Main content

Episode 1

Documentary following a group of international archaeologists, who believe that a new state-of-the-art approach is the key to unlocking Stonehenge's secrets.

Stonehenge is an icon of prehistoric British culture, an enigma that has seduced archaeologists and tourists for centuries. Why is it here? What is its significance? And which forces inspired its creators? Now a group of international archaeologists led by the University of Birmingham and the Ludwig Boltzman Institute in Vienna believe that a new state-of-the-art approach is the key to unlocking Stonehenge's secrets. For four years the team have surveyed and mapped every monument, both visible and invisible, across ten square kilometres of the sacred landscape to create the most complete digital picture of Stonehenge and the surrounding area over millennia. Known monuments have yielded more data than ever before, revealing hidden structures within, and new finds are revolutionising the very timeline of Stonehenge.

Operation Stonehenge takes the viewer on a prehistoric journey from 8000BC to 2500BC as the scientists uncover the very origins of Stonehenge, learning why this landscape is sacred, preserved and has been revered by following generations. Evidence of war and conflict, as well as the cultivation of ideas and industry, is explored to reveal complex communities with international trade links as far-reaching as Spain and central Europe.

Using CGI to reveal the monuments hidden beneath Stonehenge and featuring factually sourced dramatic reconstructions, the stories of the buildings and the people that occupied this sacred landscape over four millennia ago are revealed in comprehensive detail.

Available now

59 minutes

Signed Audio described

Last on

Wed 10 Jul 2024 02:45

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from Operation Stonehenge: What Lies Beneath

Credits

Role Contributor
Director Jeremy Turner
Executive Producer Adam Bullmore
Executive Producer Heinrich Mayer
Executive Producer Terence McKeown

Broadcasts

Featured in...