The world's most enigmatic stone circle — Neolithic solar calendar, Arthurian legend, and summer solstice gathering ground
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire is the most recognisable prehistoric monument on earth — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986 (as part of the larger "Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites" inscription) and the subject of more books, films, and arguments than any other megalithic structure. The monument in its current form (a circle of standing sarsens up to 9m high capped with lintels, with a horseshoe of bluestones within) dates from around 2500 BCE, though the site shows evidence of use from 3000 BCE. The closest visitor access point is Salisbury (16km south), a medieval ci…
Stonehenge was built in multiple phases over approximately 1,500 years. The bluestone inner circle (80 stones, each weighing 2-5 tonnes, transported 250km from the Preseli Hills in Wales) preceded the outer sarsen circle. The sarsens (up to 25 tonnes each) were transported from Marlborough Downs 25km north. The monument's orientation toward the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset is deliberate and precise. The site was in continuous ritual use from approximately 3000 to 1500 BCE before being abandoned, and excavation continues to reveal new evidence of its use as a burial ground, astronomi…