Standing in a circle on the Salisbury Plain in England, Stonehenge is one of the most ancient and easily recognizable monuments in the world. What we see is the result of thousands of years of building by various cultures. It's thought that the name Stonehenge originates from the Anglo-Saxon period. The old English word "henge" means hanging or gibbet. So what we have is literally "the hanging stones", derived probably from the lintels of the trilithons which appear to be suspended above their massive uprights. Today the word "henge" has a specific archaeological meaning: a circular enclosure surrounding settings of stones and timber uprights, or pits.

The Building of Stonehenge

One of the myths about Stonehenge is that it was built by the Druids. In fact, the stones were built over a period of over a thousand years by three different cultures, Windmill, First Wessex and the Beakers - so named because when they buried their dead they had their pots interred with them.

The First Stage – 3100 BC

The first stage of Stonehenge likely consisted on an earthwork circle or henge, a ditch, and a timber circle. Archeologists have identified 56 holes around the perimeter at a diameter of 284 feet now known as Aubrey Holes, named after the 17th century antiquarian, John Aubrey, who found them in about 1666. These holes were probably dug to hold timber posts. The ditch was probably dug by hand using animal bones, deer antlers which were used as pick-axes to loosen the underlying chalk and then the shoulder blades of oxen or cattle were used as shovels to clear away the stones. At the time, the place was likely a venue for religious ceremony. Shortly after this stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for nearly a thousand years.

The Second Stage – 2150 BC

Stonehenge was rebuilt, this time in stone. Bluestones were used, coming from the Prescelli Mountains in Pembroke, South Wales 245 miles away. They were dragged down to the sea, floated on huge rafts, brought up the River Avon, finally overland to where they are today. Each of these stones weighed five tons. Once at the site, these stones were set up in the center to form an incomplete double circle. During the same period the original entrance of the circular earthwork was widened and a pair of Heel Stones was erected. Also the nearer part of the Avenue was built, aligned with the midsummer sunrise.

The Third Stage – 2000 BC

This stage saw the arrival of the Sarsen stones, which were almost certainly brought from the Marlborough Downs near Avebury, in north Wiltshire, about 25 miles north of Stonehenge. As these stones weighed upwards to fifty tons, water transport would have been impossible. The stones could only have been moved using sledges and ropes. Modern calculations show that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the huge rollers in front of the sledge. The bluestones were dug up and rearranged. The Sarsen stones were laid out in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels. Inside the circle, five trilithons were placed in a horseshoe arrangement. To get the lintels to stay in place, the first wood working techniques were used. They made joints in stone, linking the lintels in a circular manner using a tongue and groove joint, and subsequently the upright and lintel with a ball and socket joint or mortice and tenon. This was all cleverly designed on the alignment of the rising of the mid summer sun.

An Arthurian Legend

Geoffrey of Monmouth had another story about the building of Stonehenge. It seemed that sometime in the fifth century, there was a massacre of 300 British nobles by the treacherous Saxon barbarians. The High King of Britain at the time, Aurelius Ambrosius wanted to build a fitting memorial for the slain. Merlin suggested transporting a stone circle, then in Ireland, to do the job. After a British expedition to Ireland failed to make the transfer, Merlin—according to the legend—used his magic arts to transport the stone circle to Salisbury Plain to the grave site of the slain nobles.

What Was Stonehenge Used For?

The reason Stonehenge was built and what it was used for remains a hotly contested question. Some archeologists suggest that Stonehenge was a giant tool for determining astronomical events, such as when the advent of the summer and winter solstice would occur. Throughout its history, Stonehenge has been used as a site for religious ceremonies. The druids, though they had no role in its construction, certainly held it as a sacred place. Even today, modern practitioners of druidism hold their ceremonies at the Stonehenge site, particularly during summer and winter solstice and the phases of the Moon.

Visiting Stonehenge

There is a car park just across the road from the site, accessible by an underground passage beneath the road. Stonehenge can be visited by road thus:

From Amesbury 2 miles west on the junction of A303 and A344/360

From London Gatwick Airport take the M23 motorway and join the M25 motorway, following the signs for Heathrow Airport. From the M25, exit at junction 12 for the M3 motorway towards Basingstoke. Once on the M3 follow it to junction 8 signed A303 Andover. Continue on the A303 ALL the way until you reach a roundabout. Go straight over this and 2 miles on bear right onto the A344 and the car park is on the right hand side about 500 meters on.

From London Heathrow Airport follow signs to the M4 West. Continue for about 2 miles and come off at junction 4b onto the M25 South bound. Follow the signs for Gatwick Airport. From the M25, exit at junction 12 for the M3 motorway towards Basingstoke. Then follow the directions as above.

The nearest rail station is in the town of Salisbury, about nine and a half miles away.

There are buses that go to Amesbury, which is about two miles away.

Due to the wear and tear on the site, there is no access within the circle. However, private access can be arranged after regular visiting hours.