Stonehenge, Prehistoric stone circle in Wiltshire, England
A ring of standing sarsen stones forms the outer circle, each reaching around 4 meters in height and weighing roughly 25 tons, capped by horizontal lintels. Smaller bluestones arranged in a horseshoe formation occupy the interior space, creating a second layer within the larger structure.
Construction began around 3100 BC during the Neolithic period and progressed through several phases until roughly 1600 BC. The earliest phase involved a circular ditch and bank enclosure, while the large stones were erected in later centuries.
The alignment with summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset suggests that earlier communities used this place for watching the sky and marking seasonal moments. Modern Druids and neopagans still gather here during solstice celebrations, honoring those ancient practices with rituals and communal observances.
The place operates from Monday through Sunday between 09:30 and 19:00, with admission fees required, and wheelchair accessible facilities are available. A shuttle bus connects the visitor center to the monument, and advance booking is recommended especially during summer months.
The smaller bluestones came from the Preseli Hills in Wales and were transported roughly 240 kilometers to the Salisbury Plain. Researchers continue debating whether human effort or glaciers moved these stones across such distances.
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