Archaeologists found the burial of a man who died in about 2,300 BC at Amesbury in Wiltshire, England, just three miles from the famous ancient site of Stonehenge.

The grave dates to the early Bronze Age in Britain, a time of great change that brought new people to these islands from northern Europe. With them came new technologies like metalworking in and new traditions, involving pottery vessels that archaeologists call Bell Beakers.

Most of these Bell beaker era graves contain few burial goods. But this one is different. It contained the richest array of items ever found in a grave from this period in Britain.

The astonishing number and richness of the finds also led to the British media calling him “The King of Stonehenge.”

So who was this man? Where did he come from and why was he buried here? Did he really have anything to do with the building of Stonehenge or ruling over the area? And what was happening here and in the rest of Britain at this time of immense change?

This is the story of the Amesbury Archer.

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Sources

The Oxford Handbook of the European Bronze Age: https://amzn.to/3ZXIGh0
The Amesbury Archer and the Boscombe Bowmen: https://amzn.to/3OQa5zA
The Neolithic-Bronze Age Transition in Britain A critical review of some archaeological and craniological concepts by Neil Brodie
https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/our-work...
https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/our-work...

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Artworks

Wessex Man and Bush Barrow Chieftain by Ancient Europeans   / ancienteuropea1  
Archer reconstruction by Greg Harlin
Archer reconstruction by Jane Grayne

Thank you

Wessex Archaeology: https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/
The Salisbury Museum: https://salisburymuseum.org.uk/
English Heritage: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/v...

Video Chapters

00:00 Who was the Amesbury Archer?
02:25 The Discovery and Excavation
03:57 The Bell Beaker burial tradition
05:40 Why was the Archer's burial special?
09:25 The earliest gold in Britain
11:08 The Amesbury Archer had a disability
12:04 Where did he come from?
12:50 The Bell Beaker culture
15:53 The Bell Beaker colonisation of Britain
21:00 Who was the Archer's Companion?
22:20 Who were the Boscombe Bowmen?
23:06 The King of Stonehenge?