Stonehenge

     Stonehenge

     There are many monuments in the world that are popular for many different reasons like the Statue of liberty, or the Eiffel tower, but one monument that really pops out and fascinates lots of people is Stonehenge. Located in Wiltshire, England, this famous stone monument brings around 800,000 curious and fascinated tourists every year. A large percentage of these visitors being from archaeologists and scientists, who are still trying to uncover the secrets that Stonehenge keeps locked in its past.

     Made in 3000 B.C, Stonehenge is made out of large stones that consist of Bluestone, Sarsen, and Welch Sandstone. Each of the giant rocks weighs around 25 tons each and is about 30 ft. high. Stonehenge is laid out with both an inner and outer circle of massive rock structures and a layer in between them of smaller/thinner rock structures. Together they make up the entirety of Stonehenge.

     Stonehenge’s outer layer is around 284 feet in diameter. The massive outer layer of rock formations stands vertically, connected together by more rectangular rocks laid horizontally on top. These large structures resemble a circle of giant size doorways connected together.

    

     In the second layer of Stonehenge, there are shorter stones sticking straight up from the ground. Like the larger outer circle, these smaller monuments are made from Bluestone as well. It is believed that these smaller, stand-alone rectangles may have been gravestones.  The reason behind this speculation is that archeologists and scientists have discovered cremated bones while digging around that area.

In the very center of Stonehenge, you will find the inner circle. These stones are set upon each other, just like the outer circle, with only a few differences. First of all, they are much taller than the already massive outer circle, towering at almost 30 ft. high. Secondly, instead of connecting at the top, these stones were originally set into 5 pairs. The pairs connected to themselves, and not to the others. Making the inner circle look like 5 sets of stand-alone mega-sized doorways. In its day, Stonehenge would have been other-worldly to behold!  Still awe-inspiring, it still stands today, but due to the fact that Stonehenge was made in 3000 B.C, the original shape and condition of the layout, and the rocks themselves have worn with age and effects of time in general.    

    

     It is impressive that, despite its age, we can still put together many of the mysteries and wonder of Stonehenge. One mystery though that cannot be fully answered is, “who built it”? Scientists have come to the conclusion that, the most probable, would be the Druids. The Druids were a subgroup of the Celtics, made up entirely of priests and holy men. The Druids acted as priests, teachers, and judges. It is long believed that the Druids created Stonehenge for a place of worship for themselves, and possibly for the town around them.

    

     Since its existence, Stonehenge has always been a puzzling structure, surrounded by mystery. Even with Scientists and Archeologists visiting Stonehenge frequently, scanning and digging every time they are there, we may never uncover all of the secrets that Stonehenge holds. Stonehenge will always be a very famous, and intriguing monument that has gone down in history as one of the greatest and most bizarre structures of all time.