Assessment Questions 9.10

1. How many megalithic monuments can be found across western Europe, and what is their primary feature?

Thousands of megalithic monuments can be found across western Europe. Their primary features include being built of stone and tending to be massive.

2. What is significant about the burials at Stonehenge, and who is the "Amesbury Archer"?

Some Stonehenge burials are filled with elaborate grave goods. The Amesbury Archer, buried with gold jewelry, copper knives, and stone wrist guards, was significant because the strontium isotope ratio in his tooth enamel indicated he was born in the foothills of the Alps (likely Germany and Switzerland). He had been badly wounded, and researchers suggest Stonehenge may have been a pilgrimage spot for the sick and wounded.

3. What evidence suggests a connection between Durrington Walls and Stonehenge?

Archaeologists found evidence of a stone-surfaced road leading from Durrington Walls to the River Avon and another ancient stone-surfaced roadway along the river leading directly to Stonehenge. Durrington Walls appears to have been a place where Stonehenge's builders lived, and the ancient visitors may have feasted there.