All language subtitles for Unearthed Ghosts of Stonehenge 720p

¶¶

Narrator:
STONEHENGE, ENGLAND.

THE MOST FAMOUS
PREHISTORIC MONUMENT

IN THE WORLD.

FOR CENTURIES,
HISTORIANS HAVE WONDERED

WHY AND HOW IT WAS BUILT.

THE SKILL AND THE ENGINEERING
AND THE INGENUITY

OF THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT IT
IS JUST JAW-DROPPING.

Narrator:
NOW NEW TECHNOLOGIES

ARE UNLOCKING STONEHENGE'S
DEEPEST AND DARKEST SECRETS,

AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE REWRITING THE HISTORY

OF THIS ANCIENT WONDER.

THIS IS GOING TO REVOLUTIONIZE

OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE ORIGINS OF STONEHENGE.

Narrator: WHAT THEY'RE
FINDING IS SHOCKING.

THIS BLOW SUGGESTS THAT THIS
PERSON WAS PROBABLY EXECUTED.

Narrator:
IS THE STORY OF STONEHENGE

STRANGER AND MORE COMPLEX
THAN WE EVER IMAGINED?

THE ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT IS
TO UPROOT THE STONES THEMSELVES,

UNEARTHING BURIED SKELETONS...

CONCEALED CARVINGS...

AND THE CELESTIAL SECRETS

HIDDEN AT THE HEART OF
THIS STONE AGE MASTERPIECE.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

4,500 YEARS AGO...

IN AN AGE BEFORE METAL...

BEFORE THE WHEEL...

STONE AGE BRITONS
RAISED UP 165 COLOSSAL STONES

ON A FEATURELESS ENGLISH PLAIN

TO FAMOUSLY CELEBRATE SUNRISE
ON THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR

AND SUNSET ON THE SHORTEST.

BUT WAS ALL THIS BUILT
FOR JUST TWO DAYS OF THE YEAR?

PIONEERING TECHNOLOGIES
AND GRUESOME DISCOVERIES

ARE NOW REVEALING
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED HERE

TO TELL THE FULL STORY
OF STONEHENGE.

THIS WAS THE NEW YORK
OF ITS TIME.

IT WAS THE LONDON
OF ITS TIME, THE PARIS.

STONEHENGE WAS THE PLACE TO BE.

¶¶

Narrator:
TODAY, THE HENGE APPEARS RUINED,

BUT THERE'S ORDER IN THE CHAOS

AND CLUES TO THIS
ANCIENT SITE'S FORMER GLORY.

FIVE COLOSSAL ARCHES STAND
AT THE HEART OF THE HENGE,

ARRANGED IN A HORSESHOE

AND MADE FROM 20-FOOT-TALL
STONES KNOWN AS SARSENS.

AROUND THEM, CIRCLES
OF A DIFFERENT ROCK

KNOWN AS BLUESTONE,

EACH WEIGHING
AS MUCH AS AN S.U.V.

ANOTHER RING OF SARSENS
ENCIRCLES THE BLUESTONES,

PERFECTLY ALIGNED WITH
THE WINTER-SOLSTICE SUNSET

AND SUMMER-SOLSTICE SUNRISE.

¶¶

ALTHOUGH STONEHENGE IS FAMOUS
AS A CELESTIAL TEMPLE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS SUSPECT
A MONUMENT THIS BIG

MUST HAVE ATTRACTED OTHER USES.

BUT WHAT?

¶¶

MODERN FORENSIC TECHNIQUES

ARE REVEALING
THE SURPRISING ANSWER

BECAUSE SOME OF THE PEOPLE
WHO CAME HERE NEVER LEFT.

WE KNOW THERE WERE 300 TO 400
BURIALS IN THE GENERAL REGION.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGICAL
BONE EXPERT JACKIE McKINLEY

SUSPECTS MANY OF THESE PEOPLE
CAME TO STONEHENGE

FOR MORE THAN JUST
TWO DAYS A YEAR.

THEY CAME TO LIVE AND WORK,

AND SHE BELIEVES THEIR BONES
CAN PROVE HER THEORY.

McKinley:
A LOT OF THE TIME,

THE DEAD ARE BURIED
IN CERTAIN POSITIONS, POSTURES

WITH CERTAIN MATERIALS
WITH THEM,

SO THERE'S A WHOLE VARIETY
OF THINGS

THAT I GO TO LOOK FOR

BECAUSE THAT CAN TELL ME
SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR LIFE

BUT ALSO ABOUT
STONEHENGE ITSELF.

¶¶

Narrator: BURIED BENEATH
THE STONES LAY HUMAN REMAINS --

FOUR SKELETONS,
ONE DECAPITATED.

ANOTHER WITH FATAL ARROW WOUNDS

AND THE ARROWHEADS
THAT KILLED HIM.

THEY'RE CLUES
TO THE ANCIENT PEOPLE

THAT CAME HERE 4,500 YEARS AGO.

BUT THESE SKELETONS
ARE NOT ALONE.

WITHIN A RING OF 56 PITS
THAT SURROUND THE STONES

LIE THE CREMATED REMAINS
OF DOZENS OF PEOPLE,

AND MANY MORE ARE BURIED
OUTSIDE THIS RING.

WHAT CAN THESE REMAINS TELL US

ABOUT HOW STONEHENGE
WAS REALLY USED?

¶¶

TODAY, JACKIE'S EXAMINING

ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE
SKELETONS FOUND IN THE AREA.

McKinley: FROM THE SKELETON,
I CAN SEE THAT THIS WAS

A YOUNG ADULT MALE,
PROBABLY IN HIS MID-20s.

Narrator: DYING YOUNG WASN'T
UNUSUAL IN PREHISTORIC BRITAIN,

BUT THE OBJECTS
BURIED WITH THIS MAN

WERE ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY.

JACKIE BELIEVES THEY'RE A CLUE
TO HIS OCCUPATION.

THIS IS A PAIR OF GOLD ORNAMENTS

THAT WERE FOUND ROLLED TOGETHER
INSIDE THE MOUTH.

YOU SEE THEY'RE TUCKED AGAINST

THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE
OF THE INNER JAW,

WHICH MEANS THEY WERE
EITHER PLACED IN THE MOUTH

AT THE TIME OF DEATH
OR SET IN BEFORE BURIAL.

AND THESE REALLY ARE VERY RARE.

THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT EIGHT
PAIRS KNOWN FROM THE COUNTRY.

Narrator: ANCIENT PEOPLE
OFTEN BURIED THEIR DEAD

WITH POSSESSIONS THAT HINT
AT THEIR OWNER'S PROFESSION.

DID THIS MAN TRADE
IN FINE JEWELRY?

McKinley: WE WERE AT THE VERY
EARLY STAGES OF METALWORKING.

THESE ARE VERY FINELY
WORKED ITEMS,

AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE --
NOT JUST THE TECHNOLOGY,

BUT THE SKILL TO HAVE LEARNED

HOW TO CHANGE SOMETHING
WHICH WAS ESSENTIALLY A ROCK

INTO SOMETHING THAT DELICATE
AND THAT BEAUTIFULLY WORKED

WOULD REALLY HAVE BEEN SEEN
AS SOMETHING QUITE MAGICAL.

Narrator:
JACKIE THINKS THIS MAGIC

MAY HAVE BEEN WORKED
BY THE MAN BURIED NEXT TO HIM.

McKinley:
THERE WERE TWO GRAVES

THAT WERE WITHIN 3 METERS
OF EACH OTHER.

Narrator:
THE SECOND, OLDER MAN

WAS BURIED WITH THE SAME
RARE GOLD ORNAMENTS,

TOGETHER WITH SIMPLE
METALWORKING TOOLS.

I THINK HE WAS THE PERSON
WHO WORKED THE MAGIC.

I THINK HE WAS THE PERSON
WHO COULD MAKE THOSE CHANGES

FROM PIECES OF ROCK

TO ITEMS OF BEAUTY
AND ITEMS OF UTILITY.

¶¶

Narrator: JACKIE IS CONVINCED
BOTH MEN WERE METALWORKERS

WHO CAME TO STONEHENGE

TO MAKE AND SELL
THEIR PRECIOUS METAL GOODS.

TO HER, STONEHENGE
WAS MORE THAN A MONUMENT.

IT WAS A THRIVING HUB
FOR CRAFT AND TRADE.

BUT JACKIE'S
DISCOVERED SOMETHING

EVEN MORE EXTRAORDINARY.

THESE ANCIENT CRAFTSMEN

HAD COME A LONG WAY
TO SET UP SHOP AT STONEHENGE.

THERE ARE CERTAIN
CHEMICAL SIGNATURES

WHICH ARE TAKEN UP
FROM THE GROUND WATER

WHICH CAN GET FIXED
IN THE DENTAL ENAMEL

AS IT'S DEVELOPING
IN THE GROWING CHILD.

BY LOOKING AT THOSE SIGNATURES
AND RELATING THEM

TO THE DIFFERENT GEOLOGIES
ACROSS EUROPE,

WE CAN MORE OR LESS
WORK OUT THE REGIONS

THAT PEOPLE CAME FROM.

Narrator: PREHISTORIC BRITONS
HADN'T YET DISCOVERED THE WHEEL,

SO INVESTIGATORS ASSUMED THEY
LIVED AND DIED IN ONE PLACE,

BUT THE EVIDENCE FROM THE OLDER
MAN SHATTERS THIS BELIEF.

THE SIGNAL
THAT WE GOT FROM HIM

SUGGESTS HE MAY HAVE BEEN
FROM CENTRAL EUROPE,

FROM THE AREA OF
WHAT WE NOW KNOW AS GERMANY.

Narrator: THAT'S A 700-MILE HIKE
FROM STONEHENGE.

THE YOUNGER MAN'S RESULTS
ARE EQUALLY ASTONISHING.

HE WAS BORN AT STONEHENGE

BUT SPENT HIS TEENS
IN CENTRAL EUROPE.

McKinley: THE FACT THAT
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE

THAT PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE MOVED
SEVERAL TIMES

IN THEIR LIFETIME BETWEEN,
YOU KNOW, QUITE LONG DISTANCES

IS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING.

WHAT YOU'VE GOT IS A CONNECTION

BETWEEN PEOPLE
OVER A LARGE GEOGRAPHIC AREA.

AND WHETHER
THEY KEPT THAT CONNECTION

BECAUSE OF TRADE
OR BECAUSE OF FAMILY

OR PROBABLY A COMBINATION
OF THE TWO,

IT IS JUST --
IT'S SO MODERN IN MANY WAYS.

IT REALLY IS VERY SIMILAR
TO WHAT WE WOULD BE DOING NOW.

Narrator: THIS DISCOVERY

REWRITES OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

4,000 YEARS AGO,
THESE TWO MEN TRAVELED

VAST DISTANCES
OVER LAND AND SEA.

THEY WERE PART OF
A COMPLEX WEB OF CONNECTIONS

PERHAPS WITH THE MARKETPLACE
OF STONEHENGE AT ITS CORE.

AND THEY WEREN'T
THE ONLY FOREIGN TRAVELERS

TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO THIS CORNER
OF SOUTHWEST ENGLAND.

¶¶

EVIDENCE FROM HUNDREDS OF GRAVES

SHOWS STONEHENGE WAS
A MULTINATIONAL MELTING POT.

THE GRAVES ARE FILLED
WITH ITEMS FROM DISTANT LANDS --

A GREEN-JADE AX HEAD
FROM ITALY...

AN AMBER NECKLACE
FROM DENMARK...

AND BLUE BEADS FROM GREECE.

ONE DAGGER COMBINES WHALE BONE
FROM AS FAR AWAY AS SCANDINAVIA

WITH BRONZE MADE FROM
CORNISH TIN AND WELSH COPPER.

¶¶

THE GRAVES OF STONEHENGE
ARE REWRITING OUR UNDERSTANDING

OF HOW STONE AGE PEOPLE LIVED.

BUT WHY DID THIS REMOTE,
HARD-TO-REACH SPOT

BECOME THE MANHATTAN OF ITS AGE?

A CONTROVERSIAL NEW THEORY

SUGGESTS THE STONES THEMSELVES
PROVIDED A UNIQUE DRAW.

DID THE TRADERS COME TO
STONEHENGE IN SEARCH OF MAGIC?

¶¶

¶¶

Narrator: 4,500 YEARS AGO,

PEOPLE TRAVELED TO STONEHENGE
FROM ACROSS EUROPE

TO MAKE AND TRADE
PRECIOUS GOODS.

BUT WHAT DREW THEM HERE?

A NEW AND CONTROVERSIAL IDEA

SUGGESTS IT WASN'T
THE MASSIVE SARSEN STONES,

BUT THEIR SMALLER,
LESS CONSPICUOUS NEIGHBORS.

IN A SENSE, THE BLUESTONES
ARE THE SECRET TO STONEHENGE.

¶¶

Narrator: TODAY, STONEHENGE
LOOKS DULL AND WEATHERED,

BUT STRIP AWAY THE LAYERS
OF LICHEN AND MOSS,

AND THE MONUMENT APPEARS
IN ITS FORMER GLORY --

SHINING, WHITE SARSENS
MADE FROM A LOCAL SANDSTONE.

AND THE SMALLER BLUESTONES
WERE EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL.

THEY'RE A TYPE OF
VOLCANIC ROCK CALLED DOLERITE

THAT'S NOT FOUND LOCALLY.

¶¶

ORIGINALLY, THERE WERE 80
OF THESE BLUESTONES,

PROTECTED BY TWO RINGS
OF GIANT SARSENS.

¶¶

THE BLUESTONES
ARE CENTRAL TO STONEHENGE,

BUT THEY PLAYED LITTLE PART

IN THE SUMMER
OR WINTER SOLSTICE.

SO WHAT WERE THEY FOR?

WHAT DID THEY MEAN TO THE PEOPLE
WHO VISITED STONEHENGE?

ARCHAEOLOGIST TIM DARVILL

THINKS THE BLUESTONES HAD A
UNIQUE AND POWERFUL ATTRACTION

BECAUSE IT SEEMS
THE BUILDERS OF STONEHENGE

WENT TO EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS
TO OBTAIN THEM.

AND THIS IS IT.
LOOK AT THAT.

THERE'S THE STONE
RIGHT IN FRONT.

TIM AND HIS TEAM ARE IN
THE PRESELI HILLS IN WALES.

THEY'RE 140 MILES
FROM STONEHENGE.

Darvill:
I'D SAY IT'S A GOOD PLACE.

Narrator: BUT INCREDIBLY,
MANY HISTORIANS BELIEVE

THIS IS WHERE THE BLUESTONES
WERE QUARRIED.

WOW.
THAT WAS A WALK.

TIM WANTS TO PROVE
THE STONES CAME FROM THESE HILLS

BY USING GROUNDBREAKING,
NEW X-RAY TECHNOLOGY

TO PINPOINT THE EXACT LOCATION
WHERE EACH STONE WAS QUARRIED.

¶¶

Man: WELL, AT THE MOMENT,
I'M ANALYZING THE CHEMISTRY

OF THIS PARTICULAR DOLERITE,
AND THE MACHINE ITSELF

IS FIRING HIGH-ENERGY X-RAYS
INTO THE ROCK,

AND THE ENERGY THAT'S
BEING REFLECTED BACK

IS TELLING US WHAT ATOMS,
WHAT ELEMENTS

ARE ACTUALLY IN THE ROCK ITSELF.

¶¶

Narrator: ONCE THE TEAM
HAS SCANNED THE LOCAL ROCKS,

THEY COMPARE THE RESULTS

TO READINGS PREVIOUSLY
TAKEN AT STONEHENGE.

EACH COLORED LINE REPRESENTS
THE UNIQUE COMPOSITION

OF AN INDIVIDUAL BLUESTONE
AT STONEHENGE.

¶¶

TIM OVERLAYS TODAY'S READINGS.

THE RESULTS ARE STRIKING.

ONE READING SEEMS A PERFECT HIT

AND ANOTHER TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE.

IN SOME WAYS, THE SAMPLES
THAT WE'VE TAKEN TODAY

ARE INDISTINGUISHABLE
FROM THOSE COMPOSITIONS...

-YES.
-...FROM STONEHENGE.

Darvill: THERE'S
A GOOD GROUP THERE.

Narrator:
TIM'S INITIAL FINDINGS

SHOW AT LEAST TWO
OF THE STONEHENGE BLUESTONES

COME FROM THIS ROCKY OUTCROP.

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY.

BUT WITHOUT METAL TOOLS,
OR EVEN WHEELS,

HOW DID THE STONE AGE BUILDERS
EXTRACT AND TRANSPORT

THESE HUGE STONES
ALL THE WAY TO STONEHENGE?

¶¶

ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
THE STONE MASONS

DROVE WOODEN WEDGES
INTO CRACKS IN THE ROCK.

[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]

WHEN THESE GOT WET,
THEY EXPANDED,

BREAKING OFF HUGE SLABS.

80 SLABS, WEIGHING UP TO 5 TONS,
WERE MOVED TO STONEHENGE.

THEY COULD'VE BEEN DRAGGED
ON SLEDS ALONG ROLLERS...

...OR WRAPPED IN
PROTECTIVE WICKER BRANCHES

AND ROLLED ACROSS COUNTRY.

THEY COULD EVEN
HAVE BEEN CARRIED BY RAFT,

FLOATED ALONG THE COAST
AND UPRIVER

UNTIL THEY REACHED
THEIR CHOSEN SITE

140 MILES FROM THE QUARRY.

¶¶

TIM AND HIS TEAM ARE
PIECING TOGETHER THE PUZZLES

OF WHERE THE STONES CAME FROM

AND HOW THEY WERE TRANSPORTED
TO STONEHENGE.

BUT THE BIGGEST QUESTION
OF ALL IS, WHY?

WHY DID THE ANCIENT BUILDERS

CARRY THE STONES 140 MILES
TO STONEHENGE?

TIM THINKS THE ANSWER LIES

IN THESE HILLS
AND THEIR REPUTATION FOR MAGIC.

Darvill: THE SPRINGS
ALL ALONG THE PRESELI HILLS

ARE WELL-KNOWN FOR
THEIR MAGICAL PROPERTIES,

AND MANY OF THEM
ARE STILL VISITED BY PEOPLE

WHO BELIEVE THAT
THEY'VE GOT CURATIVE POWERS.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WATER

IS THE FACT THAT IT HAS SEEPED
THROUGH THE BLUESTONES,

AND THAT'S WHAT GIVES THESE
THINGS THEIR MAGICAL POWERS.

Darvill: TIM BELIEVES THE
BLUESTONES' MAGICAL PROPERTIES

BROUGHT THE BUILDERS
OF STONEHENGE

TO THIS DISTANT HILLSIDE

AND THEN BROUGHT PEOPLE
TO STONEHENGE ITSELF.

Darvill: THAT'S WHY
THEY WANTED TO BE THERE.

THEY WANTED TO BE
ASSOCIATED WITH IT,

TO TOUCH, TO FEEL,
TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT AWAY.

¶¶

Narrator: THE WELSH BLUESTONES
MADE STONEHENGE FAMOUS

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD,

BUT WHY DID THE BRITONS FRAME
THESE LEGENDARY BLOCKS

WITH THE MUCH LARGER
SARSEN STONES?

COULD NEW TECHNOLOGY
LIFT THE LID

ON THE ANCIENT WORLD'S
MOST MYSTERIOUS RITUAL?

AND...

DO THE STONE CIRCLES HIDE
AN EVEN DARKER SECRET

AS THE SITE OF
A SHOWPIECE KILLING?

Buckberry: QUITE BLOODY.
IT'S QUITE HORRIBLE.

WE KNOW THAT ONE OF THE MODES
OF EXECUTION WAS DECAPITATION.

¶¶

Narrator:
STONEHENGE IN ENGLAND --

THE MOST FAMOUS PREHISTORIC
MONUMENT IN THE WORLD.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE UNCOVERING EVIDENCE

THAT ANCIENT BRITONS
USED THIS MONUMENT ALL YEAR LONG

FOR TRADING AND MAKING GOODS
AND FOR BURYING THEIR DEAD.

BUT WHAT CEREMONIES WENT ON HERE

DURING THE TWO KEY DAYS
IN THE ANCIENT CALENDAR

FOR WHICH THE HENGE
WAS DESIGNED,

THE WINTER AND SUMMER SOLSTICES?

Greaney: WE DON'T HAVE THAT
MUCH EVIDENCE ABOUT EXACTLY

WHAT KIND OF RITUALS
TOOK PLACE HERE IN PREHISTORY,

SO WE HAVE TO KIND OF LOOK
AT THE STONES THEMSELVES.

Narrator:
SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE

CLUES TO THE RITUAL SECRETS
OF STONEHENGE

MAY LIE HIDDEN IN THE WAY
ANCIENT STONE MASONS

CARVED THE TWO RINGS
OF MASSIVE SARSEN STONES.

¶¶

THESE STONES ARE A MIRACLE
OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING.

ON THEIR TOPS LIE
CARVED JOINTS,

PERFECTLY SHAPED TO SLOT INSIDE
THE LINTEL BALANCED ON TOP.

THESE JOINTS KEEP
THE WHOLE MONUMENT STEADY.

THE BALANCING LINTELS

ALSO HAVE TONGUES AND GROOVES
THAT INTERLOCK...

TO SECURE THE CIRCLE.

THE ANCIENT CRAFTSMEN
LEFT NOTHING TO CHANCE.

EVERY PART OF THE DESIGN

WAS CAREFULLY CONSIDERED
AND EXPERTLY EXECUTED.

Greaney:
STONEHENGE IS UNIQUE BECAUSE

IT'S THE ONLY LINTELED
STONE CIRCLE IN THE WORLD.

IT'S THE ONLY ONE
WITH THESE HORIZONTAL STONES

THAT CONNECT THE OTHERS
TOGETHER,

AND IT'S ALSO THE ONLY ONE
WHERE YOU'VE GOT THIS EVIDENCE

OF JOINTS AND THE STONES BEING
SHAPED IN SUCH A UNIQUE WAY.

Narrator: TODAY,
ARCHAEOLOGIST SUSAN GREANEY

USES LASER TECHNOLOGY
TO LOOK FOR TINY INDENTATIONS

ON THE SURFACE
OF THE GIANT SARSENS.

¶¶

SHE HOPES MARKS CARVED
BY ANCIENT STONE MASONS

4,500 YEARS AGO

COULD REVEAL
WHAT TYPE OF RITUALS

THE STONE CIRCLES
WERE DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE.

Greaney: THE WAY THAT
THE STONES WERE SHAPED

WAS USING SARSEN HAMMERSTONES...

SO LITERALLY
EACH BASH OF THE STONE

JUST RESULTS
IN A LITTLE KIND OF DIMPLE.

AND SO THE DETAIL OF THAT,
YOU JUST WOULDN'T BE ABLE

TO PICK UP WITH THE NAKED EYE.

Narrator:
THE LASER SCANNER SENDS OUT

TINY PULSES OF INVISIBLE LIGHT.

[ WHIRRING ]

THE LIGHT BOUNCES BACK TO THE
SCANNER TO CREATE A 3-D IMAGE

THAT'S ACCURATE TO
THE TINIEST FRACTION OF AN INCH.

IT CAN SHOW YOU HOW THE STONES
WORKED AND SHAPED IN PREHISTORY,

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING
THAT'S NOT REALLY BEEN

LOOKED AT
IN MASSIVE DETAIL BEFORE.

Narrator: SUSAN CAREFULLY
EXAMINES THE SARSEN STONES.

SHE HOPES TO DISCOVER
WHICH SURFACES

THE ANCIENT MASONS SPENT
THE MOST EFFORT CARVING

BECAUSE THESE COULD
POINT TOWARDS

THE MOST SACRED SPOTS
ON THE SITE,

PERHAPS WHERE HOLY MEN
WOULD ONCE HAVE STOOD.

Man: YEAH,
WE'RE GOING TO NEED...

I MEAN, THIS SIDE WILL
COME OUT VERY NICELY HERE.

BUT TO GET THE TOP OF IT
OVER THERE, WE'LL NEED TO...

ON ONE OF THE FALLEN STONES,

SUSAN SPOTS A SMALL
BUT SIGNIFICANT DETAIL.

YEAH, SO, THE RIDGES THAT
YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE STONE

ARE THE REMNANTS OF HOW
THEY'VE BEEN WORKING

AND SHAPING THIS
PARTICULAR STONE.

¶¶

CAN DOWNLOAD THE DATA
AND HAVE A LITTLE PREVIEW
OF WHAT WE'VE SCANNED?

YEAH, WE CAN HAVE A LOOK AT IT.
YES, YEAH, CERTAINLY.

Narrator:
SCANS OF THE STANDING SARSENS

REVEAL MORE OF
THESE ROUGH WORK MARKS,

BUT ONLY ON ONE SIDE.

THE INTERIOR SURFACES
HAVE BEEN HAMMERED SMOOTH,

A PROCESS KNOWN AS DRESSING.

AND THE BEST-DRESSED STONES
WERE USED TO FRAME

THE RISING SUN
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.

Greaney: THE LASER SCANNING
HAS SHOWN US THAT THE STONES

THAT WERE THE
MOST FINELY DRESSED --

TO MAKE THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUN
REALLY OBVIOUSLY.

AND IT SHOWS
WHICH BITS OF THE SITE

WERE IMPORTANT IN PREHISTORY.

¶¶

Narrator:
SUSAN'S WORK SHOWS

THAT ONLY A SMALL AREA
INSIDE THE CENTRAL HORSESHOE

WAS OPTIMIZED TO GIVE
THE PERFECT VIEW

OF THE RISING SUN.

¶¶

AND BECAUSE
THE INNER CIRCLE IS SMALL,

THIS TELLS HER
SOMETHING IMPORTANT

ABOUT HOW STONEHENGE WAS USED.

IT WASN'T DESIGNED
AS A PREHISTORIC CATHEDRAL

FOR A VAST CONGREGATION.

IT WAS AN EXCLUSIVE TEMPLE
FOR A TINY ELITE.

¶¶

SUSAN'S RESEARCH,
COMBINED WITH EVIDENCE

FROM OTHER NEARBY
PREHISTORIC SITES,

ALLOWS US TO PAINT A PICTURE

OF HOW THIS ELITE
MAY HAVE USED STONEHENGE.

THESE CHOSEN FEW
MAY HAVE ARRIVED BY BOAT

AND THEN WALKED ALONG
A PROCESSIONAL AVENUE

TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE HENGE.

ON THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR,
THEY WOULD'VE STOOD

ALONG THE CENTRAL AXIS
OF THE STONE CIRCLE,

SURROUNDED BY THE SMOOTH FACES
OF THE INNER SARSENS,

AND WITNESSED
A SPECTACULAR EVENT

AS THE SUMMER SUN ROSE
DIRECTLY ABOVE THE HEEL STONE.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS ARE SLOWLY
UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES

OF HOW THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS
ANCIENT MONUMENT WAS USED.

BUT WHY DID ANCIENT BRITONS
DECIDE TO TRANSPORT THESE STONES

140 MILES
TO THIS FEATURELESS PLAIN?

WHAT WAS SO SPECIAL
ABOUT THIS PLACE?

NOW, A BIZARRE CACHE OF BONES
UNEARTHED AT STONEHENGE

MAY FINALLY PROVIDE THE ANSWER.

¶¶

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE FINALLY PIECING TOGETHER

THE ANCIENT WORLD'S
GREATEST PUZZLE,

TO UNDERSTAND
WHY STONEHENGE WAS BUILT

AND HOW IT WAS USED.

BUT THERE'S ONE
MAJOR PIECE MISSING.

A REALLY BIG QUESTION
STILL REMAINS IN THIS LANDSCAPE.

WHY IS STONEHENGE WHERE IT IS?

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS
HAVE UNCOVERED EVIDENCE

THAT MAY SOLVE THIS MYSTERY.

IF THEY'RE RIGHT,
IT WILL FINALLY EXPLAIN

WHY THE ANCIENT BUILDERS

WENT TO SUCH
EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS

TO BRING THE BLUESTONES

TO THIS SEEMINGLY
ORDINARY PLACE.

¶¶

BURIED BENEATH THE STONES,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE UNEARTHED
THOUSANDS OF ANIMAL BONES,

SHARDS OF BONE FROM WOLVES,

RAVENS, DOGS, FOXES, AND PIGS...

...SKULLS FROM CATTLE
AND HORNS FROM BISON.

IN THE DITCHES
SURROUNDING THE STONES,

THERE ARE HUNDREDS
OF DEER ANTLERS,

AND, AT THE MONUMENT'S
SOUTHERN EXIT,

TWO HUGE JAW BONES
THAT APPEAR TO BELONG

TO A NOW-EXTINCT BREED
OF WILD COW CALLED AN AUROCH.

THE STRANGE BONES WERE CAREFULLY
PLACED IN A SYMBOLIC POSITION.

BUT WHY?

¶¶

DAVID JACQUES BELIEVES ANCIENT
AUROCHS COULD BE THE KEY

TO UNDERSTANDING WHY STONEHENGE
WAS BUILT WHERE IT WAS.

AUROCHS CAPTIVATED
THE STONE AGE IMAGINATION,

APPEARING IN CAVE PAINTINGS
ACROSS EUROPE.

Jacques: THEY WOULD'VE BEEN
HUGE MEGACOWS,

ABOUT 2 METERS HIGH.

RUNNING SPEED,
ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

ENORMOUS HORNS. THIS WOULD'VE
BEEN A REALLY FEROCIOUS ANIMAL.

IN A SENSE, YOU GET THE FEELING

THAT THE ARTIST
IS WORSHIPPING THEM.

THERE WOULD'VE BEEN ENORMOUS
RESPECT FOR THESE WILD ANIMALS.

Narrator: BUT WHY BURY
THEIR BONES AT STONEHENGE?

DAVID THINKS
HE'S FOUND THE ANSWER

AT A SITE HE'S BEEN EXCAVATING

JUST A MILE AND A HALF
FROM THE STONES.

Jacques:
IT'S A SITE TO ITS EAST,

WHICH I'VE BEEN EXPLORING
SINCE 2005.

IT'S KNOWN AS BLICK MEAD.

AND HERE IS WHERE
THE EARLIEST PEOPLE

WHO WERE LIVING
IN THIS LANDSCAPE LIVED,

AND THEY LIVED HERE
FOR A REALLY LONG TIME.

Narrator:
AT BLICK MEAD, DAVID HAS FOUND

FRAGMENTS OF BUTCHERED
AND COOKED AUROCH BONE.

AND TODAY HE'S TRAVELING
TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S LEADING

RADIOCARBON-DATING LABORATORIES

TO GET HIS
MOST RECENT FIND DATED.

HE HOPES THIS COULD SOLVE

THE MYSTERY OF
STONEHENGE'S LOCATION.

Jacques: THERE ARE THOUSANDS
OF THESE BONES THERE.

IT LOOKS TO US
AS THOUGH THIS LANDSCAPE

IS REALLY HEAVILY POPULATED
BY AUROCHS.

Narrator:
LIKE THE BUFFALO

THAT ROAMED
THE GREAT PLAINS OF AMERICA,

DAVID BELIEVES VAST HERDS
OF AUROCHS DOMINATED THE PLAIN

WHERE STONEHENGE STANDS TODAY.

BUT EARLY HUNTERS WERE WAITING,
READY TO HERD THE BEASTS

THROUGH A NATURAL CHANNEL
IN THE LANDSCAPE,

UP TOWARDS WHAT WOULD
ONE DAY BECOME STONEHENGE.

WE THINK THAT THE HUNTERS
ARE TRACKING AUROCHS

FROM THE SPRINGS
UP OVER SALISBURY PLAIN

IN THE DIRECTION
OF THE STONEHENGE KNOLL.

THE AREA AROUND THE
STONEHENGE KNOLL IS A KILL ZONE.

IT'S A TERRIFIC PLACE
TO TAKE THESE ANIMALS DOWN.

Narrator:
DAVID'S CONVINCED THAT LONG
BEFORE STONEHENGE WAS BUILT,

HUNDREDS OF HUNTERS
FROM ALL OVER BRITAIN

GATHERED AT THE SITE
FOR ANNUAL AUROCH HUNTS.

THESE EVENTS
WOULD'VE BEEN SO SPECIAL.

IT'S LIKE THE SUPER BOWL.
IT'S LIKE THE POPE SPEAKING.

THIS IS SPORT. THIS IS RELIGION.

THIS IS FEASTING.

IT WOULD'VE BEEN
EXHILARATING, 'COURSE,

WITH SERIOUS STREAK OF DANGER
IN IT,

BUT IF YOU GOT ONE
OF THOSE ANIMALS DOWN,

YOU MIGHT WELL BE REMEMBERED
WAY OUTSIDE OF YOUR LIFETIME.

Narrator: THESE HUNTS
MADE THIS LANDSCAPE FAMOUS.

DAVID BELIEVES
THE HUNTERS MARKED

THIS LEGENDARY HUNTING GROUND

BY BUILDING
THE FIRST MONUMENT HERE.

800 FEET NORTHWEST
OF STONEHENGE,

BENEATH WHAT IS NOW
AN ACCESS ROAD TO THE STONES,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE

OF THREE HUGE WOODEN TOTEM POLES

ERECTED 5,000 YEARS BEFORE
STONEHENGE WAS BUILT.

¶¶

Jacques: IT'S GOT THE
EARLIEST MONUMENTS IN EUROPE

BEING PUT UP ON THE SAME KNOLL

WHERE STONEHENGE
LATER GOT BUILT,

SO IT'S BEEN
A SPECIAL, SACRED SPOT

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

ACTUALLY OVER 10,000 YEARS.

Narrator: 5,000 YEARS AFTER
THE THREE POLES WERE ERECTED,

STONEHENGE BEGAN
TO TAKE SHAPE NEARBY

WITH A DITCH, WOODEN POLES,
AND BLUESTONE CIRCLE.

NEXT CAME
THE GIANT SARSEN STONES

TO CREATE THE ICONIC
STONE CIRCLE WE SEE TODAY.

¶¶

TWO MONUMENTS
JUST A SHORT WALK APART.

DAVID BELIEVES THIS
CAN'T BE A COINCIDENCE.

TO HIM, THERE'S A CONNECTION
BETWEEN THE STONE CIRCLE

AND THE TIMBER POSTS
ERECTED BY THE HUNTERS

IN HONOR OF THE GREAT HUNTS.

THE AUROCH BONES FOUND BENEATH
STONEHENGE SUGGEST HE'S RIGHT,

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

SO FAR, THERE'S LITTLE EVIDENCE

THAT THE HUNTERS
EVER CAME INTO CONTACT

WITH THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT
STONEHENGE 5,000 YEARS LATER.

DAVID HOPES THIS AUROCH TOOTH

FOUND IN A PREHISTORIC HOUSE
AT BLICK MEAD

COULD PROVIDE A LINK
BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS.

HE'S CONVINCED
THE HUNTERS WERE STILL AROUND

WHEN THE BUILDERS
FIRST ARRIVED IN THE AREA,

AND THESE LAST HUNTERS
TAUGHT THE BUILDERS

ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE'S
GLORIOUS PAST.

¶¶

OTHER FINDS FROM BLICK MEAD

SUGGESTS HIS THEORY
COULD BE RIGHT.

WILL THE TOOTH PROVIDE
YET MORE AMMUNITION

FOR THIS RADICAL IDEA?

I JUST WANTED TO CHECK
WHICH ONE YOU THOUGHT

WOULD BE BEST
FOR SAMPLING.

I'VE GOT SOME AUROCHS'
TEETH FRAGMENTS.

-SO THEY'RE JUST THERE. LOOK.
-OKAY.

AND ALSO SOME CHARCOAL.

SO, THESE ARE FROM THE FIRE
FROM WITHIN THE HOUSE.

Narrator:
BUT RADIOCARBON-DATING SCIENTIST

ELAINE DUNBAR
HAS SPOTTED A PROBLEM.

BECAUSE THIS HAS GOT
TOOTH ENAMEL ON IT,

WE CAN'T BE SURE
THAT THE ACTUAL CARBON

THAT'S IN
THIS TOOTH ENAMEL

ISN'T FULL OF CONTAMINATION
FROM THE SOIL,

WHICH CAN GIVE DATES
THAT ARE ACTUALLY OLDER

OR YOUNGER
FROM THE CONTAMINATION.

OH, THAT'S A REAL PITY.

BUT ELAINE IS CONFIDENT
SHE CAN GET AN ACCURATE DATE

FROM THE CHARCOAL FRAGMENTS
FOUND WITH THE TOOTH

THAT WERE MOST LIKELY USED
TO COOK THE AUROCH MEAT.

ELAINE BEGINS
THE COMPLEX PROCESS

TO DETERMINE WHEN
THIS MIGHTY BEAST LIVED.

¶¶

IT TAKES FOUR WEEKS
TO PROCESS THE RESULTS.

OKAY. ELAINE, GO ON.
GIVE ME THE WORST.

I'M ABSOLUTELY --
THE WHOLE TEAM, TO BE HONEST,

WE'RE ON TENDER HOOKS
FOR THIS DATE.

Narrator: IF THE DATE
IS CLOSE TO 4000 B.C.,

IT MEANS HUNTERS WERE STILL HERE

AFTER THE BUILDERS OF STONEHENGE
HAD ARRIVED.

¶¶

IT'S 4200 TO 4040 B.C.

OH, MY --
OH, MY GOD.

I MEAN, THAT IS --
THAT IS A FABULOUS DATE.

I MEAN, THAT IS
A DREAM DATE FOR US.

I MEAN, BASICALLY, THIS IS
GOING TO REVOLUTIONIZE

OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE ESTABLISHMENT

OF THE ORIGINS OF THE
STONEHENGE LANDSCAPE.

IT DOESN'T GET
BIGGER THAN THAT.

IT'S A COMPLETELY
NEW REVELATION

ABOUT WHY STONEHENGE IS
WHERE IT IS.

FOR DAVID,
IT'S PROOF THAT THE HUNTERS

COULD'VE PASSED ON THEIR BELIEFS
TO THE BUILDERS OF STONEHENGE,

AND THAT MEANS
THE MONUMENT WE SEE TODAY

IS PART OF
A MUCH LONGER TRADITION

THAT BEGAN NOT 5,000,
BUT 10,000 YEARS AGO

WITH THE HUNTING
OF GIANT AUROCHS

ON THIS WINDSWEPT PLATEAU.

¶¶

THE STONES
ARE GIVING UP THEIR SECRETS,

REVEALING HOW THIS
ANCIENT WONDER WAS REALLY USED.

NOW ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE DISCOVERING

THESE STONES GUARD
ANOTHER SECRET

THAT'S BEEN HIDDEN
IN PLAIN SIGHT

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS --

MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS CARVED
ON THE STONES THEMSELVES.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE PIECING TOGETHER

THE FULL STORY OF STONEHENGE.

THEY'RE REVEALING HOW
THIS MONUMENT WAS REALLY USED --

TO MAKE AND TRADE GOODS
AND TO BRING GOOD FORTUNE.

NOW NEW EVIDENCE POINTS

TO PERHAPS
THE STRANGEST USE OF ALL.

¶¶

BENEATH THE LICHEN AND MOSS,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED
STRANGE CARVINGS

CAREFULLY ETCHED
INTO THE SARSEN STONES.

¶¶

THESE CAN'T BE ORIGINAL
FEATURES OF THE HENGE.

THEY'RE TOO DETAILED TO HAVE
BEEN MADE WITH STONE TOOLS.

THEY MUST'VE BEEN MADE LATER
WITH METAL.

WHY DID THESE LATER PEOPLE

CARVE THESE STRANGE SHAPES
ONTO THE STONES?

WHAT DO THE SHAPES REPRESENT,
AND WHAT PURPOSE DID THEY SERVE?

¶¶

Greaney: ACTUALLY, YOU CAN JUST
ABOUT MAKE OUT ONE HERE.

IT'S QUITE A LARGE ONE.

ARCHAEOLOGIST SUSAN GREANEY

HOPES LASER-SCANNING
TECHNOLOGY CAN FIND THE ANSWERS.

SO WE'RE CONCENTRATING
ON THIS PARTICULAR STONE

BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE
SOME OF THE CARVINGS

WERE ADDED TO THE STONES.

THEY'RE REALLY DIFFICULT TO SEE

BECAUSE OF THE LICHEN COVER,
BECAUSE THEY'RE WEATHERED,

BUT YOU CAN ACTUALLY
JUST MAKE THEM OUT.

THERE'S ONE JUST HERE,
QUITE A LARGE ONE.

-OH, YES. YEAH.
-YEAH?

-OH, AND THERE'S MAYBE...
-YEAH, POSSIBLY, YEAH.

SO HOPEFULLY, THAT'LL SHOW UP
REALLY CLEARLY IN THE SCAN.

Narrator:
TODAY, SUSAN WANTS TO IDENTIFY

MORE OF THESE STRANGE CARVINGS.

SHE WANTS TO FIND OUT IF THESE
MARKS ARE SIMPLY RANDOM GRAFFITI

OR IF THEY CONTAIN
A HIDDEN MESSAGE.

THE CARVINGS WERE ADDED
TO THE STONES, WE THINK,

IN ABOUT 1800, 1700 B.C.

SO THAT'S ABOUT 600 OR 700 YEARS

AFTER THE STONES
HAD BEEN PUT UP,

SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE
ADDING GRAFFITI

TO AN OLD CHURCH OR SOMETHING.

THE MONUMENT'S ALREADY OLD
WHEN THEY'RE ADDED.

Narrator: SUSAN THINKS THESE
SHAPES REPRESENT AX HEADS,

SYMBOLIZING ANCIENT BRITAIN'S
MOST TREASURED POSSESSION.

Greaney: SO THE AXES ARE KIND
OF MUSHROOM-SHAPED, REALLY.

THEY'RE SHOWN UPRIGHT,

AND THEY'RE SHOWN
WITHOUT ANY KIND OF HANDLE,

SO IT'S THE ACTUAL
METAL PART OF THE AX

THAT'S BEING CARVED
ONTO THE STONES.

Narrator: ONE SYMBOL
CARVED OVER AND AGAIN.

THIS MUST'VE BEEN DONE
FOR A REASON. BUT WHAT?

400 MILES NORTH OF STONEHENGE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
THEY'VE FOUND A CLUE.

¶¶

AT AN ANCIENT
SCOTTISH BURIAL SITE,

BENEATH THE LID
OF A STONE-LINED GRAVE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED
SIMILAR AX-HEAD CARVINGS.

FOR PREHISTORIC PEOPLE,

METAL AXES WERE A VITAL
AND VALUABLE POSSESSION,

OBJECTS SO PRECIOUS,

IT SEEMS THEY WANTED TO TAKE
A REMINDER TO THEIR GRAVE.

AT STONEHENGE, ONE MAN
WAS EVEN BURIED WITH HIS AX.

THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THERE WAS A CLOSE ASSOCIATION

BETWEEN THE DEAD AND THEIR AXES.

SO DO THE SYMBOLS ON THE STONES
REPRESENT BODIES IN THE GROUND?

¶¶

Greaney:
AT THE TIME THAT THESE CARVINGS

ARE BEING PUT ONTO THE STONES
AT STONEHENGE,

THE WHOLE LANDSCAPE AROUND HERE
IS BEING USED FOR BURIALS,

SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT
PEOPLE WERE COMING HERE,

BURYING THEIR DEAD
IN THIS LANDSCAPE,

AND PERHAPS THE MOURNERS
OR THE FAMILY

WERE ADDING AN AX TO STONEHENGE
AT THAT TIME.

Narrator: IF SUSAN'S RIGHT,
THESE CARVINGS ARE MEMORIALS.

PEOPLE CAME HERE
TO COMMEMORATE THEIR DEAD,

CARVING EACH AX
IN HONOR OF THE DECEASED,

TURNING STONEHENGE

INTO A PREHISTORIC WALL
OF REMEMBRANCE.

THIS IS A MAJOR DISCOVERY
MADE POSSIBLE BY NEW TECHNOLOGY.

Greaney: WE HAVE
ABOUT 114 AXES ON THE SITES

ACROSS ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE
OF THE SARSEN STONES,

SO IT'S REALLY EXCITING
TO HAVE ALL OF THIS NEW DATA

WHEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO SEE IT WITH THE NAKED EYE.

Narrator: NOW ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE DISCOVERING

SHOCKING NEW EVIDENCE --

THAT THE STONES DID MORE
THAN RECORD DEATHS.

THEY WITNESSED THEM.

WAS STONEHENGE THE SITE
OF A BRUTAL MURDER?

Narrator: FOR 4,500 YEARS,

PEOPLE HAVE FLOCKED
TO STONEHENGE.

TODAY A MILLION PEOPLE
VISIT EVERY YEAR,

NEVER KNOWING THEY COULD BE
LOOKING AT A CRIME SCENE.

¶¶

OSTEOARCHAEOLOGIST JO BUCKBERRY

IS USING THE LATEST
FORENSIC TECHNOLOGY

TO REOPEN
AN ANCIENT COLD CASE --

THE BODY OF A MAN
DUMPED IN A SHALLOW GRAVE

IN THE MIDDLE OF STONEHENGE.

COULD THIS MAN'S BONES
REVEAL A SINISTER,

PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN USE
FOR THE FAMOUS STONE CIRCLE?

THIS IS THE
FOURTH CERVICAL VERTEBRUS,

OR THE FOURTH BONE DOWN
FROM IN THE NECK,

AND THERE'S ACTUALLY
A CUT MARK IN HERE

AT THE BACK OF THE VERTEBRA.

AND SO THIS BLOW,

IT'S COMING IN FROM BEHIND
THROUGH THAT VERTEBRA,

AND IT INDICATES THAT
HE WAS ACTUALLY DECAPITATED.

¶¶

THIS IS A REALLY BRUTAL FORM
OF EXECUTION.

IT'D BE QUITE BLOODY.
IT'S QUITE HORRIBLE.

I THINK IT'S INTERESTING
THAT THE PEOPLE WHO DID THIS

CHOSE A REALLY ICONIC LOCATION
TO DO THIS, AT STONEHENGE.

¶¶

Narrator: JO'S DISCOVERED
CHILLING NEW EVIDENCE

THAT THE CHOICE OF LOCATION
FOR THIS BRUTAL KILLING

WASN'T UNIQUE.

200 MILES FROM STONEHENGE,

AT ANOTHER
PREHISTORIC PAGAN SITE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
HAVE FOUND MORE VICTIMS,

MURDERED WITH
THE SAME GRISLY M.O.

MOST OF THE INDIVIDUALS AT THE
SITE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE A HEAD,

AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE
A SERIES OF HEADS

BURIED AT DIFFERENT POSITIONS
ACROSS THE SITE, AS WELL.

Narrator:
10 HEADLESS BODIES.

11 SKULLS, 7 WITHOUT JAWS.

¶¶

JO AND HER TEAM HAVE UNEARTHED
SHOCKING EVIDENCE

OF MULTIPLE DECAPITATED BODIES,

ALL SEEMINGLY KILLED

AT ICONIC PREHISTORIC LANDMARKS
ACROSS BRITAIN.

IS THIS THE WORK OF A DERANGED
ANCIENT SERIAL KILLER?

WE TOOK A FEW RADIOCARBON DATES.

THIS IS ONE OF THE SAMPLING
HOLES FROM THAT.

THE THREE DATES THAT WE HAVE ARE

FROM THE MIDDLE
OF THE 7th CENTURY

THROUGH TO ABOUT 1060,

SO THAT'S THE MIDDLE TO LATE
ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD,

A FEW CENTURIES
AFTER THE ROMAN PERIOD.

¶¶

Narrator: THE KILLINGS OCCURRED
OVER HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

SO THESE MEN COULDN'T HAVE BEEN
MURDERED BY A SINGLE KILLER.

BUT THEY DATE FROM A TIME
WHEN BRITONS WERE CHRISTIANS,

AND THAT GIVES JO A CLUE

TO WHY THE MAN WAS BURIED
AT PAGAN STONEHENGE.

Buckberry: IN THIS PERIOD,
MOST PEOPLE WERE BURIED

IN A CHURCHYARD CEMETERY,

SO BURYING THESE INDIVIDUALS
IN AN EARLIER SITE

THAT'S GOT ASSOCIATIONS
WITH PAGANISM PERHAPS

ACTUALLY REALLY EXCLUDES
THESE INDIVIDUALS

FROM THE CHRISTIAN CEMETERIES

THAT WERE IN THE
ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENTS.

Narrator: THESE MEN WERE
CONDEMNED TO SPEND ETERNITY

BEYOND THE REACH
OF THEIR CHRISTIAN GOD

AND LEFT TO ROT
WITH THE HEATHENS.

WHY?

JO THINKS THE ANSWER LIES

IN THE BRUTAL NATURE
OF THEIR DEATHS.

THE LATER ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD,

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
ANGLO-SAXON LAWS

WHERE SOMEBODY COULD BE PUNISHED
FOR A CRIME BY EXECUTION,

AND WE KNOW
THAT ONE OF THE MODES

OF EXECUTION WAS DECAPITATION.

Narrator: IT SEEMS THESE MEN
AND THE MAN AT STONEHENGE

WERE CRIMINALS EXECUTED
FOR THEIR CRIMES.

SO THIS ACTUALLY HELPS
PLACE INTO CONTEXT

THE STONEHENGE INDIVIDUAL

WHO WAS DECAPITATED
IN THE 7th CENTURY.

CLEARLY,
THEY'VE DELIBERATELY CHOSEN

TO EXECUTE AND BURY
THIS INDIVIDUAL AT STONEHENGE

BECAUSE IT'S SO ICONIC.

IT'S SO DRAMATIC.

¶¶

BY CHOOSING STONEHENGE,

THEY'RE REALLY SAYING SOMETHING
ABOUT THEIR OWN POWER

AND THE POWER
THAT THE PLACE ALSO HOLDS.

Narrator:
THE EXECUTIONERS HARNESSED
THE POWER OF STONEHENGE

TO SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE,

THAT CRIMES WOULD BE PUNISHED

AND THE GUILTY BANISHED
IN THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT.

WHAT WAS ONCE A TEMPLE
FOR THE ELITE

HAD BECOME A DUMPING GROUND
FOR OUTCASTS.

¶¶

OVER FIVE MILLENNIA, THIS
MONUMENT HAS HAD MANY USES --

CELESTIAL TEMPLE...

TRADING POST...

HEALING CENTER...

MEMORIAL WALL...

AND BODY DUMP.

BUT ITS POWER
HAS REMAINED UNCHANGED.

TODAY, 4,500 YEARS
AFTER IT WAS BUILT,

STONEHENGE CONTINUES
TO FASCINATE AND INSPIRE,

AND ITS MAGIC REMAINS
AS STRONG AS EVER.

¶¶

¶¶

¶¶