mysteries

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SYNOPSIS

Stonehenge – England’s most mysterious ancient monument, older than the Pyramids of Egypt. But who built it and how? What we do know is that some of the rocks at Stonehenge were transported more than 200 miles across the waters of England’s widest tidal estuary.

We demonstrate how these stones could have traveled such a vast distance, and raised into place, using primitive technology possessed by Ancient Britons almost 5000 years ago. And, for the first time, the film employs modern forensic-investigation techniques to examine human skeletons found near the site to recreate the face of one man who may have worked on the construction of this astounding, ancient structure.

Where have the stones come from?

We examine the two types of stone, tracking down the location the builders of Stonehenge originally sourced their material from. Similar rocks to the large Sarsen stones can be seen some 20 miles from Stonehenge – but locating the bluestones to their source isn’t quite as straightforward. To help with the investigation, Naked Science consulted rock experts at the British Geological Survey.

Once we track down the source of the Bluestones, we investigate the methods by which the stones could have travelled the 240 miles to the Stonehenge site. We travel to Wales to meet Robin Heath, local expert and author, who has been fascinated by Stonehenge for many years

Construction engineer, Rick Smailes, attempts to work out the manpower and methods involved in hauling such huge stones, using Stonehenge as a project blueprint – working backwards through the basic steps required for such a construction task.

How did the Stones arrive at the Stonehenge site?

We investigate an unusual discovery at Shardlow Quarry in England and tracks down ancient wood work expert Damien Goodburn, who has taken up the challenge of building a log boat. Can we prove that ancient Britons could have moved the bluestones from Wales to Salisbury using this method? Will our boat hold the weight of a 2 ton stone?

What motivated the ancient Britons to build Stonehenge?

We travel to Las Vegas to meet Dr Ron Smith, an expert in the relationship between architecture and the corresponding societies that create it. Dr Ron Smith attempts to answer this mystery, with his own unique theory.

Could we re-create the face of a man who could have been one of the builders of Stonehenge?

A discovery in April 2003 near Stonehenge offers us just this opportunity. Naked Science carries out revolutionary new forensic tests to establish where these bodies came from. Could these bodies have been involved in transporting the stones from South Wales – and possibly the actual building of Stonehenge itself? We find out, and go one step further, by revealing the face of the man who possibly built Stonehenge.

ASPECT RATIO 4.3
MAIN SOUNDTRACK English Stereo
DISC FORMAT DVD 5
REGION 1 NTSC
CLASSIFICATION Exempt
NOTE Not available for shipment outside the USA

Runtime: 54 minutes