Stonehenge: How One of the Stone Age’s Most Famous Monuments Was Built

Location: Stonehenge is located in the county of Wiltshire in southern England, around 13 kilometres north of Salisbury and close to the town of Amesbury. The monument stands on the largely open Salisbury Plain. It forms part of an extensive prehistoric landscape of burial mounds, earthworks and ancient processional routes that developed over many centuries.

Significance: Stonehenge is one of the best-known prehistoric monuments in the world. Particularly remarkable are the size of its stones, the care with which they were shaped and the technically sophisticated construction of the stone circle. UNESCO describes Stonehenge as the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world.

Beginnings: Long before Stonehenge was built, people were already using the surrounding area. Between around 8500 and 7000 BC, large pine posts were erected northwest of the later stone circle. Their purpose is unknown. Around 3500 BC, the first major Neolithic monuments appeared in the landscape, including long burial mounds and extensive earthworks. By the time Stonehenge was built, the surrounding area had therefore already been shaped by important monuments for centuries.

First construction phase: Around 3000 BC, the first major monument at Stonehenge was created. A circular ditch with an inner and a smaller outer bank enclosed an area about 100 metres in diameter. The ditch was dug into the chalk using simple tools made from deer antler. Inside were 56 regularly spaced pits now known as the Aubrey Holes. They probably once held wooden posts or stones. Cremated human remains were buried in and around these pits, as well as in the ditch. During this early phase, Stonehenge also served as a burial site for several centuries.

The great stone phase: Around 2500 BC, Stonehenge took on the form that still defines it today. Large sarsen stones were transported from an area around 25 kilometres away and erected to form an outer stone circle and an inner horseshoe. The horseshoe consisted of five trilithons, each made up of two upright stones supporting a horizontal lintel. Smaller bluestones were also used, most of them originating in Wales around 250 kilometres away. The sarsen stones in particular were carefully shaped. Tenons, sockets and other precisely fitted joints held the upright stones and their lintels together.

Later changes: After the great sarsen stones had been erected, Stonehenge was altered several more times. Around 2300 to 2200 BC, the bluestones were rearranged into a circle and an inner oval. Later, the oval was partly reshaped into a horseshoe. At roughly the same time, the Avenue was created, a route bordered by earth banks that connected Stonehenge with the River Avon. Between around 2100 and 1500 BC, hundreds of round burial mounds were built in the surrounding area. Today they form the densest concentration of prehistoric burial mounds in Britain. Two rings of pits were also created around the stone circle. They may have been intended for another arrangement of stones, but were never used for this purpose. Between around 1750 and 1500 BC, more than 100 axe heads and several daggers were carved into four sarsen stones. No major prehistoric alterations to Stonehenge are known after this period.

Later use: Stonehenge continued to be visited long after the prehistoric construction phases had ended. A particularly large number of finds date from the Roman period. A large pit or shaft was also dug within the stone circle at that time. This suggests that Stonehenge may once again have held ritual significance for the Romano-British population. Centuries later, a decapitated man was buried near the monument, probably during the Anglo-Saxon period. Why he was buried there and what significance Stonehenge still held at the time are unknown.

Builders of Stonehenge: Stonehenge was not built by a single generation. Over many generations, Neolithic and early Bronze Age communities built and repeatedly altered the monument. Exactly who these people were and what language they spoke is not recorded. The Druids had nothing to do with its construction. They are known only from written sources produced more than a thousand years after the major construction phases at Stonehenge. The false connection originated with scholars of the 17th and 18th centuries. When the great stone structure was built around 2500 BC, its builders still had no metal tools, and there is no evidence for the use of wheeled vehicles in Britain at the time. Transporting, shaping and erecting the enormous stones therefore required careful planning and the cooperation of many people.

Prehistoric landscape: Stonehenge formed part of a much larger landscape filled with prehistoric monuments. These included Durrington Walls, an enormous circular earthwork, and nearby Woodhenge with its former rings of timber posts. More than 350 burial mounds, along with other earthworks and routes, are known in the surrounding area. Together, these monuments show that the landscape was used and repeatedly reshaped over many centuries for burials, large gatherings and ceremonial activities.

Stone circle: The outer sarsen circle was probably originally built as a complete ring of 30 upright stones and 30 horizontal lintels. It measured around 30 metres in diameter. Today, 17 of the sarsen stones are still standing, while six lintels remain in their original positions. At the centre of the monument lies the so-called Altar Stone, a sandstone slab around 4.9 metres long and weighing about six tonnes. Today it is partly buried beneath fallen sarsen stones. Whether the Altar Stone originally stood upright or lay flat, and what purpose it served, is unknown.

Heel Stone: The roughly 4.9-metre-high Heel Stone stands in front of the northeastern entrance to Stonehenge. Unlike the worked sarsen stones of the stone circle itself, this enormous stone has largely retained its natural shape. At the summer solstice, viewed from the centre of the monument, the sun rises just to its left. The pit of another large stone has also been discovered beside the Heel Stone. Two stones may originally have stood here, framing the sunrise. However, it is also possible that the Heel Stone originally stood in this pit and was later moved.

Other stones: Near the northeastern entrance lies the fallen Slaughter Stone, which originally stood upright. It received its name only many centuries later. Rainwater collects in hollows in the iron-rich stone and can turn a rusty red colour. This probably contributed to the false belief that sacrifices were carried out at this spot. Four so-called Station Stones also once stood around the edge of the monument, two of which survive today. They mark the corners of a rectangle around the centre of Stonehenge. The short sides of this rectangle follow the monument’s solstitial axis. The long sides point approximately towards the southernmost moonrise. Whether this alignment was deliberate, however, remains disputed.

Aubrey Holes: Just inside the earth bank is a ring of 56 pits created around 3000 BC. They are named after the antiquarian John Aubrey, who first documented their positions in the 17th century. Whether they originally contained wooden posts or stones remains disputed. Cremated human remains were buried in and around many of the Aubrey Holes. The pits are therefore also among the most important evidence for the early use of Stonehenge as a burial site. The now-filled pits are partly marked by white circles on the ground.

Processional route: The roughly 2.8-kilometre-long Stonehenge Avenue led from the River Avon to the stone circle. Bordered by parallel banks and ditches, the route was created around 2300 BC. Its final straight section follows the main axis of Stonehenge. It points towards the sunrise at the summer solstice and, in the opposite direction, towards the sunset at the winter solstice. The Avenue probably had ceremonial significance and created a direct link between the river and Stonehenge.

Cursus: North of Stonehenge lies the Stonehenge Cursus, an earthwork around 2.8 kilometres long and more than 100 metres wide. It was created around 3500 BC, making it about 500 years older than the first construction phase of Stonehenge. It was enclosed by banks with ditches on their outer sides. The purpose of the Cursus is unknown. It was probably a ceremonial space or marked a special route through the landscape. It received its present name only in the 18th century, when such structures were mistakenly thought to be Roman racecourses. The low, overgrown earthworks are now difficult to make out in the landscape.

Burial mounds: During the Bronze Age, numerous round burial mounds were built around Stonehenge. Unlike the older communal burials, they often contained the graves of individual people. Weapons, jewellery and other grave goods provide clues to their social status and far-reaching connections. Bush Barrow, south of Stonehenge, is particularly well known and was created around 1800 BC. A man was buried there with exceptionally valuable grave goods. These included finely crafted gold objects, two bronze daggers and a bronze axe. The grave is one of the richest known Early Bronze Age burials in Britain. Many of these burial mounds can still be seen today as grass-covered rises in the landscape.

Other structures: Around three kilometres northeast of Stonehenge, there was a large settlement at Durrington Walls around 2500 BC, with numerous houses. Large quantities of animal bones and pottery show that communal feasts were also held there. People involved in building Stonehenge may have lived there temporarily. Very close by, Woodhenge was created with six oval rings of timber posts. Some of these posts were several metres high. The purpose of the site is unknown. Durrington Walls and Woodhenge were created at around the same time as the great stone circle. They show that Stonehenge formed part of an intensively used landscape.

Solstice alignment: Stonehenge was deliberately aligned with the solstices. At the summer solstice, the sun rises in the northeast near the Heel Stone. In the opposite direction, at the winter solstice, it set between the two uprights of the tallest trilithon. What this alignment meant to people at the time is not known with certainty. Finds from Durrington Walls, however, show that people gathered for large feasts in winter. The winter solstice may therefore have played a particularly important role.

Place of the dead: In its early phase, Stonehenge was also an important burial place. Archaeologists have identified the cremated remains of at least 64 people. As many as 150 people may originally have been buried here. Stonehenge is therefore regarded as the largest known Late Neolithic cremation cemetery in the British Isles. Who the dead were and why these particular people were buried at this special place remain unknown.

Long-distance connections: Finds show that Stonehenge was part of far-reaching networks. Isotope analyses of the cremated remains of 25 people buried there found that at least ten of them had not lived permanently in the surrounding area. For some, the results indicate an origin in western Britain, possibly West Wales, where the bluestones also came from. The so-called Amesbury Archer probably travelled even farther. His grave, discovered around five kilometres southeast of Stonehenge, dates to around 2300 BC. Studies of his teeth suggest that he grew up in Central Europe, probably in the Alpine region. Such finds show that people in prehistoric Europe were already travelling over great distances.

Place of healing: One theory suggests that Stonehenge may have been a place for healing rituals. According to this idea, the bluestones from Wales in particular may have been regarded as stones with special powers and may have attracted people from distant regions. Evidence cited includes burials of people with serious illnesses or injuries, as well as later traditions about the healing powers of the stones. However, this evidence is indirect and does not prove that such beliefs existed when Stonehenge was created. Whether the monument actually served as a sanctuary for the sick therefore remains uncertain.

Ringing stones: Some rocks in the Preseli Hills produce strikingly clear, metallic sounds when struck. Such ringing stones are known as lithophones. Research has shown that at least three bluestones at Stonehenge can also produce a similar sound. However, there is no evidence that this acoustic property played a role in the selection of the stones.

Feasts at Durrington Walls: Around 2500 BC, large communal feasts were held at Durrington Walls. Archaeologists found more than 38,000 animal bones there, mainly from pigs and cattle. Many pigs were slaughtered at around nine months old, suggesting that the feasts took place in winter. Studies of their teeth also show that some animals came from distant parts of Britain. People apparently travelled long distances with their livestock to the Stonehenge area to celebrate together.

Origins of the stones: The stones at Stonehenge came from widely separated regions of Britain. Most of the large sarsen stones came from West Woods, around 25 kilometres north of the monument. The smaller bluestones came mainly from the Preseli Hills in western Wales, around 250 kilometres away. The roughly six-tonne Altar Stone travelled particularly far. Its geological composition points to the Orcadian Basin in northeastern Scotland, although its exact place of origin remains unknown. The stone therefore travelled at least 750 kilometres to Stonehenge.

Transporting the stones: Exactly how the multi-tonne stones reached Stonehenge is not known. At least the sarsen stones were probably pulled over land on wooden sledges using ropes. Experiments show that even very heavy stone blocks can be moved in this way by larger groups of people. For the bluestones and the Altar Stone, which travelled over much greater distances, both overland routes and sections along rivers or by sea are possible. Archaeology has so far been unable to establish exactly which routes and techniques were used.

Shaping the stones: The sarsen stones were carefully shaped before they were erected. Using hammerstones made of sarsen and flint, the builders knocked away irregularities and smoothed the surfaces. They worked the inward-facing sides of the great trilithons particularly finely. The upright sarsen stones were attached to the horizontal lintels using tenons and matching sockets. In the outer stone circle, tongue-and-groove joints also connected the individual lintels to one another. Such techniques are best known from woodworking. Large quantities of stone debris and broken hammerstones show that much of the shaping took place in an area immediately north of Stonehenge.

Erecting the stones: For each large sarsen stone, a deep pit with one sloping side was first dug. The stone was then pulled to the edge of the pit and probably raised using ropes, timber frames and possibly counterweights. The pit was then packed firmly with chalk rubble and stones. The horizontal lintels were probably levered upwards step by step on wooden platforms before finally being placed onto the prepared tenons. Exactly how this work was carried out can no longer be reconstructed with certainty.

Decay and restoration: Over the centuries, several stones fell or began leaning dangerously. In 1797, a complete trilithon collapsed. In 1900, a sarsen stone from the outer circle and its lintel fell. A series of major stabilisation works therefore began in 1901. Several stones were re-erected and later partly stabilised in the ground with concrete. In 1958, the trilithon that had collapsed in 1797 was also re-erected. The final major restoration phase followed in 1964. Since then, conservation work has focused mainly on preserving the surviving monument with as little alteration as possible.

Private ownership: Stonehenge remained privately owned until 1918. After the Antrobus family put their estate up for auction in 1915, lawyer Cecil Chubb bought the monument together with around twelve hectares of land for £6,600. Just three years later, Cecil and his wife Mary gave Stonehenge to the British nation. The donation was formally completed on 26 October 1918. This marked the beginning of a new phase of state protection and long-term conservation of the monument.

Festival: Between 1974 and 1984, the Stonehenge Free Festival was held around the summer solstice. What began as a small alternative gathering developed into an event lasting several weeks and eventually attracted around 30,000 people. The large camps increasingly damaged the archaeological landscape, including through vehicles and latrines dug into prehistoric burial mounds. In 1985, a court banned the festival. On 1 June, police stopped around 600 people travelling towards Stonehenge in a convoy of vehicles. In the violent confrontation that followed, known as the “Battle of the Beanfield”, numerous people were injured and 537 were arrested.

Modern solstice: Since 2000, Stonehenge has once again been opened for managed access at the summer solstice. On this occasion, visitors are allowed to enter the area inside the stone circle and experience the sunrise there. Rules designed to protect the stones and the archaeological landscape are intended to prevent damage. The celebration attracts thousands of people every year. Around 25,000 visitors came to Stonehenge for the summer solstice in 2025.

Ancient legend: In the Middle Ages, the origins of Stonehenge were explained through a story about the wizard Merlin. Around 1136, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote that the stones had originally formed part of a legendary stone circle in Ireland. Giants were said to have brought them there from Africa. According to the legend, Merlin had the enormous stones transported to England and re-erected on Salisbury Plain as a memorial to fallen Britons. The story was retold for centuries but has nothing to do with the actual origins of Stonehenge.

Origin of the name: The name Stonehenge is recorded in writing from the early 12th century. Around 1130, the chronicler Henry of Huntingdon mentioned the monument as “Stanenges” and counted it among the wonders of England. The first part of the name clearly means “stone”. The origin of the second part is less certain but is probably connected with hanging or with the horizontal lintels. Stonehenge can therefore be interpreted roughly as “hanging stones” or “stone gallows”.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Since 1986, Stonehenge, together with Avebury and the surrounding prehistoric sites, has formed part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Site consists of two separate cultural landscapes in Wiltshire containing numerous Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments. At Stonehenge, these include not only the stone circle but also earthworks, processional routes, settlement sites and hundreds of burial mounds.