Stonehenge

In one of the most ambitious experiments in practical archaeology ever attempted, Stonehenge will be rebuilt exactly as it was 4000 years ago, less than ten miles from the original monument with a grand total of 171 stones.

Stonehenge is the world's most famous prehistoric stone circle and an enduring mystery. Nobody knows how or why the Neolithic Britons built it.

Where did the stones come from and how were they transported to the present site in Wiltshire? How many different types of stone are there, and did they all arrive at the same time? What did they use to sculpt them in to shape?

This programme will answer these questions and also propose and test revolutionary new theories about the engineering techniques of the ancients.

Four of the world's leading archaeological experts carry out practical, groundbreaking experiments in the full size reconstruction to determine exactly what Stonehenge was used for and who the people who built it were.

Did the Druids build it for human sacrifice? Was it a sophisticated astronomical calculating device or even a gigantic burial ground?

The dramatic climax is a recreation of a mystical ritual ceremony celebrating the transfer of life into death at the Winter Solstice 2300BC.

This programme will harness all the available evidence together with the findings of the experiments, to create a stunning supernatural event which will allow the team of archaeologists to provide the definitive answers to how and why Stonehenge was built and what exactly happened there 4000 years ago.