Stonehenge

Candid tips & insights

 

Why
Stonehenge
is special

Stonehenge in England is a prehistoric site of megaliths arranged in concentric circles and horseshoe patterns.

Stonehenge

tips & insights

Size

These standing Stonehenge megaliths are up to 6 meters (21 feet) high and 45,000 kilograms (100,000 pounds) heavy.

Provenance

Some of the large stones were brought  from a mountain quarry 30 kilometers (18 miles) away using crude ancient means.

Unanswered questions

Stonehenge is shrouded in mystery, which is part of its appeal to tourists and sleuthing archaeologists.

Many questions remain open to debate, including these three:

When was Stonehenge built?
Latest scientific estimates say it was erected in stages between 3000 BC and 1500 BC.
Why was Stonehenge built?
The best speculation is it was an astronomical calendar (a headstone is oriented toward the summer solstice). Another sound theory is Stonehenge was used for religious ceremonies.
Who built Stonehenge?
No one will probably ever know for certain. The once popular theory that the Druids (Celtic priesthood) erected it was shot down when modern science proved that Stonehenge was constructed at least a thousand years before their time.

Today

Just 17 of the site's estimated 80 original megaliths stand.

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