When we hear the word ‘stonehenge’ we immediately think of that grand and ancient structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England.
The word ‘henge’ is an ancient English meaning circle. Thus, ‘stonehenge’ means a circle of stones.
There are hundreds of stone circles around the world and, Stonehenge on Salisbury plain is in fact one of the last to be built. It was constructed in six stages between 3,000 and 1,520 BCE. However, we now know that the site was used for ceremonial purposes from around 7,500 BCE.
The most ancient stone circles have been recently found in Mesopotamia. They date back to more than 8,000 BCE. They had been buried beneath sand for thousands of years.
DNA left on stone circles by the builders has provided us with some amazing information. First, most if not all stone circles found around the world were built by hunter-gatherers. Further, they were a meeting place of tribes. There are even some indications that individual stones were placed by and represented different tribes.
Because people were meeting at these sites, presumable for trade, people began to settle in the area. This gave rise to the very first permanent settlements. Thus, stone-circles were the founding points of civilization.
Richard Hall
Stonehenge Aotearoa