Archaeological excavations at Durrington Walls, a Neolithic settlement located near Stonehenge, have revealed evidence of large-scale feasting, domestic dwellings, and monumental timber circles. This evidence has led researchers to theorize that the two sites functioned together as a unified ceremonial landscape. Within this theoretical framework, how did the symbolic function of Stonehenge differ from that of Durrington Walls?
- AStonehenge served as a private sanctuary for individual shamanistic vision quests, whereas Durrington Walls was a temporary, profane market center designed to exclude religious rituals.
- BStonehenge was dated to the Paleolithic era using stratigraphic analysis of its outer sarsens, whereas Durrington Walls was built during the Neolithic era to mark solar eclipses.
- Stonehenge was constructed of permanent stone to represent the realm of the ancestors and the dead, whereas Durrington Walls utilized perishable wood to represent the realm of the living.Answer
- DStonehenge was constructed with load-bearing concrete vaults to ensure structural permanence, whereas Durrington Walls relied on post-and-lintel timber circles that were structurally unstable.
Answer
Stonehenge was constructed of permanent stone to represent the realm of the ancestors and the dead, whereas Durrington Walls utilized perishable wood to represent the realm of the living.
The correct option identifies the prevailing archaeological theory (proposed by Mike Parker Pearson and others) that the contrast between the perishable timber at Durrington Walls and the permanent sarsen and bluestones at Stonehenge represented the complementary realms of the living and the dead. The two sites were linked by the River Avon, suggesting a ritual procession from the land of life and feasting to the land of the ancestors.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Neolithic Ceremonial Landscapes and Material Symbolism