uch insight as to what resources were available to farmers and builders of this period. Their abundance and distribution, especially in the ditches surrounding the Walls demonstrates how tools were commonly used and discarded. The varying amount of artifacts found at different locations denotes that supplies were not always in such abundance that they could always be discarded at will. It is clear that the effort represented in the construction of Avebury implies a society sufficiently stable, prosperous, and amply motivated for the project to have been undertaken.WoodhengeWoodhenge, as the name implies, is somewhat of a spin-off of Stonehenge. Lying about two miles northeast of Stonehenge, it was originally a circular area roughly 200 feet in diameter. The inside of this timber structure consisted of postholes that held the beams that supported the dome-like roof. While its purpose is still debatable, varying ideas include a temporary barrack for the workers who were building Stonehenge, or possibly it was Stonehenge; that is until the actual Stonehenge was fully erected. Following the excavations at Durrington Walls in 1976, Woodhenge was of particular interest to those who were researching into the archaeology and environment of henge enclosures in southern England around 2000 BC. First, the relationship of Woodhenge to the comparable timber structure excavated at Durrington Walls was unknown, but could be clarified by radiocarbon dates. Secondly, it was clearly desirable to obtain soil samples for molluscan analysis from the fossil beneath the bank and from the ditch. This provided information relating to the environment of the time, which could be compared with that from Durrington Walls. (Wainwright, 107) The mollusca from the fossil soil beneath the enclosure bank indicated an early woodland environment followed by a forest clearance phase. Finally, there was a period of dry grassland when the environment was free of ...
