Stone Age Prehistoric Sites in Britain - A Quick Guide for Kids

STONEHENGE:

Location:

Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England

Built:

2,500 BC (in the Neolithic period - though some areas date back to the Mesolithic)

What is it?:

Stonehenge is a collection of enormous stones placed upright in circles and arches. The biggest stone is 9 metres high and weighs nearly 23 tonnes (thats the same weight as two double decker buses!)

Why?:

Nobody knows what Stonehenge was used for. Possible uses include: as a burial site, a calendar marking the stars and moon, a place for healing and even an alien landing site!

Courtesy of English Heritage

GRIMES GRAVES:

Location:

Norfolk, England

Used:

4,500 years ago in the Neolithic (though some activity dates back to the Mesolithic, 8,000–10,000 years ago)

What is it?:

Grime's Graves is a series of over 400 pits dug into the ground where prehistoric humans mined for quality flint to use for weapons and tools. It is one of only ten known prehistoric flint mines in England.

Did you know:

The prehistoric miners dug holes up to 13 metres deep using picks made from antlers. The fine black flint that they mined was traded across long distances.

SKARA BRAE:

Location:

Bay o' Skaill, Orkney, Scotland

Built:

3,000 BC (in the Neolithic period - that makes it older than the Great Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge!)

What is it?:

Skara Brae is the best preserved Neolithic settlement in Europe. It is a prehistoric village with circular houses made from stone.

Did you know?:

The houses still have furniture inside them! Including beds, shelves and fireplaces all made from stone.

AVEBURY HENGE

Courtesy English Heritage

Location:

Avesbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire.

Built:

Roughly between 2850 BC and 2200 BC.

What is it?:

The largest stone circle in Britain. It used to consist of around one hundred stones. It was so big that it even had two smaller stone circles within it.

Did you know?:

No-one quite knows how Stone Age people built this enormous stone circle.