Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous monuments. It stands on Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire, in England, and its giant stones can be seen from miles around.
Stonehenge was built over many hundreds of years. Work began in the late Neolithic Age, around 3000 BC. Over the next thousand years, people made many changes to the monument. The last changes were made in the early Bronze Age, around 1500 BC.
We may never know exactly why Stonehenge was built, but people probably gathered there for religious ceremonies
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Outer circle
The outer circle was made from 30 standing stones called sarsens. On top of these sat a row of horizontal stones which formed a continuous ring.
Horseshoe
Five stone arches known as trilithons make up the horseshoe. These stones stand around seven metres tall and some weigh up to 50 tonnes.
Bluestones
The bluestones are the oldest stones at Stonehenge. They first stood alone, but later other stones were added and the bluestones were moved. Now they form two circles, one inside the outer circle and one inside the horseshoe.