Picture of the day - November 5, 2005

Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Today's picture features Stonehenge, one of the world's most interesting, yet mysterious structures. No one can say with 100% certainty exactly why Stonehenge was built or what purpose it served, but it is widely believed that the megalithic monument was used as a rudimentary calendar and/or religious site.

What we do know is that Stonehenge is an engineering and construction marvel given the fact that it was built (in three phases) approximately 3,000 years prior to the birth of Christ! It remains a mystery how people of that era managed to move stones weighing 25 tons each a distance of 20 miles and then assemble them to form such a structure. To give you a little perspective on the difficulty of the task, the tallest upright stone is some 30 feet high, with 22 feet of it above ground level!


Stonehenge is located on Salisbury Plain west of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. One of the United Kingdom's most popular monuments, Stonehenge is open to visitors every day of the year except for December 24-26 and New years Day. Accommodations and meals are readily available in the nearby towns and tours are available year-round.
 

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