Wiltshire is famous for its standing stone circles. Some are famous the world over like Stonehenge or Avebury for their mystery, or their eerie tranquility, even though they both have a main road pass nearby or right through them. Others are tucked away off the beaten track and are known to few. Compton Bassett doesn't have a stone circle of its own but Avebury is close by, Stonehenge is only a half an hour or so away and there are many ancient monuments and sites where evidence can be discovered of the lives of the people of Wiltshire many hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
We have tried to give a flavour of the history of our own village in other pages within the website, but the history of this area is so vast and so fascinating that we felt that we ought to widen the net a little and give the first time visitor to our village a flavour of the historical significance and wonderment of where we live.
Wiltshire is notable for its pre-Roman archaeology. The Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze age people that occupied southern Britain built many settlements on the hills and downland that cover what is now known as Wiltshire.
Much archaeological investigation has been carried out since Victorian times in the area, indeed some of the more recent investigations have even been televised and the geographical and spiritual significance of the area is still only just being understood. It may be that in future times further investigation may uncover some small piece of evidence which changes what is currently understood, but for now the experts think they are getting the hang of what was going on here. Both Stonehenge and Avebury are the sites of big ceremonies and celebrations at both the solstices and equinoxes by both the druids and pagans from far and wide and are believed to have been so going way back into history.
Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones and is at the centre of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze age monuments in England including several hundred burial mounds. Archaeologists have believed that the iconic stone monument was erected in aroun d 2500 BC. More recently however it has been suggested that by some that the first stones may not have been erected until 2400 - 2200 BC whilst another suggestion has been that the blue stones could be dated to as early as 3100 BC. Avebury is a Neolithic henge believed to have been constructed around 2600 BC. It's original purpose is not known, although archaeologists believe that it was for some ritual or ceremonial use and is part of a much larger prehistoric landscape containing several older monuments nearby including West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill. |
