Ancient Wessex News and Information
Ancient Wessex News and Information

The Sanctuary Avebury

The Sanctuary is a prehistoric site alongside the A4 road on Overton Hill near Avebury and around 5 miles west of Marlborough in Wiltshire. Overton Hill marks the southern end of The Ridgeway.

Begun in about 3000 BC, with the major phase of construction in about 2500 BC, the Sanctuary was originally a circular arrangement of timber posts, which were later replaced by stones. These components are now indicated by concrete slabs. It is part of a wider Neolithic landscape which includes the nearby sites of Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow and Avebury, to which The Sanctuary was linked by long Kennet Avenue. The Sanctuary forms part of the Avebury UNESCO World Heritage site.

The site was recorded and drawn by William Stukeley shortly before it was destroyed for agriculture in the 1720’s and lay undisturbed until it was rediscovered by Maud Cunnington in 1930.

The Sanctuary Wiltshire, SN8 1EY
Latitude: 51.409872
Longitude: -1.83027

More information:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/the-sanctuary/history/

http://digitaldigging.net/sanctuary-avebury-digital-model/

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