Stonehenge

　　Stonehenge (Stonehenge), also known as the Salisbury Stone Circle, Ring of Stones, Temple of the Sun, Prehistoric Stone Table, Stonehenge Henge, and Stanton Standing Stone Circle, among other names, is a famous prehistoric cultural temple site in Europe. It is located on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, and was built approximately between 4000 and 2000 BC (from March to April 2008, British archaeologists discovered that the accurate construction date of Stonehenge dates back 4,300 years, around 2300 BC). In the hearts of the British, this is a sacred place.

　　 This massive stone complex is situated on an open plain more than 120 kilometers from London, covering an area of about 11 hectares. It is primarily composed of many large intact blocks of blue sandstone, each weighing about 50 tons. Stonehenge holds not only significant importance in the history of architecture but also great significance in astronomy: its main axis, the ancient pathway leading to the stone pillars, and the rising sun on the morning of the summer solstice all align on the same line. Additionally, the line connecting two of the stones points in the direction of the winter solstice sunset. Therefore, it is speculated that this may have been built by ancient humans for astronomical observation and can be considered one of the earliest prototypes of an observatory.

　　　　The main structure of Stonehenge consists of dozens of huge stone pillars arranged in several complete concentric circles. The outer perimeter of Stonehenge features a circular ditch and bank about 90 meters in diameter, and immediately inside are 56 circular pits, which were discovered by British archaeologist John Aubrey and are thus also called the “Aubrey Holes.” The first stone to appear at the site was a roughly 5-ton sandstone block located at the “entrance” of the circle (also known as the “Heel Stone”). About 200 years after this stone appeared, several stone pillars were transported from Wales in western England and erected in the center, forming two concentric circles of differing sizes. Archaeologists refer to this as the second phase of Stonehenge’s construction. Later, the Heel Stone was moved, and Stonehenge entered its third phase of construction—during which 180 large sandstone blocks were brought in and rearranged with the original bluestone pillars into circular and horseshoe-shaped structures. In fact, from the existing ruins, one can still glimpse the basic appearance of Stonehenge’s third phase. It is estimated that, given the level of productivity at the time, constructing Stonehenge would have required at least 30 million man-hours, equivalent to 10,000 workers laboring for an entire year.

　　The most incredible aspect of Stonehenge is the central stones. The tallest of these stones reaches up to 8 meters, with an average weight of nearly 30 tons. Yet, astonishingly, many stones weighing up to 7 tons are found resting horizontally atop pairs of upright pillars.