Stonehenge
is a public monument originally constructed approximately five thousand
years ago. During its existence, it has been used and remodeled according
to the needs of many people in many different situations.
Situated
in Wessex, in south central England, Stonehenge is in the center of
a region noted for an abundance of ritual structures. These include
henge monuments (monuments consisting of standing uprights of wood or
stone), long barrows (long mortuary mounds generally containing the
disarticulated remains of many individuals), cursus monuments (narrow
elongated ditched enclosures), causewayed enclosures (roughly circular
enclosures generally about 200 meters in diameter surrounded by concentric
rings of ditches), and round barrows (circular mortuary mounds generally
containing one primary burial).
The
following is an outline of the construction phases of Stonehenge. Remember
that in many places the original number and position of stones is not
known due to natural decay and human disturbance.
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