Stonehenge is a large stone structure located north of the modern-day city of Salisbury, England, on a chalky plain. Stonehenge's largest stones, called as sarsens, may stand up to 30 feet (9 meters) tall and weigh up to 25 tons (22.6 metric tons) on average. The rocks are arranged in a circular area about 170 feet (52 m) in diameter with several other smaller circles inside it. There are also traces of a wall around the outer edge of the site.
The name "Stonehenge" comes from its made up of many small stones. It was first discovered in 1668 by William Stukeley who wrote about it in his book "An Account of Some Ancient Statues and Other Curiosities In and Near Salisbury." He said the place was full of old stones that had been gathered together at some time before his visit. No one knows how long it took to build this monument but experts guess it could have been done in a few years. It might have been used for ancient rituals or just as a nice looking park today.
There are many mysteries surrounding Stonehenge. No one knows who built it, when it was completed, or why. It may have been a religious site, a burial ground, or maybe even a military base. No one knows for sure because no one has ever found any evidence of what they were used for.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric structure located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, about two miles (3 kilometers) west of Amesbury. It is composed of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around 13 feet (4.0 m) high, seven feet (2.1 m) broad, and weighing approximately 25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones. The inner area contains three large boulders, known as the "trilithons", with one set back from the center.
The monument was built about 2500 years ago. Its original purpose is unknown but it may have been a place of worship for the people who built it. Some think it might also have been used as a burial site. There are some well-preserved human bones that were found near the monument which show that it was probably also used for this purpose.
Today, visitors can walk among the stones at Stonehenge. They form a perfect circle, with the tallest stone just over 20 feet (6 m) tall and the shortest around five feet (1.5 m). The four central trilithons are much larger than the rest, with one being almost half as big again as the others combined.
An excavation in 1951 exposed parts of the bodies of eight people who had been buried there together. All of them were adults, six were female, and all of them were well-off members of society. This suggests that Stonehenge was used as a place of mourning or prayer for their families.
These huge rocks were transported hundreds of miles from distant places like Salisbury Plain in England or South Wales to be used as pillars in the monument.
The English word "sarne" means a large flat rock. Thus, the term for these stones is "large flat rocks".
There are three types of stones used at Stonehenge: sarsen stones, bluestone, and chalk rubble. The sarsen stones are those that are still standing today. They range in size from about 12 feet (3.6 meters) across to over 30 feet (9 meters). There are also several smaller sarsen stones that have been removed from the site over time. The bluestones are larger stones that were taken from a quarry near Ellish Park, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away from Stonehenge. They range in size from about 18 inches (45 centimeters) to about 2 feet (60 centimeters) across. The final type of stone used at the site is chalk rubble, which is small gravel-like particles of calcium carbonate that make up much of the surrounding area of Salisbury Plain. This type of stone was probably obtained from nearby cliffs.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, about two miles (3 kilometers) west of Amesbury...
| Height | Each standing stone was around 4.1 metres (13 ft) high |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Material | Sarsen, Bluestone |
| Founded | Bronze Age |
| Site notes | |
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, about two miles (3 kilometers) west of Amesbury...
| Type | Monument |
| Height | Each standing stone was around 4.1 metres (13 ft) high |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Material | Sarsen, Bluestone |
| Founded | Bronze Age |
Stonehenge is a massive man-made circle of standing stones located on England's Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. It's one of the world's most famous ancient structures, built by our forefathers over hundreds of years... as far back as 1066 AD! The site itself is enormous: at its greatest width it was almost 90 feet (27 m), and around half that deep. The tallest stone is about 12 feet (3.6 m) high.
Modern archaeologists believe that Stonehenge may have been used for ceremonial purposes. They think people came from as far away as France and Belgium to take part in these ceremonies, which would have marked the start of new seasons, brought crops success, or welcomed victorious armies.
However, others believe that the site was only ever used for military training and nothing more. They say that none of the stones at Stonehenge were moved there; instead they were placed in their current positions deliberately, even though the land was quite soft at the time.
Some historians believe that Stonehenge may have been used as a burial ground for kings and other important people. There are several bodies buried near the center of the monument, but they date back only as far as 2,500 years ago. Before then, there's no evidence that anyone was buried there.
It's one of the world's most famous ancient structures, built by our forefathers over hundreds of years... It's also one of the world's greatest mysteries!
Some people say it's a burial ground with up to 20,000 skeletons buried underneath it. Others claim it's a giant telescope used by aliens to watch us play football. Still others think it's just an amazing piece of architecture that should be preserved rather than destroyed.
The truth will probably never be known now that nobody is ever going to be buried there anymore. However, what we do know is that Stonehenge was built around 1750 BC and it's estimated that it took about five years to complete the project. The reason for its construction is also unknown but some scientists believe it may have been done as a religious site similar to a temple or mosque. There are also some who say it was built as a government warning system, something like the Berlin Wall but for ancestors!
In any case, it's safe to say that nobody knows exactly why or how Stonehenge was built so they must have had a pretty good reason at the time.
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