A few stones in the middle of nowhere: that’s one way you could disparage Stonehenge. But Stonehenge is the most important prehistoric structure in Europe, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. The circular earthwork and a ditch were already created around 3100 BC, the megalithic structure made of stones up to five metres in size was built between 2500 and 2000 BC. The outermost of the four stone circles has a diameter of 30 metres. Inside are the remains of a horseshoe-shaped stone circle, which originally consisted of five triliths – stone gates formed from two supporting stones and a bridging capstone.
It is estimated that several million hours of work were required to construct the site. But what was the purpose of all this effort? This has still not been conclusively determined. The site may have been a meeting place for religious ceremonies and could have functioned as a calendar to predict the equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices.
Website: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/
Photo: Created by human hands in millions of hours of labour – Stonehenge. Credits: Unsplash/Bao Menglong.
