Who built Stonehenge?
Druids (Celtic high priests) were believed to build Stonehenge. However, radiocarbon dating showed that Stonehenge was erected a millennia before the Celts were in the area. It is now believed that different tribes contributed to its construction and Neolithic agrarians were the first.
Architecture of Stonehenge
The megaliths are sarsen stones from Marlborough Downs, which is about 32 kilometers away from the monument. The largest megalith is the Heel Stone, which weighs about 30 tons - a little higher than the average 25 tons of the other stones. Bluestones are the smaller stones, due to the blue hue they get when wet or freshly cut. They come from Preseli Hills, Wales. Some believe that glaciers brought along the stones, while others think humans carried them.
Stonehenge was created in three major stages, further divided into several smaller stages. Initially, it was simply an earthwork enclosure where the dead were cremated. The stones were erected much later. Hammerstones of sarsen and flint were found north of Stonehenge. The larger hammerstones would have been used to roughly cut the stone, while the smaller ones would have been used to give them a smooth finish. A large hole with a slope was dug around the sarsens, lined with wooden stakes. The hole was packed with rubble to ensure the stone remained upright. The outer ring of stones was at an even height, even though the area was not flat.
