The Pre-Historical Monument Stonehenge, Salisbury

After visiting a few sites, we decided to get an English Heritage membership at Stonehenge. We enjoyed a scenic walk through the grassy fields, which eventually led us up to the reception area. The indoor and outdoor displays were both interactive and informative. Visiting Stonehenge was definitely worthwhile, especially with the membership discounts. Before you check out the photos below, here’s some historic information about Stonehenge:

Stonehenge stands as one of the world's most renowned prehistoric monuments. Its construction occurred in multiple stages, with the initial henge erected approximately 5,000 years ago and the iconic stone circle added during the late Neolithic period around 2500 BC. Concurrently, numerous burial mounds were constructed in the area during the early Bronze Age.

The earliest structures found in the immediate vicinity consist of four or five pits, three of which likely supported large pine posts resembling totem poles, dating back to the Mesolithic period between 8500 and 7000 BC. The correlation between these posts and the later Stonehenge monument remains unknown.

The location where Stonehenge now stands was likely an unusually open landscape compared to the surrounding wooded areas of southern England, potentially influencing the choice for an early Neolithic monument complex. This complex comprised the causewayed enclosure at Robin Hood’s Ball, as well as two cursus monuments and several long barrows, all dating from around 3500 BC, possibly impacting the later positioning of Stonehenge.

By approximately 2500 BC, the arrangement of the stones within the monument was completed. The construction involved two types of stones—larger sarsens and smaller bluestones. The sarsens were erected in two concentric arrangements, forming an inner horseshoe and an outer circle, while the bluestones were positioned between them in a double arc.