Stonehenge may have been constructed in England to help unify ancient Britain, long before there was a kingdom as newcomers arrived from Europe, a new study published in the journal Archaeology International has claimed. Located in Wiltshire on the southern edge of Salisbury Plain in southern England, Stonehenge seems to have been built in phases between 3100 and 1600 BC, with the rocky slabs transported far and wide from southwest Wales and northeast Scotland.

The study posits that Scottish and Welsh people brought their local stones down to Wiltshire as a well-meaning contribution to assembling the structure and establishing “political unification and shared identity across much or even all of Britain”.

“Bringing together these extraordinary and alien rocks… symbolised and embodied far and distant communities within a complex material,” the study highlighted.

Cultural similarities between different regions

It added that thousands of people would have worked in tandem to move the stone over land with the journey taking around eight months. Additionally, moving the stones from Scotland to southern England suggests there was a connection between the two distinct groups — fostered by collaboration and cooperation. The researchers believe this connection existed due to striking cultural similarities in both locations.

“These new insights have significantly expanded our understanding as to what the original purpose of Stonehenge might have been,” lead study author Mike Parker Pearson was quoted as saying by CNN.

“It shows that this site on Sailsbury Plain was important to the people not just living nearby, but across Britain, so much so that they brought massive monoliths across sometimes hundreds of miles to this one location.”

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Notably, Stonehenge is famous for its sandstone slabs which were sourced locally. In addition to the tall Sarsen stones, the UNESCO World Heritage site is also home to 80 ‘bluestones’ – smaller stones that have a bluish tinge when freshly broken or when wet.

During the winter season, Neolithic people would gather near the structure and bring cattle and pigs for feast. As per scientists, Stonehenge was also the largest burial ground of the time, adding to the notion that it was used as a religious temple, a solar calendar and an ancient observatory all in one.