Avebury is one of Britain’s most iconic and mysterious stone circles, showcasing the ingenuity and spiritual vision of Neolithic peoples. Dating back around 4,000 years, Avebury originally had about 180 massive standing stones arranged in a complex pattern. Today, visitors can see two prominent stone circles within a vast outer circle. The larger circle is surrounded by a monumental henge—an earthwork bank and ditch. The southern entrance features the remains of a ceremonial stone avenue, likely used for ritual processions.
Avebury is the oldest and most significant megalithic henge in Britain, predating the Druids by many centuries. Archaeological evidence shows the site was used between 2600 and 1600 BCE, a period marked by the rise of complex societies and the construction of monumental sacred landscapes across the British Isles.
Covering 28.5 acres, Avebury is the largest henge in the world. Its immense scale encompasses much of the present-day village of Avebury, located six miles west of Marlborough in Wiltshire, southern England. The sheer size and number of stones involved highlight the extraordinary organizational skills and communal effort of its builders.
The spiritual significance of Avebury is profound and enduring. Many believe the site was originally dedicated to Neolithic Goddess worship, serving as a focal point for seasonal rites, fertility ceremonies, and the veneration of the Earth’s cycles. Today, Avebury continues to be revered as a center of Earth and psychic power, attracting Witches, Pagans, and spiritual seekers from around the world.
Despite centuries of study, the original purpose of Avebury’s stones remains a mystery. Theories range from astronomical observatories to ritual landscapes, but no single explanation captures the full complexity of the site.
To understand Avebury better, let’s explore its site and layout in detail.
The henge is a remarkable feat of prehistoric engineering, surrounded on three sides by the Marlborough chalk downs. It consists of a massive bank, rising 15 feet high and stretching 1,200 feet in diameter, encircling a deep outer ditch. This earthwork is intersected by four roads, three of which—and possibly the fourth—are believed to have originated as ancient causeways, providing controlled access to the sacred enclosure. When viewed from above, Avebury’s layout resembles a Celtic or circled cross, a symbol rich in spiritual meaning.
Within the great outer circle stand the remnants of two, and possibly three, smaller stone circles. The outer Great Stone Circle once had around 100 upright sarsen stones—immense blocks of hard sandstone native to the region. Today, only 27 of these stones remain. The surviving stones are monumental, with the largest weighing up to 60 tons and standing approximately 25 feet tall.
The northern circle, known as the Central Circle, originally had about 30 stones, of which only four still stand. At its heart were three stones arranged in a ring, referred to as the Cove or Devil’s Den; only two of these stones survive today. Archaeologists speculate that the Cove may have been used for funeral rites, with bodies prepared here before being interred elsewhere.
Between the main circle and the South Circle stands a solitary stone with a natural hole, now known as Stukeley’s Ring Stone. This name honors William Stukeley, an 18th-century antiquarian and archaeologist whose meticulous investigations preserved much of what we know about Avebury. The South Circle itself is marked by two imposing stones at its entrance. Originally, this circle contained about 32 stones, of which five remain. Some researchers propose that the South Circle was the site of fertility rituals, possibly involving the symbolic use of human bones.
At the center of the South Circle once stood a massive stone known as the Obelisk, surrounded by smaller stones called Z stones. The Obelisk is thought to have been the focus of an ancestor cult, as human remains were discovered at its base during excavations. Nearby, tall standing stones and smaller stones arranged in triangular or diamond shapes may have represented male and female forms, reinforcing the site’s association with fertility and the cycles of life and death.
One of Avebury’s most striking features is the West Kennet Avenue, a double row of standing stones that extends from the South Circle toward the Kennet valley. Originally, this avenue consisted of about 200 stones set in pairs, forming a ceremonial pathway that linked the Great Stone Circle to another sacred site known as the Sanctuary, located a mile away on Overton Hill. In 1934, archaeologist Alexander Keiller excavated the avenue and discovered burials at the bases of four of the large stones, suggesting that the avenue may have played a role in funerary or ancestral rites. Keiller also found evidence that the avenue was later crossed by Iron Age and Roman field boundaries, indicating the site’s continued significance over millennia.
The Sanctuary, at the end of West Kennet Avenue, is believed to have been constructed on the site of earlier wooden rings, possibly used for the excarnation of corpses—allowing the flesh to decay before burial. Some theories suggest that the dead were carried along the avenue in ritual processions to this circle. The Sanctuary also features prominently in Stukeley’s theory that the Druids were serpent worshipers, and that Avebury, like Stonehenge, was a serpent temple or ‘Dracontia.’ In this interpretation, the Sanctuary formed the head of the serpent, the West Kennet Avenue its neck, and the sarsen circles the coils of its body.
At the western entrance of the henge once stood Beckhampton Avenue, another processional way now largely destroyed. Only two stones, known as Adam and Eve or the Longstones, remain to mark its former path. The original extent of Beckhampton Avenue is unknown, but it is thought to have stretched for a mile and a half, possibly connecting with the sarsen circles. Sir Norman Lockyer, a 20th-century astronomer, proposed that the Beckhampton Avenue and the Cove were aligned with the sunrise during May festivals, while the West Kennet Avenue may have been used to observe the rising of the star Alpha Centauri in November, hinting at the site’s possible astronomical functions.
Nearby, Silbury Hill rises dramatically from the landscape. Built atop a natural chalk ridge, this immense artificial mound covers about five acres and stands 130 feet high, making it the largest man-made mound in Europe. Although its precise purpose and relationship to Avebury remain uncertain, radiocarbon dating places its construction around 2600 BCE, contemporaneous with the earliest phases of Avebury. Other significant monuments in the area include West Kennet Long Barrow, a 350-foot-long burial mound with a central passage and five chambers, built around 2700 BCE, and Windmill Hill, an earthwork 1.5 miles northwest of Avebury, constructed around 2500 BCE. Animal bones found at Windmill Hill suggest it may have served as a cattle market, trading post, and ritual site.
The antiquarian John Aubrey visited Avebury in 1648 and recorded that the stones were either standing in their original positions or had fallen nearby. Soon after, the Puritans began systematically destroying the sarsens, breaking them with hammers or burning them to clear land for agriculture. Many stones were repurposed in local buildings, and fragments can still be seen in the village manor house, church, and homes. Aubrey’s detailed notes remain invaluable to modern researchers attempting to reconstruct the original layout of the site.
Despite extensive excavations at Avebury and its surrounding monuments, archaeologists have yet to determine a definitive origin, purpose, or interrelationship among the stones. Numerous theories have been proposed: some suggest that the entire complex functioned as a single religious, magical, or psychic center, while others argue that specific groups of stones were dedicated to fertility, religious, or burial rites, or even to astronomical observations. The lack of written records from the Neolithic period means that much of Avebury’s story remains open to interpretation and speculation.
The most widely accepted theory attributes the construction of Avebury to the prehistoric Beaker people, named for their distinctive pottery, over a period of five centuries. Archaeological finds of Beaker pottery and evidence of timber structures suggest that Avebury may once have been a thriving settlement, with huts clustered around the sacred stones. The name ‘Avebury’ itself hints at the site’s funerary associations, as it was referred to as a burial place in a 10th-century charter of King Athelstan.
Some researchers propose that Avebury was designed for seasonal festivals, with the stones arranged to facilitate ritual processions and communal gatherings. Observers have noted the presence of both male and female symbolism in the shapes of the pillars and the arrangement of diamond-shaped stones. Silbury Hill, with its rounded, pregnant form, may represent the Earth Mother or a fertility goddess, while the so-called Devil’s Chair—a massive stone measuring 14 feet wide by 13 feet high with a natural ledge—features in local folklore as a place where village girls would sit on Beltane (May Eve) to make wishes for the coming year.
Avebury’s stones are widely believed to act as collectors and repositories of Earth and psychic energy, a property that may have been recognized by the site’s original builders. Modern dowsers and spiritual practitioners continue to report powerful sensations and experiences at Avebury, reinforcing its reputation as a place of mystical significance. The surrounding landscape has also become a focal point for the appearance of crop circles, further adding to the site’s aura of mystery and wonder.
In summary, Avebury remains a place of profound historical, spiritual, and cultural importance. Its vast scale, intricate layout, and enduring mysteries invite us to reflect on the beliefs, aspirations, and achievements of our distant ancestors. Whether viewed as a center of ancient worship, a monumental calendar, or a living landscape of power, Avebury continues to inspire awe and curiosity, standing as a bridge between the past and the present, the material and the mystical.
