the Upper Kennet Valley, in chalkland and on the western edge of the Berkshire Downs. It also is near the catchment of Kennet River with several watercourses and springs nearby.
Avebury was erected on a ridge that is 160m above the sea level, with the Marlborough Downs found to the east of Avebury.
Scientific evidence and soil deposits suggest that at one time the area of Avebury was all woodlands, but that as the monuments were built the area was slowly slashed into grassland.
There is not a lot of evidence about the people that lived in Avebury prior to its construction, although some flint found at archaeological sites suggest that between 4,000 BC and 7,000 BC the area was mostly occupied by passing hunter –gatherers.
Much like Stonehenge there is a posthole that is found near the south entrance of Avebury, which suggests that the area may pre-date the henge phase.
The construction of the Avebury monument is thought to have been associated with ritual or ceremonial centres, although this fact cannot be ascertained for certain, given that the construction was so long ago, and the only evidence is archaeological, which opens the door for speculation.
Today the henge almost forms a circular shape that is about 420m in diameter making it the largest henge monument site in England. In fact, the structure is so massive that even the ditch around Avebury is 21m in width, and 11m in depth.
Outside of the henge is a larger outer circle that has a diameter that measures 355m, although it is debatable whether the structure was built four to five centuries after the henge, or if it is a contemporary structure.
Although many of the sarsen standing stones have now fallen over or disappeared, there were 98 when the henge was first built, with some stones that weigh over forty tons. Heights of the stones range from 4.2m to 4.6m, which are estimated from the entrances at the north and south ends of the henge.
The inner ring of Avebury is also large measuring 98m in diameter, where only two of the original four stones are still standing in the upright position.
