Task VIII

Read the texts. Answer the questions:

1. How many years did it take people to construct Stonehenge?

2. What was the purpose of this construction?

3. Why is it difficult to believe that Stonehenge was built by people?

4. What kinds of celebrations are held at Stonehenge?

How Old is Stonehenge?

For a long time scientists thought that Stonehenge was built by the Druids. The Druids were members of the ancient Celtic order of priests, teachers of religion and magicians. They led religious ceremonies, settled legal disputes, and served as leaders and advisers to their people. The Druids killed animals and possibly people as sacrifices. It is quite probable that the Druids used Stonehenge as a centre for their religious ceremonies. But they did not build it…

It was built in three main phases from about 2800 (maybe 3100) to 1500 BC. During the first phase a single ring of stones was erected and encircled by a ditch and embankment. The second stage of construction began in about 2400 BC. It is connected with the arrival in Britain of the Beaker people, who got their name from pottery beakers found in their graves. They erected at Stonehenge a circle of huge bluestones, each weighing more than 3 tons. They were brought to the site from south Wales. The monument was completed in the Bronze Age (1800-500 BC). A much larger stone circle and trilithons (horse-shaped sets of three stones, when two standing stones support the third one laid horizontally) were added.

Researchers think that the construction of Stonehenge took its builders about 30 million hours and hundreds of years to complete. Stonehenge may have been used for religious ceremonies until about AD 43. At that time, the Romans conquered the British and abolished many of their religious practices. In 1922, the British government began to restore Stonehenge. Some of the scattered stones were put back in their original positions. The government now takes care of the monument and protects it from vandalism.