Stonehenge Quiz 1-6

Why do archaeologists know so little about how and why Stonehenge was constructed?

• Stonehenge was constructed thousands of years ago, so very little remains at the site.

• The builders of Stonehenge did not know how to write.

• Druids used Stonehenge for secret religious ceremonies.

• Archaeologists cannot agree on a theory to explain Stonehenge.

What does the following quote from page 13 mean? “The builders worked with stone as if it were wood.”

• The stone was soft so it was easy to carve like wood.

• The builders were skilled and worked very hard to carve the stones and fit them carefully together.

• The builders originally used both stone and wood to build Stonehenge.

• The workers were able to attach the stones together with spikes which are like large nails.

Which statement proves that Mike Parker Pearson passionately wanted to be an archaeologist?

• “Mike’s mom did bring him to Stonehenge when was a baby, just one year old.” (p.17)

• “And as student he took field trips to the site nearly every summer.” (p.17)

• “…when he was a child…workers who were laying a pipe near his home discovered an ancient burial site with human bones in it.” (p. 17)

• “Whenever he had free time, even during his vacations, he found ways to be of use on archaeological sites.” (p.18)

PART A: What led Ramilisonina to suggest a very different purpose for Stonehenge than other archaeologists had thought?

• Ramilisonina thought that different cultures probably treated their dead in similar ways.

• Ramilisonina was known for having unconventional (non-traditional) ideas.

• Ramilisonina had fresh eyes because he had never been to England.

• Ramilisonina had more experience as an archaeologist than Mike.

PART B: Which quote best supports the answer to Part A?

• “Ramilisonina (he has one name) is a retired archaeologist who was born in Madagascar and has devoted his life to studying its myths, its history, and the story of its peoples.”

• “Mike was bringing a person who would see the ancient stone circle with fresh eyes.”

• “But in fact, he was turning Stonehenge upside down—seeing it exactly the opposite way from what esteemed scholars had been saying for centuries.”

• “You build out of stone when you want something that will never fade away.”

What proved that William Stukeley’s theory that Stonehenge was a used as a Druid temple was wrong?

• The Druids did not use temples.

• Stonehenge was built 2,000 years after the Druids disappeared.

• Stonehenge was built 2,000 years before the Druids appeared.

• The Druids lived in ancient Rome, not ancient Britain.

PART A: What was the major problem with Mike Parker Pearson’s theory about Stonehenge and the Southern Circle being connected?

• The Southern Circle was thought to be connected the Northern Circle, not Stonehenge.

• Archaeologists thought that Stonehenge and the Southern Circle were constructed at different times.

• Other archaeologists had already proposed that the two sites were linked.

• The Southern Circle was not an important archaeological site.

PART B: Which quote best supports that answer to Part A?

• “He exposed the traces of two older timber circles known simply as the Northern and Southern Circles.”

• “The Southern Circle, another ancient site quite near Stonehenge, had been built out of wood, but no one had seen it as terribly important.”

• “When Mike and Ramilisonina proposed their theory, archaeologists were getting confusing dates at Stonehenge that did not fit with the little that was known about the age of the Southern Circle.”

• “The two archaeologists quickly wrote a paper suggesting that the Southern Circle and Stonehenge were linked.”

Read the following line from If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge and answer the question.

Indeed, his application for funding was turned down, and his project was called “too speculative.”

What is the meaning of the word speculative?

• dangerous

• unimportant

• expensive

• unproven

Which two theories did archaeologists before Mike Parker Pearson and Ramilisonina propose?

• Stonehenge was intended to welcome the dead into their eternal realm.

• Ancient people went to Stonehenge because they believed that site could cure illness.

• Worshippers went to Stonehenge to honor the gods they believed in.

• Skywatchers studied the sun and stars from Stonehenge.

• The people that built Stonehenge build an identical structure from wood.