Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a monumental circular setting of large standing stones surrounded by a circular earthwork, built in prehistoric times beginning about 3100 B.C. they are located about 13 kilometers North of Salisbury Wiltshire England.  Today, Stonehenge is more or less in a ruined state, pilfered by medieval, early, and modern builders.   Stonehenge itself is a monument that is designed as a circular plane of structures, surrounded by a ditch. The center is a stone setting of a horseshoe, surrounded by a ring of uprights, topped by sarsen lintels. Also contained are the Altar Stone, Slaughter Stone, two Stallion Stones, and the Heel Stone.

There were 3 main stages of building -- Stonehenge I, II, and III.

• Stonehenge I began around 3100 b.c. by the native Neolithic People, creating the ditch, erected stones, which still stand is the Slaughter Stone.
• Stonehenge II around 2100b.c. remodeled the complex. Added were the 80 bluestone pillars in the center. The double circles of bluestones were taken in Stonehenge III.
• Stonehenge III started in 2000 b.c., where the final circle and center horseshoe were completed.

Although no one really knows why they were built, it was most likely for a place of worship.

Sites for further Information

   "In Stonehenge's Vicinity"
    http://www.amherst.edu/~ermace/sth/nearby.html

   "Stonehenge"
    http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/Stonehenge/index.html

   "Stonehenge"
    http://www.rit.edu/~rfm7716/IMAGES/stone.html Note: Different page than the one listed above, just with the same title.

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