Avebury may not be as renowned as Stonehenge - but it's one of the largest stone circles in the world, much larger than Stonehenge!
It was only 1 day walk away from Stonehenge.
Its proximity to Stonehenge highlights the intense construction activity in the region during that era.
Avebury spans approximately 350 meters in diameter.
It features over 100 stones, arranged in 2 circles surrounded by an even larger one.
As with other monuments of the time, it would all have been built using deer antlers and polished stone axes alone.
Avebury, like Stonehenge, features a large "avenue" leading to the river - 2km-long, flanked by 100 standing stones.
It also has another smaller circle near the river, nicknamed The Sanctuary, a combination of stone and wooden circles.
The Sanctuary is believed by some to have been a place of ritual or sacrifice, although its exact purpose remains unknown.
Fun fact : in the 14th century, local villagers began began dismantling the stones, considering them heretical and wanting to use them to build houses.
During this activity, a standing stone fell on one of the villagers.
When this person's skeleton was discovered in 1938, it was found with a small leather pouch containing scissors and a lancet.
This suggests that the man was a barber-surgeon, probably lending a hand as he was passing through the village!
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