第1段

For centuries, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument that took an estimated 1,500 years to erect. Located on Salisbury Plain in southern England, it is comprised of roughly 100 massive upright stones placed in a circular layout.

第2段

Archaeologists believe England’s most iconic prehistoric ruin was built in several stages, with the earliest constructed 5,000 or more years ago. First, Neolithic Britons used primitive tools, which may have been fashioned out of deer antlers, to dig a massive circular ditch and bank, or henge. Deep pits dating back to that era and located within the circle may have once held a ring of timber posts, according to some scholars.

第3段

Several hundred years later, it is thought, Stonehenge’s builders hoisted an estimated 80 bluestones, 43 of which remain today, into standing positions and placed them in either a horseshoe or circular formation. These stones have been traced all the way to the Preseli Hills in Wales, some 300 kilometers from Stonehenge. How, then, did prehistoric builders without sophisticated tools or engineering haul these boulders, which weigh up to four tons, over such a great distance?

第4段

According to one long-standing theory among archaeologists, Stonehenge’s builders fashioned sledges and rollers out of tree trunks to lug the bluestones from the Preseli Hills. They then transferred the boulders onto rafts and floated them first along the Welsh coast and then up the River Avon toward Salisbury Plain; alternatively, they may have towed each stone with a fleet of vessels. More recent archaeological hypotheses have them transporting the bluestones with supersized wicker baskets on a combination of ball bearings and long grooved planks, hauled by oxen.

第5段

As early as the 1970s, geologists have been adding their voices to the debate over how Stonehenge came into being. Challenging the classic image of industrious builders pushing, carting, rolling or hauling giant stones from faraway Wales, some scientists have suggested that it was glaciers, not humans, that carried the bluestones to Salisbury plain. Most archaeologists have remained sceptical about this theory, however, wondering how the forces of nature could possibly have delivered the exact number of stones needed to complete the circle.

第6段

The third phase of construction took place around 2000 BCE. At this point, sandstone slabs – known as ‘sarsens’ – were arranged into an outer crescent or ring; some were assembled into the iconic three-pieced structures called trilithons that stand tall in the centre of Stonehenge. Some 50 of these stones are now visible on the site, which may once have contained many more. Radiocarbon dating has revealed that work continued at Stonehenge until roughly 1600 BCE, with the bluestones in particular being repositioned multiple times.

第7段

But who were the builders of Stonehenge? In the 17th century, archaeologist John Aubrey made the claim that Stonehenge was the work of druids, who had important religious, judicial and political roles in Celtic society. This theory was widely popularized by the antiquarian William Stukeley, who had unearthed primitive graves at the site. Even today, people who identify as modern druids continue to gather at Stonehenge for the summer solstice. However, in the mid-20th century, radiocarbon dating demonstrated that Stonehenge stood more than 1,000 years before the Celts inhabited the region.

第8段

Many modern historians and archaeologists now agree that several distinct tribes of people contributed to Stonehenge, each undertaking a different phase of its construction. Bones, tools and other artefacts found on the site seem to support this hypothesis.  The first stage was achieved by Neolithic agrarians who were likely to have been indigenous to the British Isles. Later, it is believed, groups with advanced tools and a more communal way of life left their mark on the site. Some believe that they were immigrants from the European continent, while others maintain that they were probably native Britons, descended from the original builders.

第9段

If the facts surrounding the architects and construction of Stonehenge remain shadowy at best, the purpose of the striking monument is even more of a mystery. While there is consensus among the majority of modern scholars that Stonehenge once served the function of burial ground, they have yet to determine what other purposes it had.

第10段

In the 1960s, the astronomer Gerald Hawkins suggested that the cluster of megalithic stones operated as a form of calendar, with different points corresponding to astrological phenomena such as solstices, equinoxes and eclipses occurring at different times of the year. While his theory has received a considerable amount of attention over the decades, critics maintain that Stonehenge’s builders probably lacked the knowledge necessary to predict such events or that England’s dense cloud cover would have obscured their view of the skies.

第11段

More recently, signs of illness and injury in the human remains unearthed at Stonehenge led a group of British archaeologists to speculate that it was considered a place of healing, perhaps because bluestones were thought to have curative powers.

第1段

几个世纪以来，历史学家和考古学家一直在困惑着巨石阵的许多谜团，这座前史时代的遗迹估计耗时1500年建造而成。它位于英格兰南部的索尔兹伯里平原上，由大约100块巨大的直立石头组成，呈圆形布局。

第2段

考古学家认为，英格兰最具标志性的史前废墟经历了几个阶段的建造，最早的建造可以追溯到5000多年前。首先，新石器时代的不列颠人使用原始工具（可能由鹿角制成）挖掘了一个巨大的环形沟壕，即“亨日”。根据一些学者的说法，环形内部的深坑可能曾经有一个木质柱环。

第3段

几百年后，据推测，巨石阵的建造者把大约80块蓝石竖立起来，并将它们摆放成马蹄形或圆形。这些石头追溯到威尔士的普雷塞利山，距离巨石阵约300公里。那么，史前建造者如何在没有复杂工具或工程设备的情况下，将重达四吨的巨石从如此远的地方运到这里？

第4段

根据考古学家中长期存在的一种理论，巨石阵的建造者使用树干制成的雪橇和滚筒，将蓝石从普雷塞利山运到这里。然后他们将这些巨石转移到筏上，先沿着威尔士海岸漂流，然后通过艾文河运往索尔兹伯里平原；或者他们可能用一群船只拖曳每一块石头。更近期的考古学假设认为他们使用超大号的柳条篮子，放在滚珠和长凹槽木板组合上，由牛拖动来运输蓝石。

第5段

早在20世纪70年代，地质学家就开始参与关于巨石阵形成原因的辩论。一些科学家对“勤劳的建造者从遥远的威尔士推、拉、滚动或拖运巨石”的经典形象提出了质疑，他们认为大约5000年前的冰川而不是人类将蓝石带到索尔兹伯里平原。然而，大多数考古学家对于这一理论持怀疑态度，不明白自然力量如何可能准确地送来完成圈阵所需的石块数量。

第6段

施工的第三阶段发生在公元前2000年左右。这时，沙岩板块（称为“萨森石”）被排列成外环或环形；其中一些被组装成了巨石阵中央高耸的标志性的三片结构，称为“三石柱”。现在，这个遗址上可以看到大约50块这样的石头，可能以前还有更多。放射性碳年代测定显示，巨石阵的工作一直持续到公元前1600年左右，特别是蓝色石块被多次重新布置。

第7段

那么，谁是巨石阵的建造者呢？17世纪，考古学家约翰·奥布里声称巨石阵是德鲁伊教徒的作品，他们在凯尔特社会中担任重要的宗教、司法和政治角色。这一理论在古物学家威廉·斯图克利的推广下得到了广泛传播，他在遗址上发现了古老的墓葬。即使在今天，自称为现代德鲁伊教徒的人们仍然在夏至时聚集在巨石阵附近。然而，在20世纪中期，放射性碳年代测定证明巨石阵出现在凯尔特人定居该地区的1000多年前。

第8段

现代的许多历史学家和考古学家现在都同意，多个不同的部落为巨石阵的建造做出了贡献，每个部落负责不同阶段的建设。在遗址上发现的骨骸、工具和其他工艺品似乎支持了这一假设。第一阶段由可能是不列颠群岛原住民的新石器时代农耕人完成。之后，人们认为使用更先进的工具，并且有着更加社群化的生活方式的群体在遗址上留下了痕迹。一些人认为他们是欧洲大陆的移民，而其他人认为他们可能是原住的不列颠人，是起初的建造者的后裔。

第9段

尽管关于巨石阵的建造者和建造过程的事实仍然相当模糊，但这座引人注目的遗迹的用途更是一个谜。虽然现代学者中的大多数人一致认为巨石阵曾用作墓地，但他们尚未确定其其他用途。

第10段

在20世纪60年代，天文学家杰拉尔德·霍金斯提出巨石阵的石块群可能作为一种日历，不同的点对应不同季节发生的天文现象，如夏至、冬至和日食。虽然他的理论引起了几十年来的广泛关注，但批评者认为巨石阵的建造者可能缺乏预测此类事件所需的知识，或者英国浓密的云层会阻挡他们观察天空。

第11段

最近，英国考古学家在巨石阵发掘出的人类遗骸中发现的疾病和伤害迹象，使他们推测巨石阵被认为是一个治愈之地，也许是因为人们认为蓝色石块具有疗效。