STONEHENGE:

The most famous megalithic monument in the world may once have been an observatory for predicting important astronomical events. Who built it, when and how? What was the extent of the architects knowledge? Was it a centre for religious ritual?

Stonehenge is found on the rolling chalk downland of Salisbury Plain, in the county of Wiltshire at the heart of southern England. The great bluestones, hewn from the rocks of southwest Wales, were probably transported by sea and then along both the rivers Avon to the Stonehenge site.

What remains of Stonehenge today is but a shadow, though an impressive one, of its former glory. The original shape can be discerned though more than half the stones are either fallen, missing or buried beneath the turf. Had an aerial view been seen of this megalithic monument some 4,000 years ago, the 'Giant's Dance' would have been complete, after more than 1,500 years of construction in three phases. The four components from the outside to the centre were: a ring of sarsen sandstone monoliths linked by continuous lintels and standing some 5m (16ft) tall; a circle of bluestones; a horseshoe of five sarsen trilithons; and a horseshoe of bluestones, in the middle of which was the great Altar Stone itself. To the northeast, and beyond the outer ditch of the earthwork, stood the bulky Heel Stone, guarding the avenue to this sacred site.

(Atlas of Mysterious Places – Marshall Editions Ltd - 1987)