How was Stonehenge built?

The biggest of Stonehenge’s stones, known as sarsens, are up to 30 feet

(9 meters) tall and weigh 25 tons (22.6 metric tons) on average. Scientists
believe that they must have been brought from Marlborough Downs, a
distance of 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the north. Transporting the stones
that distance can’t have been easy.

Smaller stones, referred to as “bluestones” (they have a bluish tinge when

wet or freshly broken), weigh up to 4 tons and come from several different
sites in western Wales, having been transported as far as 140 miles (225
km). It’s unknown how people in antiquity moved them that far. Scientists
speculate that during the last ice age glaciers might have carried these
bluestones closer to the Stonehenge area. An earlier theory was that the
builders could have used rafts to transport the stones over the water.
However, more recent research suggests that this method can’t have been
used because of the weight of the stones.
 1. Where do scientists think the Sarsen stones came from?
2. What does the writer say about transporting the Sarsen stones?
3. Where did the blue stones come from?
4. How do scientists think the blue stones were transported to the site?

What was Stonehenge?

There are a number of theories as to what the site was used for.
Archaeologists agree that the site must have had a spiritual significance. It
may have originally been a cemetery, according to a new study. After
examining bones exhumed near the stones, scientists believe that the
burials must have taken place at the same time as Stonehenge was built,
suggesting that the stones could have been gravestones for religious or
political elite.

1. What are scientists certain about the significance of Stonehenge?

2. Scientists are sure that Stonehenge was a cemetery T/F

Stonehenge may have been constructed with the sun in mind. One avenue
connecting the monument with the nearby River Avon aligns with the sun
on the winter solstice; archaeological evidence reveals that pigs were
slaughtered at Stonehenge in December and January, suggesting that
ancient pagan sun celebrations might have taken place there.

Steven Waller, a researcher in archaeoacoustics has revealed that before

part of the ring collapsed it must have had excellent acoustics and
speculates that it might have been an ancient concert hall or cathedral.

1. Why do scientists think the builders chose the location for the
stones?
2. What other events possibly happened at Stonehenge?
3. What does Steven Waller say about Stonehenge?

Wild theories about Stonehenge have persisted since the Middle Ages.
Some say Merlin the wizard may have cast a spell to make the rocks as
light as a feather to help with the construction. UFO enthusiasts believe
that ancient aliens could have built Stonehenge as a spacecraft landing
pad.

4. What unscientific methods for Stonehenge’s construction have

been suggested?
Form – Past modal verbs of speculation
Look at the sentences on the board and complete the table

Subject + Modal + _____________ + _____________

Could …………………
I
Might …………………

You
May …………………

He/she/it
Must _______ …………………

Etc.
Can’t Etc.