Stonehenge is no doubt one of the greatest prehistoric monuments that is located in the heart of Western Europe. It is as important as any other well-renowned sites like the Pyramid of Giza, Machu Picchu, and the megalithic structures in the Maltese Islands. Here in this article, we are going to talk about the history and importance of this ancient monument.

To learn more about this ancient monument, you can check the website of Stonehenge. Here you will get the historical details about the monument. Even if you wish to visit this place, you can buy discount Stonehenge tickets online but with pre-booking services.

History About Stonehenge

Stonehenge is the world’s famous ancient stone circle, which lies at the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It is the one of the best architecturally and appealing prehistoric stone circle. It was built around the same time as the Great Pyramid which was almost 4500 years ago. It is a powerful memorial that is key to the British and European history.

Importance of Stonehenge 

Stonehenge just like the Avebury is internationally significant for its outstanding prehistoric monuments. It is the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle that helps us understand the Bronze Age and Neolithic mortuary and ceremonial practices.

An earlier theory, hints that Stonehenge was a late Neolithic burial ground and a monument for the dead. The charred human remains were unearthed in the holes in and around the site, which were called the Aubrey Holes (which had once held the small standing stones). When the bone analysis was done, it showed that they were buried around 500 years ago. After around 2500 B.C. people stopped burying the human remains inside the stone circle and started burying them in trenches around the outer boundary. This was a sudden shift in the cultural significance of Stonehenge.

From studying these remains, it was seen that the bodies of these dead people were transported from faraway places and were then buried in Stonehenge. It was also seen that they had lived almost 120 miles away from the Wales. Also, the radiocarbon dating of the buried remains suggested that their bodies were cremated off-site, and then they were carried to Stonehenge and buried here around 4000 to 5000 years ago.

Another Theory

There was another theory that stated that Stonehenge had some celestial influence or an apparent alignment with the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. Researchers had confirmed that these standing bluestones were very carefully placed based on astronomical knowledge.

It is said that Stonehenge was built to track the movement of the sun, moon, and stars thousands of years ago. When proper analysis and orientation of the stone was done, it was found that they have a strong alignment with the movements of the sun and moon specially.

Conclusion

Stonehenge was said to be a place of healing and pilgrimage. The bluestones in the middle of the stone were dragged almost 180 miles from southwest Wales to the site of Stonehenge. The chippings that were carved from these bluestone rocks were used to produce amulets (which have protective and healing properties). Thus, it is considered to be a very good reason to build this monument.